Wedding flowers
The tradition of flowers at a wedding has been practiced for centuries. Originally a bouquet of roses was carried by the bride to give off an attractive perfume, but more traditions evolved as time went on and now we have the throwing of the bouquet as a sign of who is next to wed. But flowers all symbolise new beginnings, which is obviously rather pertinent for a wedding, uniting two people to start a new life together.
However, flowers weren't usually a traditional wedding gift. Flowers were used for decoration purposes only and silverware, champagne flutes and homeware were among the most common gifts for newlyweds. However, now things have changed somewhat. Guests now buy i-pods, Nintendo Wii's and Samsung plasma-screen TVs as gifts.
But being stuck in a recession has caused people to change tack a little. People are getting more creative with their wedding gifts or conversely some are opting for the simplest option as this can also work to great effect. This has resulted in flowers being given as wedding gifts, or groups of friends group together to buy bouquets for the table decorations. Interflora for example offer bouquets on their website, which can be given as standalone gifts or as wedding decorations. Seeing as flowers can be rather costly, and often seen by men to be a pointless accessory, friends contributing to the flower decorations or buying bouquets will go down well with the bride, but should also please the groom as costs won't be as high.
Roses have traditionally been associated with weddings. They symbolise love and passion and the strength of feeling between newlyweds. Lilies are another favourite. They represent purity and innocence and orchids are a luxury we rarely receive so make the perfect wedding choice and stand for love, affection and fertility.
But depending on the time of year and personal preference of the bride and groom, wedding flowers can range from daffodils and tulips to gerberas, carnations and chrysanthemums. So when you are buying your wedding flowers, you can choose the type and colour of the flower to suit the bride and the wedding theme.