Flowers
BOUQUET
Wedding
bouquets were originally made of such strong
herbs as thyme and garlic, which were meant
to frighten away evil spirits, and to cover
the stench emitting from people who had not
bathed recently!
For centuries, flowers have stood for a
variety of emotions and values. Roses for
love, lilies for virtue and so on. In
ancient marriages, the brides carried herbs
beneath their veils to symbolize fidelity.
Greek brides carried ivy as a symbol of
never-ending love. Orange blossoms, (the
world renowned wedding flower) were chosen
by the Spaniards to represent happiness and
fulfillment, because the orange tree flowers
and bears fruit at the same time. During
even earlier times of “primitive marriage,”
when the fear of demons was most prevalent,
the brides carried stinking garlands of
herbs and spices for the purpose of
frightening off evil spirits.
Today, brides carry flowers in the color
scheme of their wedding, bringing beauty and
elegance as well as old world customs to
their special day. Have you considered
spelling out the name of your groom in the
flowers of your bouquets? Be sure to visit
our section on “Your Wedding Flowers.”
BOUQUET TOSS
In ancient
times, it was believed that a Bride was
especially lucky on her wedding day. Guests
would sometimes tear at her dress for a
souvenir piece of good luck to take home.
The Bride's tossing of her bouquet grew from
her desire to offer a good luck souvenir,
and prevent guests from bothering her (and
her dress!) during her reception.
GARTER TOSS
Brides originally tossed a garter, rather
than a bouquet, at a wedding reception. In
the 14th century, this custom changed after
Brides became tired of fighting off drunken
men who tried to remove the garter
themselves! According to one legend, the
garter toss in England evolved from an
earlier tradition of "flinging the
stocking". On their wedding night, guests
would follow the Bride and Groom to their
bedroom, wait until they undressed, steal
their stockings, and then "fling" them at
the couple! The first person to hit the
Bride or Groom on the head would supposedly
be the next person to marry. |
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