Wedding Flowers

History Of Wedding Flowers

As we all know it, flowers play an essential role in any wedding ceremony and reception context. But what we don’t know is the history of wedding flowers, why and when people started to incorporate flowers in the wedding event. The first ancient nation who used them for the first time in the history of wedding flowers was the Greek. They used to adorn the bride, the wedding bouquet and the wedding location with all kinds of herbs and plants.




Actually, the Greek bride usually wore a beautiful crown woven of flowers to express the love, care and respect for the god of the nature. These specific crowns were made from garlands and all sorts of wreaths, and both the bride and the groom was intended to wear them during the wedding ceremony and reception fiesta. Unique and beautiful herbs such – as bulbs, Origanum Marjoram, Rosemarinus officinalis or garlic were the most popular plants that Greeks used to include in a wedding decoration.

Today, more and more modern brides seem to find the exotic herbs extremely fascinating, unique and distinct. That is the main reason why they finally decide to adorn their bridal bouquets with special types of herbs. The only reason why Greeks were these herbal crowns was that they considered these plants to have miraculous powers. These herbs were meant to bring good-luck to the young couple and protect them from any unseen evil force or against any bad spirit. There were symbolic and magical herbs for any feeling, especially for those related to love and marriage. For instance, if a bride wanted to feel attracted and enchanted with her future husband could wear a garlic and Dill – Anthetum graveolens on her wedding day. On the other hand, if someone desired more wisdom and power, could to carry a Sage – Salvia officinalis herb.

Another type of flower, to say so used in ancient times at a wedding was the confetti. In Italian traditions confetti was the main ingredient for the new couple. Confetti, sweets, grain, rice or nuts were thrown over the bride’s and the groom’s head at the end of the wedding ceremony as in many other cultural wedding rituals. The symbol of confetti was meant to express the good-luck, prosperity, wealth and fertility for the young couple.

But flower petals were also traditional and common among ancient wedding events. Wedding flowers have different meanings in different countries and cultures. For instance, in England, especially in Victorian times, flowers were meant to symbolize happiness, blessings and romanticism. In India, couples were special flowers to protect themselves from the bad spirits and the same in Sweden, where flowers were extremely aromatic just to scare away the trolls.