A wedding bouquet is more than just a bunch of flowers for the bride to hold; it is a necessary accessory that compliments both the bride and the entire extravagant affair. Let’s face it, can anyone imagine a bride without a bouquet?

Each wedding bouquet is a delightful arrangement of any number of flowers – from a single beautiful bloom to a magnificent array of the freshest and most colourful flowers of the season. All have a distinct appearance and convey specific qualities that embody or represent the bride and the wedding itself.

The meaning of the flowers used in a bouquet, as well the practice of carrying one as is done in modern times, has its roots in the Victorian era circa the 1800s. It was even customary for the bride to carry flowers with names that started with letters that would spell out the groom’s name. Most bouquets also included sprigs of Ivy to express fidelity and happiness.

Although this may sound strange, some brides may choose to carry bouquets that aren’t always comprised of flowers and foliage alone. They may also include herbs, an addition that isn’t just a figment of today’s avant garde, and fruit.

Herbs in Wedding Bouquets
The practice of decorating the bride with flowers and plants has been around since ancient Greece, when a garland mainly composed of herbs was worn on the head of the bride and groom. In fact, most early decorative arrangements for the bride featured herbs rather than flowers, most scented strongly to ward off evil spirits. However, the usage of herbs has fallen out of favour in recent years.

Not only delightfully aromatic, each herb in an arrangement holds meaning much like each flower. For example, remembrance is expressed through flowers specifically by the Forget Me Not (Mystosotis) while in herbs, the same is expressed by Rosemary.

Fruit in Wedding Bouquets
A fruit bouquet for the bride is a unique alternative to those arrangements composed entirely of flowers. Generally, the fruit used is smaller (such as strawberries, kiwi and mandarins) so as to not weigh down the bouquet. It may or may not be accompanied by flowers. Fruit bridal bouquets add a twist to any wedding, and are probably best reserved for those who are trendsetters or aren’t afraid to be different.

416-Florist.com can produce any type of bridal bouquet that you request. Simply let us know what you want and what you want to express through the arrangement, and we’ll try our best to create it!

Today, there are an increasing number of bouquet types for the bride. Learn about the complete list of wedding bouquets in the next post!