At Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, we welcome floral tributes as beautiful remembrances. These guidelines help East Bay families know what’s allowed across our grounds, mausoleum and columbarium.
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1909Founded
115+ Years Serving Oakland Families
100,000+ Families Served
Flowers are one of the oldest ways humans say we remember. Most families who visit Chapel of the Chimes simply want to leave something beautiful to remember their loved one. Our flower rules exist for that reason. They keep our Oakland grounds, mausoleum and columbarium safe, well-maintained and worthy of the loved ones resting here. Because this is a Julia Morgan-designed landmark, a few of those rules protect the architecture itself. Below you’ll find where flowers can be placed, what’s allowed, which containers work best and how we handle holidays, so there are no questions.
The following rules are short and meant to make visiting easier and more enjoyable for everyone. A few guidelines differ depending on where your loved one rests, whether on our grounds, in the mausoleum or in the columbarium. If anything is unclear, our Oakland team is glad to help answer your questions.
Fresh and artificial flowers are always welcome at Chapel of the Chimes, as long as the arrangements are set in approved vases. Potted and seasonal plants may only be placed in designated areas. Arrangements should not block floors or walkways within a mausoleum or other structure.
On our Oakland grounds, flowers placed at a ground grave help keep a loved one’s memory present. Contact our caring team to confirm our guidelines for flowers in these sections.
Our mausoleum and columbarium are architecturally-based spaces designed with intention, so floral displays there are subject to a few added rules to protect the setting. The personalization of mausoleums, crypts and columbarium niches should not take up more than one-third of the total surface area of a granite or marble front. All items must be within a 6-inch border of the outer edge of the crypt border, or within 2 inches of the outer border of a niche front. No items may be affixed to a glass-front niche.
A few container rules keep our grounds safe for every visitor and easy for our team to care for. We ask that visitors not place vases, glass, souvenirs, wreaths, non-approved flags, boxes, shells, toys, metal designs or ornaments on spaces. Visitors should not use anything to attach items to markers except for standard-style cellophane tape.
Holidays and remembrance days offer a little more flexibility in our floral guidelines. We do allow potted plants and wreaths to be placed on these holidays: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Decorations may be placed seven days prior to the holiday, and must be removed by the family within seven days after the holiday if the family wishes to keep the decorations. Otherwise, our maintenance staff will start disposing of the decorations on the eighth day after a holiday.
Our grounds team at our Oakland landmark tends every section of our facility, from the grounds to the columbarium, so the setting remains neat, well-kept and worthy of those resting here. This includes clearing faded flowers once they’ve become unsightly in the opinion of the team. All decorations and flowers are removed twice a year, on or about January 10 and July 10, and we ask that you wait about a week so we can completely clean the building before replacing them.
1909 Founded
115+ Years Serving Oakland Families
100K+ Families Served
24/7 Always Available
— From the families
A real team in Oakland is here for your questions, whether you’re placing flowers, planning a visit or caring for a loved one’s space.
We’re available 24 hours a day.
Maintaining floral tributes is one small part of caring for our grounds and the families who visit. From grounds upkeep to maintaining the memorials and the columbarium itself, our Oakland team handles it all in one place, so you know someone is taking care of everything.
Our flower rules are a short set of guidelines that keep the grounds, mausoleum and columbarium safe, cared for and beautiful. They cover what is allowed, where flowers can be placed and which containers work best. Fresh flowers are always welcome at our Oakland landmark.
Whether you’re placing flowers yourself or would like our help choosing something that meets our guidelines, our Oakland team is here for your family. We’ll make sure every tribute is appropriate and well cared for at the place where Oakland remembers.
We’re here for you during this difficult time.
(510) 379-5200