Now a days you see flowers at all occasions. It brings beauty, elegance, and offers a touch of color scheme to your special event.
But when did we start using flowers at weddings?
Has there always been bouquets, boutonnieres, and flower girls? Before flowers, the bride and groom wore garland and wreaths on their heads. Garland was considered a symbol of love and happiness. Wreaths were made of herbs and bulbs of garlic. The garlic would ward off evil spirits and some herbs were thought to promote lust.
Around the 1600’s, high potent flowers and herbs helped with covering up body odor. Most people didn’t bath very often so carrying flowers on your wedding day helped cover the smell. At this time, herbs and spices were still used in bouquets, such as dill and marigolds. They would incorporate the same herbs and spices in the food and the leftovers were placed in bouquets. A great combination of flowers and herbs was used at the head table called a Kissing Knot, usually made of roses and rosemary, was said to bring luck and love. It wasn’t until around the 1700’s that the bouquets started to look like the bouquets used today. They were carried to look pretty and not carried out of necessity.
Flowers and flower color have always carried meaning and symbolism. Great examples are roses. The color red and roses represents love and romance. The color pink and amaryllis represents gentleness and splendid beauty, while hydrangea and the color blue represent heartfelt emotions and serenity. When you pick your wedding colors consider what the colors mean. Look up the different flowers and what they mean to you. Flowers are a great way to express yourself and bring your style to your wedding or special event.
