Wedding Flower Traditions and Their Origin

There are a lot of different traditions when it comes to wedding flowers. Although it is certainly easier to get cheap flowers delivered for a wedding today, romance flowers have actually been part of weddings for generations. Many of the traditions we still embrace date back a long way and have interesting stories behind them. Take, for example, the bridal bouquet - brides have carried flowers down the aisle on their wedding day for centuries. The custom is thought to date back to the Roman era when brides carried flowers as a symbol of fertility and new life. In the middle ages, flowers were carried by the bride to ward off evil spirits. These days, no bride would be seen without a bouquet of some kind, and they are one of the most common requests for flower shops and florists.

Let’s not forget the tossing of the bouquet, which is said to predict who will marry next. Although, back in Victorian times, the bouquet was tossed to a friend to ward off bad luck and keep the friend safe.

The other common floral feature in the bridal party of western weddings is the buttonhole that many grooms and their ushers wear. This tradition dates back to medieval times when a knight would be gifted a flower by a maiden. The flower was intended as a symbol of affection and a wish of good luck to the knight in battle.

Another common use of flowers you might find at a western wedding is the throwing of petals down the aisle by the bridesmaid or flower girl. This tradition comes from the Victorian era and was done as a symbol of good luck and a way to ward off negative vibes for the happy couple. Today most weddings continue to embrace this custom, and a young flower girl is often chosen to distribute the flowers.

Aside from the wedding flowers that are used as part of the ceremony or as an adornment to the outfits, there are also the flowers used as decoration in a wedding. Many couples will have flowers delivered to the venue and placed at the tables or around the room. They may even have flowers on the cake or to give as favours to the guests.

Flowers by post are also used as a wedding gift, though this tends to be more common during the engagement phase. And, of course, there are always anniversary flowers, which might not be a part of the wedding per se, but certainly are a key wedding flower tradition.

But those are just the flower traditions you might know from a modern western wedding. Other flower related customs come from different cultural traditions. Here are a few of our favourites:

- In Thailand, the family of the couple will drape flower garlands over the shoulders of the bride and groom as they walk to the altar.

- In traditional Italian weddings, flowers are fixed to the front of the wedding car as part of the decoration, symbolising the road to a happy marriage and future together.

- Both the bride and groom wear a floral headband during the ceremonies of an Indian wedding. The groom’s brother will sprinkle petals over the couple to help ward off evil spirits.

- In the Middle East, bridal flowers often include the herb artemisia, which is a bitter bloom. It’s done to ensure the newly married couple can weather bitter times as well as sweet moments.

- Scandinavian grooms will often have strong-smelling herbs and flowers sewn into their jackets to help encourage good luck.