The Meaning of Flowers

There are many factors to consider in choosing flowers for your wedding.    Of course you have to consider your budget, your colors, how well the flowers you choose will work with the décor of your venue, and whether or not the fragrance (or lack of fragrance) is pleasing.  All those things are important, but also important is the sentiment, or meaning behind your flower of choice.

photo by bcballard

One of the most popular wedding flowers is the calla lily.  The calla lily is available year-round in the United States, and has a larger variety for bouquets, centerpieces, and venue decoration, as well as a smaller variety for nosegays and boutonnières.   Calla lilies (also known as Zantedeschia) are native to Africa, and come in many colors.  The meaning attached to the calla lily is “magnificent beauty”, or “royalty.”  Legends about lilies in general say that the lily came from Hera’s body itself, and that upon her birth Venus was so jealous of the lily’s beauty that she “caused a huge and monstrous pistil” to sully the interior of the flower.  The calla lily is a classic wedding flower, and one that looks beautiful with almost any theme.

photo by Randy Son of Robert

Another popular wedding flower is the rose.  A fragrant and beautiful flower, roses come in many different varieties.  The main type of rose used today is a Hybrid Tea Rose, which was cultivated around 1867.  Stories of roses in history, however, date back much further.  Roses are mentioned in Homer, Virgil (so back circa 2000 BC or earlier), and Nero was crazy about roses (so 202 AD).  Don’t let that give you a bad impression, as roses have been written about by brilliant poets, and have been the traditional gift of Valentines and Men Who Are In The Doghouse.  The rose is said to have different meaning depending on the color.  A red rose means “passionate love”, while a pink rose means only “friendship.”   A white rose means “purity,” while a yellow rose means “zealous.”

photo by Tony the Misfit

Daisies are a non-fragrant but very popular flower to use at weddings.  The most commonly used type of daisy is the “bellis perennis”, or common daisy.  The word daisy actually comes from the words “day’s” and “eye,” or, as Chaucer called it, “eye of the day.”  This is because it closes up completely at night and opens back up to show it’s “eye” during the day.  Daisies are a cheerful flower.  It is said that daisies mean “innocence.”

photo by ginnerobot

Daffodils are a beautiful early springtime flower with a very subtle fragrance and can have a vibrant yellow color, an orange center and white petals, and several other color combinations.  It is said that daffodils mean “chivalry,” and legend has it that the daffodil first appeared during The Last Supper.  Legends or no, the daffodil makes a striking, fresh, and happy impression on a wedding landscape, and also looks beautiful in bouquets or on lapels.

photo by Jun Acullador

Carnations are a great “filler flower,” as well as a great bouquet flower.  The legendary origins of carnations date back even further than daffodils, though not as far back as roses or lilies.  Carnations are like roses in that the color of carnation dictates the supposed meaning.  A pink carnation stands for “gratitude,” while a white carnation stands for “remembrance.”

Choosing the flowers for your wedding can be one of the most enjoyable parts of wedding planning, and seeing your venue decorated, holding your bouquet, and appreciating the fruits of your planning labors

Wedding Flower Ideas

Your wedding day really is one of the most important days of your life. Making everything perfect for this day is a daunting task. Finding the correct venue, selecting the perfect wedding dress, picking the most beautiful invitations, and choosing wedding flowers, are just some of the things you have to contend with.

Let’s see if we can’t make these tasks simpler. Today we will go over everything involved in getting the right flowers for your wedding. Finding the perfect flowers starts long before your wedding day. Here are some things you should consider beforehand.

• What colors are you using in the wedding? This is a very important factor affecting the whole wedding. Flowers are available in almost every color these days. You wouldn’t want to fall in love with a certain flower and then find that it doesn’t work with your color scheme at all.
• Decide if you want sophisticated or simple flowers. Roses are the flower of choice for traditional wedding services. If you want something different, a little more modern, go with orchids or tulips.
• The budget is a big consideration when choosing wedding flowers. Flowers such as carnations are less expensive than roses, and roses cost less than orchids. Know your budget before going to the florist to pick the flowers. If your flower budget is small, use artificial flowers. There are some really good options out these days in the artificial flower line. Your wedding won’t suffer if you have to use them.
• How many people in your wedding party need flowers? Make sure you know the number of attendants before getting flowers for your wedding. Your wedding bouquet is the most important. Some brides have one bouquet that they keep and another to throw at the reception, so decide if this is something you wish to do. All of the bridesmaids need flowers, as does the maid of honor. The flower girl if you have one and the Mother of the bride will need flowers. You’ll also want boutonnières for the groom and his attendants.
• Another thing to remember when choosing wedding flowers is decorating the church and reception hall. Some places flowers are used in the church are at the altar, on the end of pews, and the front door. If you want to go all out, throwing rose petals along the isle is nice. For the reception hall, you’ll need centerpieces for each table, a larger centerpiece for the bride and grooms table, and flowers around the wedding cake. Remember to take the colors used on your wedding cake into account when picking flowers. You wouldn’t want anything to clash.

As you can see, there are quite a few things to consider when choosing wedding flowers. You want the wedding to be beautiful, and picking the perfect flowers will go a long way in achieving this goal. A little organization and planning is all it takes to have the perfect wedding.

Photo by Whimsical Chris

Related articles

• Planning your own wedding (weddingsetups.com)
• How to Choose a Wedding Theme (weddingsetups.com)