The meaning of wedding flowers

Jan. 25, 2009

The meaning of wedding flowers
Kristi Kates 1/26/09

With florists needing to be booked up to a year in advance for wedding preparations (especially around the popular wedding month of June)...
And the flowers themselves being so fragile that they’re not generally delivered until the day of the wedding...
It’s obvious from the start that the flowers you choose for your wedding might be one of the most complicated details, even if they’re not at the very top of the Big List Of Bridal Things To Do.
The third element that makes your wedding flowers more complex than you might expect is that flowers are a very personal thing; just choosing your “favorite” bloom often isn’t enough, as there are color, scent, and shape elements to consider. But a great way to choose the flowers for your wedding is to base your choices on the meaning of the flowers themselves.
Throughout history, different flowers have been chosen for the different meanings, messages, and characteristics that they convey. While seasonal flowers are most often chosen for wedding bouquets and decorations, it may be even more appropriate - and will obviously have more sentimental meaning - if you choose a flower that means something to the two of you. It’s a subtle and beautiful way to send whatever romantic message you choose for your special day.

MAYBE NOT...
Just for fun, we’ll start with the flowers that you might not want to choose; and, for the sake of this article, we’ll focus on Western traditions, as the meanings of flowers can vary from culture to culture.
Rejection is definitely something neither man nor woman wants on their wedding day, so including striped or yellow carnations in your decor is probably something you might want to avoid; striped carnations mean “sorry, I cannot be with you,” and yellow carnations take that sentiment a step further by symbolizing disdain and rejection.
Two other yellow flowers you might not want to invite to the party are marigolds, which symbolize cruelty, grief, and jealousy; and yellow roses, which also mean jealousy and can additionally symbolize platonic friendship.
Petunias aren’t terribly happy wedding flowers, either, as they mean anger and resentment; and narcissus may keep their temper in check with formality, but they also display egotism, so there are another two qualities that aren’t too wedding-friendly.
So now that you know which flowers to avoid, which will send the wedding messages of your choice?

SIMPLY LOVE
There are so many varieties of love within each relationship, and so many flowers to encapsulate all of them.
For those direct emotions, there are several sure bets. Red chrysanthemums stand simply for “I love you,” while pink and white roses mean “I love you and always will.” Both heliotrope and orange blossoms mean “eternal love,” and white carnations represent “pure and ardent love.”
For a more complex expression of your affection, you might try plain pink roses (love, perfect happiness), daisies (loyal love), forget-me-nots (true love and memories), tulips (declaration of perfect love), or orchids (love and magnificence).
You can even recapture those first-love feelings with the gladiolus (love at first sight) and a bit of ambrosia (“your love is reciprocated”) - it’s like that first date all over again... but with a lot more people present.

ADMIRABLE QUALITIES
Most pople have a shortlist of characteristics they look for in the person that will be their husband or wife. Flowers, surprisingly, can communicate those elements, too, if you’d like your wedding flowers to send more subtle or private messages.
For the person who’s always been there for you through thick or thin, wild geranium and dogwood are two pretty choices - the geranium symbolizes constancy, and the dogwood, durability.
To represent the affection that present in your relationship, there are two delicately-hued flowers that fit the bill; the pink gillyflower “pays homage to the bonds of affection,” and pink zinnias symbolize lasting affection, so you win either way
To showcase the devotion that the two of you have for each other, the sunflower, which means homage and devotion, is a cheerful choice.
If you really want to hone in on each person’s individual characteristics, you can choose such blooms as magnolia (for the dignified person), mimosa (for the sensitive), peach blossoms (for the generous), or fuchsia (for the amiable); keep in mind that a well-balanced mix of both flowers and characteristics is a great way to begin a marriage.
And wanting happiness, of course, is on everyone’s wedding-day list, so make sure you have plenty of the tiny white flowers called baby’s breath - a long-time symbol of happiness in marriage - to help seal the deal.