What does Your Wedding Bouquet Say about You?

The flowers in a wedding bouquet are as symbolic as they are beautiful.

Flowers have been popular for thousands of years and historically they have had different symbolic meanings attached to them. For example, did you know that magnolia means love of nature and stephanotis signifies marital happiness?

Choosing the right flowers for your wedding can be an arduous process and there is a lot of pressure on the bride to get it right. During the Victorian era, The Language of Flowers created an ultra-romantic language for lovers where flowers were used to replace words.

Throughout history, brides have also chosen flowers based on the flowers’ traditional meanings, and though most brides don’t really consider this anymore, it can be a fun way to add deeper meaning and symbolism to your wedding.

Romantic connotations

One recent high-profile example of a bride who has chosen to follow this age-old tradition of choosing flowers based on their symbolism is Kate Middleton. She chose a bridal bouquet of hyacinth (meaning constancy of love or playful), lily-of-the-valley (meaning trustworthy), Sweet William (meaning gallantry and obviously a nod to her groom), ivy (meaning friendship, affection, fidelity) and myrtle from Queen Victoria’s 170-year-old garden. Myrtle is an emblem of love and marriage.

The list of flowers with romantic symbolism attached is pretty exhaustive and with a little research, you can quickly discover what the bouquet at your wedding said about you or what you would like it to say in your future nuptials.

It’s not just historic symbolism that gives away something about yourself but also the colors. For example, red equates to passion and beauty; think roses, anemones or amaryllis. Orange flowers lend themselves to happiness, eagerness, and energy, and they also suggest confidence in creating a life with your future husband. Birds of paradise, ranunculus, gerbera daisies and tulips are all great choices also.

If it’s a cheerful option you’re going for then yellow signifies joy and friendship. Good examples being; daffodils, sunflowers, freesias, and tulips. Green carries a sense of harmony, balance, and positive energy, whilst hellebores, roses, and green cymbidium all lend serenity.

Blue represents freedom and calmness and suggests we can be ourselves, together. Hydrangeas, forget-me-nots, iris, and delphiniums are a few flower options. Purple is the colour most associated with royalty and signifies luxury, sophistication, and dignity. If this is what you’re after consider lavender, hyacinth, lilacs, and orchids.

Who would have thought that the choice and colour of flower could say so much about you?