Wedding Trivia: Flowers & Bouquets
1 Sep
A wedding does not come through without the ravishing beauty of flowers everywhere. There is no doubt that flowers are a must in a wedding. They bring a sense of exultation and rejoicing.
For centuries, flowers have stood for a variety of emotions and values. Roses are said to symbolize love, lilies for virtue and so on. In ancient marriages, the brides carried herbs beneath their veils to symbolize fidelity. Greek brides carried ivy as a symbol of never-ending love. Orange blossoms, (the world renowned wedding flower) were chosen by the Spaniards to represent happiness and fulfillment, because the orange tree flowers and bears fruit at the same time. During even earlier times of “primitive marriage,” when the fear of demons was most prevalent, the brides carried stinking garlands of herbs and spices for the purpose of frightening off evil spirits.
Today, brides carry flowers according to the motif of their wedding, bringing beauty and elegance as well as old world customs to their special day.
Flower Traditions from Different Countries
The concept of adding flowers in a wedding, did not just blossom out of someone’s imagination. It actually roots from the traditions of the ancient Rome and ancient Greece to the Middle East. To add your insights on flowers, let us show you some facts on flower-related customs and traditions.
• In Thailand, the mothers of the bride and groom walk to the altar to drape puang malai — flower garlands — around the couple’s shoulders to wish them good fortune in their life together.
• Swedish and Danish grooms sew small pockets of strong-smelling herbs like garlic, chives, and rosemary into their clothes for good luck.
• The Indian groom’s brother sprinkles flower petals over the couple at the end of the ceremony to protect them from evil.
• Ancient Greek brides often carried ivy at their weddings as a symbol of their never-ending love for their sweeties.
• Ancient Roman brides carried bunches of herbs to symbolize fidelity and fertility — and to scare off evil spirits.
• The Victorians, who were fascinated by the meanings of different blooms, popularized the wedding rose, which represents true love.
• Also in Victorian ages, the bride originally tossed her bouquet to a friend as she left the festivities to keep that friend safe (by warding off evil spirits, of course) and to offer her luck; this came to mean that the single woman who caught the bouquet would marry next.
• In a Greek Orthodox wedding, crowns of orange blossoms were traditionally made for the bride and groom — they even matched the delicate embroidery on the bride’s dress. The blossoms symbolize virginity and purity because they are white and fragile, and they emit a sweet, delicate scent.
• In Tudor England, brides carried marigolds dipped in rosewater and ate them afterward, since they were thought to be aphrodisiacs!
• According to Italian tradition, the front grill of the Italian getaway car is decorated with flowers, paving the road to a happy marriage.
• In the Middle East, the bitter herb artemisia is incorporated into bridal bouquets to ensure that marriages will survive bitterness as well as sweetness.
• According to Indian tradition, both the bride and the groom sport a floral headpiece.
Origin of the Bouquet Toss
Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride’s dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd, the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry.
Back then, brides have always carried bunches of flowers on their wedding and wore a bridal garter. After the ceremony, the men in the bridal party would attempt the grab the garter off the bride. It was also believed that the bride was exceptionally lucky on her wedding day so guests would reach out and tear at her dress for a souvenir piece of good luck.
To ward off all of them (and to keep herself still dressed), the bride would remove her garter and throw it at the guests. In time, brides have also taken to tossing their bouquets to the guests as an offering of luck. There is another belief that the bride tossed her bouquet to a friend to keep that friend safe and lucky, which then lead to another belief that the single lady who caught the bouquet would be the next to marry.
Thank you for sharing all the wedding flower trivia and the different countries meanings for flowers. Very interesting.
Interesting facts… keep them coming…
i like to add herbs and spices on the foods i cook.,”*
I use lots of Herbs and Spices on our home cooked food. They make our foods so tasty.~’`