Friday 24 August 2012

The Language of Flowers

Aside from simply looking beautiful, bridal bouquets can have a story of their own. Since the days of Queen Victoria, flowers have had their own language. Publishers in the 19th century produced dozens of dictionaries that explained 'floriography' as "The Language of Flowers." These guidebooks were used to gather nosegays, bouquets and Tussie Mussies to present as gifts to friends and lovers.

What do you want your wedding bouquet to say? If you want to declare your love and promise marital happiness, you could combine red tulips with white stephanotis, while red roses will proclaim love and desire. Pairing red and white roses sends a message of unity; white roses alone make a statement of "I am worthy of you" along with expressing charm and innocence.

Here are some other combinations that proclaim specific messages:

* Calla Lilies and orchids - magnificent beauty

* Innocence is alluded to with a variety of flowers, such as daisies (which also can mean gentleness, loyalty and romance), baby's breath, white carnations, freesia, and white roses, as mentioned above. Pure innocence can be contained in a flower girl basket of daisies, white carnations and baby's breath.

* To show your devotion, add some alstromeria to your bouquet. Mix in some sunflowers and you can add adoration to the message.

* Gardenias are perfect for young brides, as they reveal purity and sweet love. Combined with red rosebuds, this bridal bouquet also says, pure and lovely.

* Red roses are all about love and desire, which makes them a perfect choice for a wedding bouquet!

* When a bride remarries, carrying lily of the valley will announce to everyone a return to happiness. This is especially poignant when the bride had previously been widowed.

* Ivy should be added to every bouquet, being that it represents fidelity. Don't forget to put a few stems of ivy in the groom's boutonniere too!

* White lilies are for purity. Mixed with purple roses this purity is also about love-at-first-sight and enchantment.

* Pink roses by themselves signify perfect happiness, gentility and grace. However, combined with red roses you now have passion and the gentleness of love

Unless you're a very literal person, don't let the meanings of the flowers completely dictate your choices! Most people are not aware of the messages hidden in the bouquets and designing a bridal bouquet of beauty is the most important thing to consider.

Also, why not consider using silk wedding flowers to create the wedding bouquets of your dreams! The exquisite silks that are now used make it virtually impossible to tell the difference between fresh and silk and the advantages of ordering silk wedding flower packages are enormous.