Mother’s Day represents one of the highest-revenue periods for florists, generating significant sales as customers seek to honor the maternal figures in their lives. However, it’s also a holiday fraught with profound emotional complexity for a substantial portion of the population. While countless customers happily celebrate their mothers with joy and gratitude, many others navigate grief, strained relationships, infertility, pregnancy loss, absence, or complicated family dynamics that make this day particularly difficult. As a florist and business owner, you have both an opportunity and a responsibility to honor this significant day while being sensitive to the diverse, often painful experiences within your community.
Understanding the Emotional Landscape
Mother’s Day affects people in vastly different ways, and the emotional spectrum is far broader than many businesses recognize. Your customers and community members may include people grieving deceased mothers or children—some whose losses are recent and raw, others for whom decades have passed but the day still brings sadness. There are individuals estranged from their mothers due to abuse, neglect, addiction, or irreconcilable family conflict who feel societal pressure to participate in a celebration of a relationship that harmed them.
Many people are struggling with infertility, experiencing the month-by-month heartbreak of trying to conceive, or processing pregnancy loss and infant loss that leaves them bereaved of the motherhood they desperately wanted. Some have chosen not to have children and face judgment or intrusive questions during this season, while others wanted children but circumstances—health issues, lack of partnership, financial constraints, or life timing—meant it didn’t happen, leaving them with complicated feelings of loss and regret.
Adoptive families may be navigating complex emotions around birth mothers, adoption trauma, or identity questions that surface during Mother’s Day. Single fathers raising children alone may feel invisible during a holiday that doesn’t acknowledge their dual role, or they may struggle to help their children honor a mother who is absent. LGBTQ+ individuals whose family relationships may be strained or severed due to lack of acceptance face a holiday that can highlight rejection and loss. People in foster care or who grew up without maternal figures may feel the absence of what others take for granted.
Additionally, there are people whose mothers are living but absent due to dementia, serious mental illness, addiction, incarceration, or geographic distance that makes connection impossible. There are adult children serving as caregivers to mothers with declining health, for whom Mother’s Day is bittersweet—a reminder of loss even while the person still lives. There are mothers who have lost children at any age, for whom Mother’s Day is a painful reminder of absence. And there are stepfamilies, blended families, and non-traditional family structures where Mother’s Day can be awkward, contentious, or unclear.
Recognizing this complexity doesn’t diminish the joy of those celebrating, but it does allow you to market more thoughtfully, inclusively, and humanely. It also positions your business as one that sees and respects the full range of human experience rather than operating from a narrow, commercialized version of family life.
Broaden Your Messaging Beyond Traditional Motherhood
Expand beyond biological mothers to honor all maternal figures. Traditional Mother’s Day marketing often focuses exclusively on biological mothers, but maternal love and care exist in many forms. Create campaigns and collections that explicitly honor grandmothers who raised grandchildren or played pivotal roles in their lives, aunts who provided stability and guidance, godmothers who took their role seriously, stepmothers who showed up with love despite complicated dynamics, and foster mothers who opened their homes and hearts.
Include adoptive mothers who chose their children intentionally and love them completely, chosen family members who provide maternal care in the absence of biological mothers, teachers and mentors who shaped who their students became, fathers who fulfill both parental roles and deserve recognition for their maternal qualities, siblings who raised younger siblings in difficult family situations, and anyone who has nurtured, guided, protected, and cared for others in maternal ways.
Acknowledge different types of motherhood and maternal experience. Create messaging that resonates with new mothers navigating the overwhelming first years, mothers who have lost children and carry that grief while still identifying as mothers, pet parents who love their animals deeply (while being careful not to trivialize human parenthood or make false equivalencies), women who mentor and nurture in their communities even without children of their own, and those who mother through their professions—teachers, nurses, social workers, coaches—or volunteer work that nurtures the next generation.
Consider campaigns like “Honoring All Who Nurture,” “Celebrate Your Person,” “For Every Kind of Mother Love,” or “Flowers for the Ones Who Raised You.” These broader frameworks honor the reality that maternal love exists in many forms while expanding your potential customer base significantly. You’re not just marketing to people with living biological mothers—you’re marketing to everyone who wants to honor someone who showed them maternal care, which is a much larger and more inclusive audience.
Create specific sub-collections within your Mother’s Day offerings. Rather than having one undifferentiated “Mother’s Day” category, consider organizing your products into sections: “For Moms,” “For Grandmothers,” “For Mother Figures,” “In Remembrance,” “For New Mothers,” “For Expecting Mothers,” and “Self-Care for Mothers.” This organization itself communicates inclusivity and helps customers quickly find what resonates with their specific situation without wading through messaging that doesn’t apply to them.
Use Sensitive and Inclusive Language
Avoid universalizing statements that assume everyone shares the same experience. Phrases like “every mother deserves flowers,” “don’t forget the most important woman in your life,” “the woman who gave you everything,” or “honor the woman who made you who you are” can be painful for those whose mothers have died, whose relationships are complicated or abusive, or whose mothers were absent. These statements also exclude people raised by fathers, grandparents, or other configurations.
Instead, use invitational language that creates space for participation without pressure: “For those celebrating mothers and maternal figures,” “Honor the nurturers in your life,” “If you’re looking to show appreciation,” “Celebrate the people who showed you how to love,” “For anyone who wants to mark the occasion,” or “When you want to say thank you.” This language invites people in without making assumptions about their circumstances or pressuring them into participation that doesn’t feel authentic or healthy for them.
Don’t guilt or shame customers into purchases. Marketing that implies people are inadequate, ungrateful children if they don’t buy flowers—”She gave you everything—what will you give her?” “Don’t disappoint Mom this year,” “She deserves better than what you gave her last year,” or “Make up for all those times you forgot to call”—creates pressure and can be particularly painful for those with difficult family histories, limited financial means, or legitimate reasons for limiting contact with their mothers.
Guilt-based marketing also simply feels bad. It makes customers associate your business with negative emotions rather than the joy of giving. Instead, focus on the positive aspects of appreciation: “Brighten her day,” “Share some beauty,” “Send a smile,” or “Let her know you’re thinking of her.” These messages motivate through joy rather than obligation.
Recognize diverse family structures in your language. Not everyone has a mother in their life, and not all families look traditional. Use inclusive language that acknowledges different configurations: “For the ones who raised you” instead of “for Mom and Dad,” “the people who made you who you are” instead of assuming a nuclear family, and “maternal figures” instead of just “mothers.”
When creating cards or messaging options, include a range of sentiments beyond “To Mom” or “Happy Mother’s Day.” Offer options like “To the woman who raised me,” “For my grandmother,” “To my chosen family,” “In loving memory,” “Thinking of you today,” or simply “With love and gratitude.” This gives customers language that matches their reality rather than forcing them into ill-fitting templates.
Be particularly careful with language around obligation and expectation. Avoid messaging that suggests flowers are required, expected, or the minimum acceptable gesture. Phrases like “she’s expecting something special” or “don’t show up empty-handed” create anxiety and pressure. Remember that some people have very good reasons for setting boundaries with their mothers, and your marketing shouldn’t undermine healthy choices people have made for their wellbeing.
Acknowledge Grief and Loss Directly
Create dedicated space for remembrance within your Mother’s Day offerings. Unlike Valentine’s Day, which centers on a relationship type many people don’t have, Mother’s Day specifically centers on a relationship that many people have lost to death. This means grief is not a peripheral experience but a central one for a significant portion of your potential customers. Don’t relegate remembrance to a small corner of your website or treat it as an afterthought.
Consider creating a prominently featured “In Remembrance” or “Forever in Our Hearts” collection for those honoring deceased mothers or children. This collection should be easy to find—not buried several clicks deep—and should feel dignified and intentional rather than like a concession. Include arrangements specifically designed for this purpose: understated elegance, meaningful symbolism, appropriate color palettes that convey respect and love without being overly cheerful.
Offer cemetery-appropriate arrangements with thoughtful descriptions. Make it easy for grieving customers to find suitable options for graveside placement without having to navigate exclusively celebratory marketing. Cemetery arrangements need to be designed for outdoor placement, often in built-in vases, and should withstand weather. Describe these practical considerations alongside the emotional aspects: “Designed for graveside placement to honor and remember the mother you carry in your heart.”
Use gentle, respectful language in remembrance sections. Simple descriptions like “For remembering and honoring,” “In loving memory,” “Forever missed, forever loved,” or “Keeping her memory close” respect the gravity of loss without being overly sentimental or presumptuous about others’ grief experiences. Avoid clichés like “she’s in a better place” or “she’s watching over you,” which don’t resonate with everyone’s beliefs and can feel dismissive of real pain.
Acknowledge child loss explicitly. Mothers who have lost children often feel invisible on Mother’s Day, unsure if they still “count” as mothers or if others remember their children. Create space for this experience: “Honoring mothers who carry their children in their hearts,” “For the children we hold forever,” or “In memory of precious lives.” This recognition can be profoundly meaningful to bereaved mothers who feel forgotten.
Consider memorial donation programs. Offer customers the option to purchase an arrangement where part or all of the proceeds go to relevant charities: pregnancy and infant loss support, hospice care, Alzheimer’s research, or local bereavement support groups. This gives customers a way to honor loss while contributing to something meaningful, and it demonstrates that your business’s acknowledgment of grief goes beyond performative marketing.
Train staff to handle remembrance orders with particular sensitivity. Customers ordering memorial arrangements may be emotional, and this is often the hardest order they place all year. Staff should be prepared to listen more than they talk, to offer tissue boxes discreetly, to give people space if they need to step outside, and to simply say, “I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ll make sure this is beautiful for her.”
Consider a “May Appreciation” Approach
Distribute the focus throughout the month rather than creating a single-day pressure point. Frame some of your marketing around celebrating important people throughout May rather than concentrating everything on the second Sunday. This approach reduces pressure associated with a single day, acknowledges that not everyone participates in Mother’s Day specifically, and extends your selling season beyond one weekend.
Create campaigns like “May: A Month of Gratitude,” “Celebrate Someone Special This May,” or “May Flowers for the People You Love.” You can still emphasize the Mother’s Day weekend as your peak, but positioning it within a broader month-long theme makes the holiday feel less mandatory and inescapable for those who struggle with it.
Promote alternative dates explicitly. Some people find Mother’s Day itself too painful but still want to honor someone. Offering “Send flowers any day in May” campaigns or promoting specific alternative dates provides options for those avoiding the official holiday. Consider marketing like “Can’t make it on the 11th? Send flowers on a day that works for you” or “Sometimes the day after feels easier—we’re here whenever you’re ready.”
This is particularly helpful for people visiting graves, who may prefer to avoid the cemetery crowds on Mother’s Day itself, or for those whose mothers’ birthdays or death anniversaries fall in May and feel more personally significant than the official holiday.
Extend remembrance acknowledgment beyond Mother’s Day. In the weeks following Mother’s Day, continue to make remembrance arrangements available and visible. Some people find the day itself too overwhelming and wait until the week after to visit a grave or send flowers. Don’t make these customers feel like an afterthought by immediately removing all acknowledging content.
Be Mindful on Social Media
Balance your content to avoid overwhelming feeds. While you need to promote Mother’s Day heavily in late April and early May—it’s a crucial revenue period—avoid weeks of exclusively mother-focused content. For people struggling with the holiday, constant reminders can make an already difficult time unbearable. Intersperse Mother’s Day promotions with general floral appreciation, other occasions like graduations or spring celebrations, educational content about flowers, or neutral posts about your business.
A good rule of thumb might be: in the two weeks before Mother’s Day, no more than half your posts should be explicitly Mother’s Day focused, leaving room for other content. In the week before, you can increase to about 75% Mother’s Day content. On the day itself, it’s appropriate to be fully focused on the holiday.
Provide gentle acknowledgment of complexity when appropriate. On Mother’s Day itself, consider a single post that acknowledges different experiences without being performative or centering yourself. Simple statements like “We know today brings joy for many and difficulty for others. Wishing peace to all,” “However you’re spending today, we’re thinking of you,” or “To those celebrating, remembering, or simply getting through—we see you” can validate different experiences.
Keep this acknowledgment brief and genuine. One such post is enough—multiple posts about how hard Mother’s Day is for some people can feel like you’re using others’ pain for engagement. The point is quiet recognition, not virtue signaling.
Create inclusive campaigns that broaden participation. Consider social media campaigns celebrating “People who showed us how to love,” “The ones who raised us,” “Maternal love in all its forms,” or “Thank a nurturer.” These recognize the spirit of the day while being accessible to more people. You might ask followers to share stories of people who cared for them, creating space for diverse family configurations and experiences.
User-generated content campaigns work well here: “Share a photo of someone who helped raise you—anyone who nurtured, guided, or loved you into who you are today.” This invites participation from people with non-traditional families while still celebrating the concept of maternal care.
Avoid mother-shaming or guilt-inducing humor. Posts that joke about forgetting Mother’s Day, giving inadequate gifts, or being ungrateful children can feel tone-deaf, especially to those who have lost children or mothers. Humor like “Better order now or you’ll be in trouble!” or “Don’t be that kid who forgot Mom!” might seem lighthearted but can be painful for people whose mothers are dead (they literally can’t participate), estranged (they’re actively choosing not to participate for good reasons), or who have lost children (the idea of ungrateful children hits differently).
If you use humor in your marketing, make sure it’s genuinely funny and not based on guilt, shame, or fear. Humor about the beauty of flowers, the chaos of Mother’s Day weekend from a florist’s perspective, or gentle observations about life can work well. Humor that makes customers feel bad does not.
Be strategic about timing. Consider that your social media posts reach people when they’re scrolling during difficult moments. Someone dealing with infertility might see your cheerful pregnancy announcement post while sitting in a doctor’s office after bad news. Someone grieving their mother might encounter your content while having an already hard day. This doesn’t mean you can’t post joyful content—you absolutely should celebrate the positive aspects of Mother’s Day—but it does mean being thoughtful about volume, frequency, and tone.
Use content warnings sparingly but appropriately. For particularly sensitive content—like posts specifically about pregnancy announcements or infant-focused Mother’s Day content—you might occasionally include a brief note: “Today’s post celebrates expectant mothers.” This gives people struggling with infertility or loss the option to skip that particular post without unsubscribing from your page entirely. Don’t overuse this or it becomes performative, but occasional consideration can make your page feel safer for vulnerable followers.
Train Your Staff for Sensitive Interactions
Prepare your team for emotional customers during the May season. Mother’s Day brings many people buying sympathy flowers, remembrance arrangements, or flowers for complicated situations, and these transactions require more emotional intelligence than typical sales. Train staff to use open, neutral questions like “What kind of arrangement are you looking for today?” or “What’s the occasion?” rather than assuming all May purchases are celebratory.
This small shift in approach prevents painful moments where staff cheerfully say “For Mother’s Day?” to someone buying sympathy flowers for their deceased mother or to someone sending flowers to a mother they’re estranged from out of obligation. Let customers volunteer information rather than assuming their story.
Teach staff to read emotional cues and respond appropriately. Some customers will clearly be having a hard time—they might be teary, struggling to make decisions, or visibly upset. Staff should be prepared to respond with quiet compassion: offering tissue, giving people time and space to compose themselves, offering to help narrow down choices if someone seems overwhelmed, or simply saying, “Take your time, there’s no rush.”
Other customers will want to maintain composure and privacy. Staff should be sensitive to this as well, allowing people to complete their transaction efficiently without drawing attention to their emotions or requiring them to explain themselves.
Respect boundaries and avoid intrusive questions. Some customers may become emotional while ordering, and while it’s appropriate to be compassionate, staff shouldn’t pry into personal situations. A simple “I’m sorry you’re going through a difficult time” is sufficient without requiring details about why someone is upset. Many people just want to complete their purchase and leave; they’re not looking for a counseling session with the person behind the counter.
Handle awkward moments with grace and minimal fuss. If staff accidentally say “Happy Mother’s Day!” to someone buying sympathy flowers or make another well-intentioned but mistaken assumption, they should simply apologize briefly (“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed”) and move forward rather than over-explaining, becoming flustered, or making the customer comfort them. A brief acknowledgment of the mistake followed by professional, compassionate service is the best recovery.
Prepare scripts for common difficult situations. Staff should know how to respond when customers say things like “My mother died last month,” “I’m buying these for my mother but we don’t really have a relationship,” “These are for the cemetery,” or “I’m sending these because my family expects it but I’d rather not.” A simple, empathetic response like “I’m so sorry,” “We’ll make sure these are just right,” or “I understand—we’ll take good care of this for you” acknowledges the situation without requiring the customer to elaborate.
Create a signal system for team support. Consider having a way for staff to signal each other when they have a customer dealing with a particularly emotional situation, so another team member can discreetly take over other customers, give them extra time, or provide backup support if needed. This prevents situations where an upset customer feels rushed because others are waiting.
Conduct role-playing training before the Mother’s Day rush. Have staff practice responding to various scenarios: a man ordering flowers for his late wife, a woman who starts crying while looking at arrangements, a customer who seems angry or frustrated while ordering, someone who explicitly says they’re sending flowers out of obligation, or a bereaved mother. Practicing these conversations in a safe training environment helps staff feel more confident and less likely to panic or say the wrong thing when it happens for real.
Address the Pressure on Mothers Themselves
Acknowledge that mothers are customers too, not just recipients. Many mothers feel pressure to be grateful for gifts they don’t want, to perform happiness on Mother’s Day regardless of how they actually feel, to host brunches or coordinate family gatherings rather than being genuinely cared for, or to make the day easy for everyone else. Consider marketing that positions flowers as self-care for mothers themselves: “Order yourself the bouquet you actually want,” “Treat yourself—you’ve earned it,” or “Because you shouldn’t have to wait for someone else.”
This approach is particularly resonant for mothers who feel unseen in their own families, mothers who are exhausted from carrying the mental load, or mothers who simply prefer to choose their own flowers rather than receive something that doesn’t suit their taste.
Recognize maternal burnout and the reality of modern motherhood. Some mothers find Mother’s Day exhausting rather than restful—it becomes another day when they’re expected to graciously receive attention while still managing all the normal household logistics. Marketing that acknowledges this reality with a light touch can resonate deeply: “Here’s to a day that’s actually relaxing,” “For mothers who need a real break,” or “Sometimes the best Mother’s Day gift is taking everything off Mom’s plate.”
Consider creating a “Mothers Need Care Too” campaign that encourages families to give meaningful rest and support rather than performative gifts. You can still sell flowers as part of this, but positioning them as part of genuine care rather than obligatory ritual differentiates your messaging.
Address the complexity of enjoying motherhood while also finding it difficult. Many mothers feel they can’t express ambivalence about motherhood without being judged. Marketing that acknowledges motherhood’s complexity—”For the mothers who love their kids and also need a moment alone,” “Celebrating the beautiful, messy, complicated reality of raising humans”—can feel refreshingly honest.
Create content for mothers grieving their own mothers. Many mothers find Mother’s Day particularly complicated because they’re both being celebrated and grieving. They’re navigating their children’s attempts to honor them while missing their own mothers intensely. Acknowledge this: “For mothers missing their mothers,” “Celebrating you while honoring the mother you lost,” or “Holding both joy and grief today.”
Offer Varied Price Points and Options
Provide genuinely budget-friendly arrangements, not just “economy” options. Economic pressure is real, especially for adult children supporting their own families, people on fixed incomes, or those managing multiple family obligations (mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, etc.). Ensure you have truly affordable options—not just marked-down versions of premium arrangements, but beautiful designs specifically created at accessible price points.
Frame these economical options positively rather than as lesser alternatives. Descriptions like “Charming and thoughtful,” “Simple elegance,” or “Perfectly lovely” feel better than “economy” or “basic.” Every customer deserves to feel good about what they’re purchasing, regardless of price point.
Avoid value messaging that equates price with love or worth. The cost of flowers doesn’t reflect the depth of someone’s feelings, their worth as a child, or the value of their mother. Emphasize thoughtfulness, beauty, and meaning across all price ranges. Use language that celebrates the gesture itself: “It’s not about the size of the arrangement; it’s about the thought behind it,” or “Every bouquet we create is made with care, regardless of price.”
When describing premium arrangements, focus on what makes them special—unique flowers, complex design, longer-lasting varieties—rather than implying that these are what “good” children buy or what mothers “deserve” as a minimum.
Consider group-gifting options for families and communities. For families coordinating between siblings, churches or community groups wanting to honor multiple maternal figures, or nursing homes wanting to provide flowers for residents, make group ordering easy and clear. Create specific packages for “Flowers for Every Mother in the Family” or “Nursing Home Resident Program” that streamline the process and potentially offer volume pricing.
This is particularly helpful for blended families or sibling groups trying to coordinate from different locations. Make it easy for them to split costs while presenting a unified gift.
Be transparent about Mother’s Day premium pricing. Mother’s Day often brings significant price increases due to supply and demand—flowers cost more, delivery is more complicated, and labor costs rise during the busiest weekend of the year. Being upfront about this shows respect for customers’ budgets and prevents sticker shock: “Please note: Due to increased demand and limited supply, flower prices are higher during Mother’s Day week.”
Some customers will understand and accept this; others may choose to order the week before or after. Either way, transparency builds trust better than surprising people at checkout.
Offer pre-order discounts or early-bird specials. Encourage customers to order ahead with incentives: “Order by April 25th and save 10%,” or “Lock in lower prices by ordering early.” This helps you manage workflow, ensures customers get what they want, and rewards people who plan ahead—which is particularly helpful for customers on tight budgets who can afford the purchase if they have time to save for it.
Navigate the Infertility and Loss Aspect Carefully
Be cautious with pregnancy and baby-related Mother’s Day promotions. While celebrating new mothers and mothers-to-be is appropriate, excessive focus on pregnancy announcements, baby-related Mother’s Day content, or marketing that centers on pregnancy as the ultimate achievement can be painful for those experiencing infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, or those who wanted children but it didn’t happen for various reasons.
If you create content specifically for expecting mothers or new mothers, consider including it as one element of broader Mother’s Day marketing rather than making it the centerpiece. And be aware that for every pregnant person celebrating their first Mother’s Day, there are multiple people who desperately wish they were pregnant and find such content difficult.
Avoid “first Mother’s Day” marketing that assumes pregnancy/babies. Many people become mothers through adoption, fostering, or step-parenting, which doesn’t always align neatly with pregnancy timelines. If you create “First Mother’s Day” content, use language that’s inclusive: “Celebrating your first Mother’s Day as a mom” rather than “Celebrating your first Mother’s Day with your newborn.”
Partner with or support relevant organizations that serve those affected by infertility and loss. Consider donating a portion of May proceeds to organizations supporting maternal mental health, pregnancy and infant loss support, infertility resources, foster care programs, or adoption services. This demonstrates that your acknowledgment of complexity goes beyond words and that you’re willing to support people in their actual struggles, not just market to them.
Feature these partnerships clearly: “This May, 10% of our Mother’s Day proceeds support [organization name], which provides counseling and support for families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss.” This tells customers that you see them and that their purchases contribute to something meaningful.
Create subtle options for acknowledging infertility and loss without forcing disclosure. Some people want to honor mothers who have experienced loss or women struggling with infertility, or they want to receive flowers themselves during a difficult Mother’s Day, but without making their pain public. Offering arrangements with gentle language like “Thinking of you,” “You are loved,” “With compassion,” or “Holding space” provides this option.
These arrangements should be visually distinct from cheerful Mother’s Day arrangements—perhaps softer colors, more understated designs—but still beautiful and carefully crafted. The description might say something like “For those navigating a tender Mother’s Day” without requiring specifics.
Be mindful of content showing happy pregnant people or new mothers with babies. While it’s fine to include diverse representations of motherhood in your marketing, be aware that for people struggling with infertility or processing pregnancy loss, images of pregnant bodies or tiny babies can be triggering. This doesn’t mean you can never show such images, but it does mean being thoughtful about frequency and context.
One solution is to ensure your visual content includes many different types of mothers across ages, stages, and family configurations, so that no single experience dominates your feed. Another is to occasionally use content warnings for specifically pregnancy-focused content, giving people the option to skip it.
Acknowledge that Mother’s Day can be retraumatizing for loss survivors. For people who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, or the loss of older children, Mother’s Day can bring flooding grief that takes them back to their darkest moments. The cultural expectation that Mother’s Day is joyful can make them feel isolated in their pain. A single, well-placed piece of content that says “We know Mother’s Day can be deeply painful for those who have experienced loss. Your children are remembered, and you are seen” can provide comfort.
Respect Those Who Opt Out
Don’t pressure participation or imply that opting out is wrong. Some people actively avoid Mother’s Day for legitimate mental health reasons—the day is triggering, painful, or associated with trauma. Others have made difficult but healthy decisions to set boundaries with their mothers and don’t want to participate even nominally. Respect these choices in your marketing by keeping language invitational rather than mandatory.
Avoid messaging that suggests everyone must participate: “Don’t forget Mother’s Day!” assumes people have forgotten rather than consciously choosing not to engage. “Everyone is celebrating mothers this weekend” excludes those who aren’t. Instead, use language like “For those celebrating Mother’s Day” or “If you’re honoring someone special this weekend.”
Offer easy email opt-outs for Mother’s Day campaigns. If you send Mother’s Day email campaigns, make it simple for people to skip this particular promotion without unsubscribing from all marketing. Include a line like “Not celebrating this year? Click here to skip Mother’s Day emails” or “Prefer not to receive Mother’s Day content? Update your preferences here.”
This small consideration can prevent people from unsubscribing entirely from your list because they couldn’t escape Mother’s Day messaging. It also demonstrates that you understand not everyone participates and that you respect their choices.
Don’t send Mother’s Day texts or push notifications to everyone indiscriminately. Text messages and push notifications are more intrusive than emails—they interrupt whatever someone is doing and appear on their phone screen without permission. Be particularly cautious about sending Mother’s Day texts to customers who haven’t explicitly opted into Mother’s Day marketing. Some people are actively trying to avoid reminders of the day, and an unwanted text can be genuinely upsetting.
Respect that some customers may be sending flowers out of obligation rather than desire. You’ll inevitably have customers who are participating in Mother’s Day not because they want to but because family pressure, guilt, or social expectations require it. They might be sending flowers to mothers they’re estranged from, mothers who hurt them, or mothers they have complicated relationships with. Process these orders professionally without judgment or cheerful assumptions about the relationship.
Create Post-Mother’s Day Content
Acknowledge the day after with sensitivity. A simple Monday post recognizing that the day has passed can feel like a relief to those who found it difficult: “May appreciation continues all month,” “For those who found yesterday challenging, we’re thinking of you,” or simply moving forward with regular content signals that the intense focus has ended.
This post-holiday acknowledgment is particularly meaningful for people who have been bracing themselves for weeks. The collective sigh of relief when a difficult holiday passes is real, and noting that the day is over validates that experience.
Don’t extend Mother’s Day marketing intensity indefinitely. While flowers remain beautiful year-round and you can continue selling mother-focused arrangements for those who missed the day, avoid stretching intensive Mother’s Day messaging throughout the entire month of May in ways that make the holiday inescapable for those finding it painful.
By mid-May, your marketing should have largely moved on to other occasions—graduations, weddings, Memorial Day, general spring celebrations. People who want Mother’s Day flowers after the fact will seek them out; you don’t need to bombard everyone with continued Mother’s Day content.
Consider a post-Mother’s Day “take care of yourself” campaign. For people who struggled through Mother’s Day—whether they were grieving, managing difficult family dynamics, or navigating painful emotions—a gentle message about self-care in the following week can be welcome: “Taking care of yourself after a hard weekend,” “Sometimes you need flowers for you,” or “Replenishing after an emotional week.”
This acknowledges that Mother’s Day is exhausting or painful for some people and positions your business as supportive of their wellbeing beyond just selling them things.
Special Considerations for Community Presence
Be thoughtful about participation in community Mother’s Day events. If you participate in local Mother’s Day brunches, church services, or community celebrations, consider how to be inclusive within those spaces. Can you also provide flowers for a remembrance table where people can honor deceased mothers or children? Can your promotional materials acknowledge different family situations? Can your booth or table include signage that recognizes various ways people experience the day?
Even small gestures—a separate vase labeled “In Memory” where people can place flowers for those who’ve passed, or literature that mentions “honoring mothers and maternal figures”—communicate inclusivity and care.
Support organizations serving struggling families throughout May. Consider donating arrangements to homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, or organizations supporting mothers in difficult circumstances. This honors motherhood while helping those in need and demonstrates that your engagement with Mother’s Day goes beyond commerce.
Partner with social service organizations to identify mothers who could benefit from receiving flowers but can’t afford them—single mothers in difficult circumstances, mothers in recovery, mothers experiencing homelessness, foster mothers, or mothers caring for seriously ill children. Create a “sponsor a bouquet” program where customers can fund arrangements for these recipients.
Be visible in your support for maternal mental health. Consider hosting or sponsoring events focused on maternal mental health, postpartum depression, parenting support, or grief support. Partner with local therapists, hospitals, or community organizations to raise awareness about maternal mental health challenges—not just in May, but year-round.
This positions your business as genuinely committed to supporting mothers in their full humanity, not just during the commercial holiday but in their actual struggles. It also helps destigmatize conversations about the challenges of motherhood.
Handle Difficult Customer Service Situations
Prepare for family conflict orders with professionalism. Sometimes people send flowers to mothers they’re estranged from because family members pressure them into participation, or they’re trying to maintain a relationship despite past hurt. Sometimes family members are sending flowers on behalf of someone else who can’t or won’t do it themselves. Train staff to process these orders professionally without judgment or commentary.
A customer might say something like “I’m sending these to my mother but we don’t really talk” or “My sister thinks I should send something.” The appropriate response is simply “We’ll take care of that for you” rather than trying to encourage reconciliation, asking questions about the situation, or expressing opinions about family dynamics.
Be ready for last-minute requests from conflicted or guilty children. Rather than shaming late orders or making assumptions about procrastination, simply fulfill them efficiently. People’s complicated relationships with their mothers aren’t your business to judge, and someone ordering at the last minute might be someone who wrestled with whether to participate at all and finally decided to send something. Process the order without commentary.
Know how to handle rejected deliveries professionally. Occasionally, recipients refuse Mother’s Day flowers due to family estrangement, or they can’t be located because addresses are outdated. Have clear policies for these situations and handle them with discretion and professionalism. Contact the sender privately to explain the situation, offer alternatives (such as donating the arrangement to a nursing home or hospital), and process refunds or credits as appropriate.
Don’t require the sender to explain family dynamics or justify why their mother refused delivery. Simply handle the logistics and move forward.
Prepare for difficult conversations about timing and price. Mother’s Day is stressful for florists, with massive order volumes, complicated logistics, and supply constraints. Customers may be frustrated about prices, delivery windows, or sold-out items. While it’s important to provide good service, staff should also be empowered to set boundaries with customers who become abusive or unreasonable.
Have scripts prepared for common complaints: “I understand your frustration. Mother’s Day is our busiest time of year, and flower prices are set by growers based on demand. I’m happy to help you find something within your budget,” or “I know you hoped for Sunday morning delivery, but we have over 500 deliveries that day. We can guarantee arrival on Sunday, or we can schedule a specific time for Monday if that works better.”
Support your staff’s emotional wellbeing during the Mother’s Day rush. This intense period can be difficult for staff members who have their own complicated relationships with Mother’s Day—those who have lost mothers or children, those struggling with infertility, those estranged from family. Check in with your team, acknowledge that the constant Mother’s Day immersion can be hard, provide breaks when possible, and create space for staff to opt out of certain tasks if needed.
Consider having a staff debriefing after Mother’s Day weekend where people can share difficult interactions, express frustration, or process emotions that came up during the rush. This supports your team and helps everyone feel seen and supported.
Marketing That Works for Everyone
Focus on gratitude and appreciation as universal human needs. Marketing centered on thanking people who have shown care and support is more inclusive than marketing that assumes everyone has a living, present mother they want to celebrate. “Celebrate the people who showed up for you,” “Honor the ones who helped you grow,” or “Thank someone who made a difference” invites broader participation.
This framing still allows people to celebrate mothers—most will—but it doesn’t exclude those whose gratitude is directed elsewhere.
Celebrate nurturing as a universal human quality rather than exclusively maternal. Rather than making motherhood seem exclusive or treating maternal qualities as only belonging to women or mothers, recognize that many people—regardless of whether they’re mothers or even women—provide care, guidance, protection, and love to others. “Honoring all who nurture,” “Celebrating caregivers,” or “For everyone who shows up for others” recognizes this broader reality.
This approach is particularly important for gender-diverse families, single fathers, and people raised outside traditional family structures.
Use real, diverse stories in your marketing. If you feature customers or create testimonial content, include varied family structures, different types of maternal relationships, and honest complexity rather than only showing picture-perfect traditional families. Feature grandmothers who raised grandchildren, single fathers, chosen family, adoptive families, stepfamilies, LGBTQ+ families, and people honoring maternal figures who aren’t their biological mothers.
This representation matters. When people see themselves reflected in your marketing, they feel welcome and included. When they only see idealized traditional families, they may feel your business isn’t for them.
Highlight the sensory and aesthetic joy of flowers beyond their symbolic meaning. Not everyone wants flowers because of their symbolic relationship significance. Some people love flowers for their beauty, fragrance, or the simple pleasure they bring to a space. Marketing that celebrates flowers as objects of beauty and joy—”Bring spring into your home,” “Because beautiful things matter,” or “For the pleasure of fresh flowers”—appeals to people regardless of their relationship status or family dynamics.
This creates space for people to buy themselves flowers during Mother’s Day weekend without it feeling like a consolation prize or sad alternative. They’re simply buying themselves something beautiful because they want to, which is a perfectly valid reason.
Create content that acknowledges Mother’s Day is a constructed commercial holiday. Some people find the commercialization of Mother’s Day frustrating or inauthentic. Content that gently acknowledges this—”We know Mother’s Day has become very commercial, but we still believe in celebrating the people who care for us”—can resonate with customers who are cynical about the holiday but still want to participate in some way.
You can also use this as an opportunity to talk about the origins of Mother’s Day, which was created by Anna Jarvis as a day to honor her mother and advocate for peace and social justice, not as a commercial gift-giving holiday. Jarvis actually spent much of her later life protesting the commercialization of the day she created. Sharing this history can reframe the holiday as something more meaningful than obligation and consumption.
Educate About Flowers Themselves
Use Mother’s Day season as an opportunity to educate customers about flowers. Not every piece of content needs to be transactional. Share information about the meanings of different flowers, how to care for arrangements to make them last longer, the journey flowers take from farm to customer, the people who grow flowers, or the environmental considerations in floristry.
Educational content provides value to customers beyond selling, positions your business as expert and trustworthy, and gives people who find Mother’s Day difficult something else to engage with on your page besides emotionally charged holiday content.
Highlight sustainable and ethical practices in your business. Many customers care about where flowers come from, how workers are treated, and the environmental impact of floristry. Mother’s Day is an excellent time to talk about Fair Trade certification, locally grown flowers, sustainable growing practices, or your business’s commitment to ethical sourcing.
This appeals to socially conscious customers and differentiates your business from competitors while providing content that’s interesting and informative without being emotionally loaded.
Final Thoughts and Long-Term Considerations
Marketing responsibly for Mother’s Day doesn’t require abandoning the celebration, diminishing the joy of those who love the holiday, or limiting your business potential. It means recognizing that while many people joyfully honor their mothers, others navigate profound loss, painful absence, complicated relationships, or difficult circumstances. Your business can thrive while acknowledging this reality—in fact, it will likely thrive more because of it.
By approaching Mother’s Day with emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and genuine inclusivity, you’ll likely build deeper customer loyalty that extends beyond a single holiday. You’ll reach people who typically feel excluded from Mother’s Day and would otherwise avoid florists entirely during May. You’ll create a brand known for compassion, thoughtfulness, and understanding that sees customers as full human beings rather than walking wallets. You’ll differentiate yourself in a crowded market where most businesses take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to the holiday.
This isn’t just about being “nice” or “woke”—though kindness and social awareness are certainly values worth having. It’s about smart, sustainable business practices that recognize your customer base is diverse, that human experiences are complex, and that people remember how businesses made them feel. When you make someone feel seen, respected, and cared for during a difficult time, you earn their loyalty in ways that price and convenience can’t match.
Moreover, marketing with mental health awareness positions your business as a community resource rather than just a retail operation. You become a place that understands people’s real lives, that holds space for grief and joy simultaneously, and that contributes positively to community wellbeing. This reputation is invaluable and extends far beyond Mother’s Day into all aspects of your business throughout the year.
Remember that implementing these practices doesn’t mean completely overhauling your marketing or walking on eggshells. It means making thoughtful choices about language, being intentional about inclusivity, creating space for diverse experiences, and treating customers with dignity and respect. Many of these practices cost nothing—they simply require awareness and consideration.
Start small if this feels overwhelming. Maybe this year you add a prominent remembrance collection. Next year you might revise your email marketing language to be more invitational. The following year you might implement email opt-outs and staff training. Continuous improvement is valuable, and every step toward more inclusive, compassionate marketing is meaningful.
You can honor the beautiful aspects of maternal love—the sacrifice, the devotion, the transformative power of nurturing care—while holding space for those whose experiences are more complex. You can celebrate joyfully while acknowledging grief. You can market effectively while being kind. These things are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they’re complementary.
This balanced approach isn’t just responsible—it’s a business strategy that recognizes the full humanity of your customers and community. In doing so, you create a welcoming space where more people feel seen, respected, and able to participate in whatever way feels right for them. That’s not just good ethics; it’s good business that builds lasting relationships and sustainable success.
The florists who will thrive in the long term are those who understand that every customer who walks through their door or visits their website brings a unique story, and that marketing with awareness, compassion, and inclusivity serves everyone better—including your bottom line.