Why Do Brides Carry a Bouquet?

Why do Brides carry bouquets? The Ancient Egyptians had the bride carry strong smelling herbs and flowers which were believed to ward away evil. The Romans did the same, most often choosing rosemary to symbolize fidelity and fertility, as well as to scare off evil spirits. The Greeks carried ivy to symbolize endless 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. We have the Victorians to thank for the rose being the flower of choice for most weddings. The Victorians were obsessed with attributing meanings to flowers and popularized the red rose as an emblem for passionate true love. A single red rose still bears that meaning today.

This entry was posted on March 3, 2010 at 10:32 and is filed under Traditions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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