Why Do Brides Carry Flowers? Wedding Flower Traditions
What would a wedding be without all the beautiful, colourful flowers? All over the world flowers can be seen at weddings. Whether it be the brides and bridesmaid’s bouquets, flower crowns worn by the bride or the flower girl, flowers used to decorate the ceremony room or reception room, or even just flower petals thrown by the flower girl before the bride walks down the aisle, every culture has flowers included as part of a traditional wedding ceremony.
Flowers being used during weddings can be traced back all the way to ancient Greece where they considered a gift from nature and used to show the couples commitment to each other. The Egyptians also included herbs and spices like rosemary to represent loyalty and basil to protect them from evil spirits.
In many ancient cultures there was a more practical reason for the bride to carry flowers, as well as providing protection from evil spirits the flowers scent was very important. In an era when you might be lucky to have a bath twice a year, fresh cut flowers were often used to mask unpleasant smells.
The bride’s bouquet
As well as complimenting the bride, the bride’s bouquet has served other purposes in the past. The wedding celebration marked the transition of the bride from daughter to wife and this was seen as a dangerous time that could potentially expose a young lady to supernatural dangers. Wedding bouquets often included herbs and spices like garlic that gives off a powerful smell to ward of any evil spirits. Herbs and spices were also used to ward of any potential curses from jealous wedding guests. The bouquet was also used by brides who had fallen pregnant to hide their baby belly.
Throwing the brides bouquet
Everybody knows this wedding tradition. The bride throws her bouquet and whoever catches it is going to be the next one to get married. However, this tradition originally started as diversionary tactic.
Brides were seen by many as being lucky, so after the ceremony wedding guests would rush to the bride and rip of pieces of the bride’s dress in order to get some of the bride’s luck for themselves. To escape her wedding guests the bride would toss her bouquet to distract the guests so that the bride and groom could escape.
It’s always a bit of fun when brides do this even today, but it is a tradition that unfortunately seems to be slowly dying out. With flowers being such an expensive luxury item, many brides choose to have their bouquets preserved in some way so they won’t take the risk of throwing and damaging it. Some brides also choose to have fake wedding bouquets, sometimes these can be heavy and it simply wouldn’t be safe to toss them. It is a pity as the bride throwing her bouquet can make for some great photos.
The Flower girl
Another ancient wedding tradition is the flower girl walking in front of the bride throwing petals This originated with the ancient Greeks and Romans who often included little girls in the wedding procession. They would walk in front of the bride covering her path with grains and herbs, this represented the hope that the bride would have many children.
Later in the Elizabethan era the inclusion of kids in the wedding party became a signal of hope and innocence. As the flower girl walks down the aisle, she was meant to represent a younger version of the bride and the transformation from child to adult.
The flower petals themselves in Victorian times were seen as a way to improve the chances of a successful marriage and to ensure that the bride and her new husband would have a happy life together.
If you would like to find out more about other wedding traditions you might also find these articles helpful.
WEDDING TRADITIONS: THE CUTTING OF THE WEDDING CAKE
WEDDING TRADITIONS: THE BRIDAL PARTY
WEDDING TRADITIONS: THE WEDDING RING