Looking for day of the dead altar ideas to honor someone you love? Orange flowers, framed photographs and meaningful offerings give you a place to start.
These pictures include full ofrendas, smaller displays and individual details you could bring into your own arrangement.
You can keep things simple or make room for several tiers. Start with who you’re remembering, then choose the photographs and personal touches you want to include.
There’s plenty of flower inspiration here too.
Thoughtful altar arrangements and details to try
orange flower beginnings
Want to include handmade flowers? These orange coffee filters are ready to be shaped into marigolds, with scissors set beside them.
You might use this softer orange shade for flowers around a photograph or along the front of your altar.
a miniature pink altar
How lovely is this little altar? The pink backdrop, yellow flowers and skull-patterned steps give you so much to look at.
I especially love the butterfly beside the heart at the top.
For your own version, you could place a small portrait in the central opening and keep the miniature offerings across the steps.
orange arch and bright tiers
If you love lots of color, this one is for you. An orange flower arch surrounds three large skull designs, with pink and blue cutout panels running down the black-covered tiers.
The framed photographs sit near the center beneath a cross. I’d keep that clear central space for the people you’re remembering.
striped steps and seated skeletons
These little seated skeletons are such a lovely detail. Their painted flowers pick up the colors in the striped covering, while orange blooms line the sides of each step.
Try this stepped arrangement on a freestanding display rather than an active stairway. Leave space between the bread, bowls and tall white candles.
butterflies around a flower arch
This flower arch may just be one of my favorites here. I love the orange butterflies tucked among the yellow and orange blooms.
Black candleholders and a dark skull sit below it on the round white table.
A framed portrait rests beside a bowl of oranges. You could borrow that small grouping even without recreating the whole arch.
photo shelves with little lights
Have several photographs you want to include? This tall arched display gives them separate spaces, with orange flowers tracing the shelves and little lights scattered behind them.
The butterflies and skeleton figures carry through the arrangement. A striped table covering and colorful cutout banner add even more color below.
portraits beneath a broad arch
I love this arrangement of dark photo frames beneath the orange arch. The cream openwork coverings and brown bowls keep the rest of the display quieter.
Try placing your photographs at different heights like this so the ones at the back remain visible. The tall central candleholder is a pretty finishing detail.
white roses and orange marigolds
The white roses and orange marigolds are so beautiful together. Large arrangements sit on either side of the photographs, with another bouquet down in front.
A framed image of Our Lady of Guadalupe hangs beneath the yellow flower arch. If religious imagery is part of your remembrance, this gives you one way to include it above the portraits.
a dressed-up skeleton couple
How sweet is this little couple? The burgundy band on the top hat and matching bow tie pick up the trim on the long dress.
That purple flower in the hair is my favorite part.
You could place a paired figurine beside a photograph of two loved ones. Here, it stands among orange flowers, wrapped treats and bright yellow and purple cutouts.
a remembrance altar for a cat
This pet tribute has so many personal details. Cat photographs surround a small chest, with a winged black-and-white cat figure above it and a blue food bowl at the front.
For a pet you’re remembering, you might include their photograph, bowl and a favorite toy. I’d choose battery-operated candles around keepsakes and decorations.
oversized orange flowers
Want your flowers to be a little bigger? These jumbo paper marigolds have layers of ruffled orange petals, with one held up beside another on the table.
You could use a few large flowers above your altar instead of covering the entire backdrop.
burgundy flowers and abundant offerings
There’s so much to take in here, from the deep red flowers to the orange marigolds and hanging red peppers. Bread, fruit and bowls fill the spaces between the greenery.
I’d borrow the burgundy-and-orange colors without copying the closely packed flames. Keep lit candles well away from flowers and other decorations, or use flameless ones.
a colorful skull pathway
This outdoor display extends far beyond the altar table. Large skull designs run along the ground, edged with orange flowers and rows of small lights on white plates.
The purple-covered table and oversized skull backdrop continue the same bright colors. For a smaller space, you might borrow a single skull motif rather than the full pathway.
a small arched niche
Don’t have room for a large table? This recessed wall niche shows a smaller arrangement, with photographs on the back wall and orange flower clusters around the arch.
The ledge holds candles, fruit and small keepsakes. You could try the same compact grouping on a shelf with battery-operated candles.
a fruit-filled jar
I love the slices of fruit showing through this large lidded jar. Orange rounds and apple slices sit in the liquid, which looks amber-colored toward the bottom. Decorated skulls line up in front.
If you’re including a remembered favorite drink, a clear vessel could make it part of the arrangement.
a heart-shaped photo shrine
This is such a lovely way to frame a single photograph. A dotted red heart sits behind the blue photo box, with orange flame shapes above and gold-colored rays around the sides.
You could display a small shrine like this on an altar shelf when you want one portrait to have its own special place.
flowers and a top hat
The flower-covered hat is my favorite detail on this seated skeleton pair. Bright pink, blue and purple flowers continue down the skirt beside the figure in a black suit and tall hat.
They sit together on a patterned bench over scattered corn kernels. A pair like this could fit beside your flowers without needing a separate tier.
graveside marigolds and red flowers
Orange marigolds and deep red flowers make a beautiful pairing in this cemetery remembrance setting. They surround the grave markers, with loose blooms arranged in a cross on the foreground grave.
You might carry those flower colors into your own altar arrangement. For graveside flowers, follow the cemetery’s guidelines.
cream banners and orange petals
Don’t want to use every bright color? This cream-and-orange arrangement gives you another option.
Skull cutout banners hang across the shelves among bread, bowls and small skull decorations.
I especially love the orange petal cross at the foot of the covered steps. Large marigold bouquets frame both sides.
flower garlands and ivory candles
Last but definitely not least, we have these orange flower garlands with pale round beads. I love how they drape across the white mantel and around the ivory-colored candle display.
The large skull with its little flower crown is such a pretty detail. You could borrow the garlands for your own altar backdrop and leave space below for photographs and offerings.
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And as you know, I seriously love seeing your takes on the looks and ideas on here - that means the world to me! If you recreate something, please share it here in the comments or feel free to send me a pic. I'm always excited to meet y'all! ✨🤍
Xoxo Isabella
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