Hi Friends,

So this weekend I was shooting at a wedding and as always I am always amazed at how wonderfully made and intricate a bouquet can be. The ribbons, the pearls all in a perfect circle or cascade to be paired with a luscious flowing gown for my more classic traditional brides or a short cute cocktail dress for my more artistic and daring brides.

But when did this tradition start? Today’s brides will pay up a thousand or more dollars on one single bouquet, in some cases more then their wedding dress. I remember the beauty of mine and how seeing it I wanted it take it home with me and have it become part of the family. Dress it up and sing to it and tell it bedtime stories, lol. No seriously, well ok maybe….

So today I was online and decided to do a little research and here is what I found out, kinda crazy to see how thing has evolved. Here’s what I learned: Our ancient time bridal sisters carried handfuls of garlic and strong smelling herbs. This was believed to ward of evil spirits, ill health and bad luck. This would include such herbs and spices such as sage, one of my favorite to cook with. If I had of attended a wedding during those times I would have been thinking about yummy herb potatoes and delicious lamb that all those spices could have been cooked with. I know I digress, lol. This tradition continued to evolve and during the Victorian era began to include edible flowers….now they are speaking my language. Dill was consumed by the bride and groom to spark fertility. And as the evolution continued it went on to include a secret love language between the bride and groom as each flower and scent had a different meaning. Now that is romantic!!! Each color meant something such as white meant purity, orange meant fertility and ivy meant fidelity.

Today brides have ditched the tradition of carrying sage and dill and began to incorporate bouquets to match their color scheme and theme. Some of the most amazing bouquets have been created in our day and time as we have some of the most beautiful flowers even more then in ancient times. I would love to see some brave brides incorporate some of these fun traditions, but in the mean time I will continue to adore and be obsessed with our modern day bouquets.