Customs and Traditions Behind Wedding Flowers

While planning a wedding can be a stressful process, it's important that you avoid just going through the motions. A custom and tradition stands behind every wedding tradition, item or ceremony aspect. You can inject some fun into the wedding planning process by learning the meaning of some of the wedding traditions and where the customs originated. For example, the purpose of flowers in a wedding is not simply for decoration. Find out which flowers have played a role in the wedding ceremony since ancient times.
Greek Times

In ancient Greece, brides carried pieces of ivy as part of their wedding bouquet. The ivy stood as a symbol of their never ending love for their husband-to-be. For Greek Orthodox wedding ceremonies, brides often wear a crown of orange blossoms on their heads as a symbol of their purity.
Roman Times

In ancient Rome, however, herbs were a part of the wedding ceremony instead of flowers. Brides carried herbs as a symbol or fertility and fidelity. It was also believed at the time that the scent of the herbs warded off evil spirits.
Victorian Age

The Victorians are responsible for the rose meaning true love and often incorporated the wedding rose into their ceremonies. The Victorians are also credited for the tradition of the tossing of the bouquet. In these times, the bride tossed it to a friend as she left the wedding party to keep her friend safe from evil spirits and to wish her friend good luck. This tradition has carried over into modern times, where the bride tosses the bouquet to single women and the single woman who catches the bouquet is believed to be the next one to marry.

Coming to understand what some of the meanings are behind the wedding flowers makes picking out your wedding flowers a little less stressful and a little more fun.