Royal Wedding Revived Symbolic Bridal Bouquets

The recent wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton has revived a tradition that goes back to the time of the prince's five-times-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria: creating a bridal bouquet from flowers that have symbolic meanings to the bride and groom.

According to a press release from Buckingham Palace, the former Catherine Middleton, now HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, choose floral designer Shane Connolly to create her shield-shaped wedding bouquet. The new duchess' bridal posy included myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The flowers and their symbolic meanings are:

· Sweet William: Gallantry (and a nod to the groom)

· Lily-of-the-valley: Return of happiness

· Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection

· Hyacinth: Constancy of love

· Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.

Among the flowers were stems from myrtle tree planted by Queen Victoria at her family retreat, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in 1845. Also in her bouquet was a sprig grown from myrtle used in Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

Queen Victoria began the tradition of carrying myrtle after she was given a nosegay with the flowering plant when she visited Prince Albert's grandmother at Gotha in Germany. The queen planted a sprig from the posy at Osborne House, where it still grows today. Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, HRH Princess Victoria, carried myrtle in her bouquet when she married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1857. Myrtle is said to signify the bride's innocence.

While few bridal couples have such a distinguished floral heritage on which to draw, there is one thing common to all weddings: what flowers are most available during the season of the wedding ceremony. The seasonal nature of cut flowers often makes flower delivery more difficult if the bride chooses blossoms that are out of season in her area.

While many varieties of blossoms are now grown in heated greenhouses to make them available more months out of the year, it is more common that out-of-season blooms are shipped from global regions with different growing seasons. In addition, bulb plants are refrigerated to encourage them to bloom out of season. These options all require more energy for growing and more fuel for transportation, making out-of-season blossoms one of a bride's most expensive options.

Instead of choosing such unnaturally grown blooms, a wise bride will look to her floral consultant to guide her in selecting seasonal blossoms for her wedding. Not only will this option be less expensive, the selected blossoms will be more robust and durable, ensuring that bridal bouquets and floral displays will look spectacular throughout the nuptial celebrations.

In addition, there are certain types of blooms that have shown themselves to be more able to stand up to the stresses of weddings. Among the 10 most popular wedding flowers are Calla Lilies, Casablanca Lilies, Gardenias, Hydrangeas, Lilacs, Lily of the Valley, Orchids, Roses, Stephanotis, and Tulips. Virtually all of these varieties are extremely fragrant, so a little goes a long way. What's more, although most of them can be available year-round, their price, condition and durability may fluctuate widely. It's best always to work closely with your florist for best selection.

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No matter if you're selecting flowers for a wedding or a dozen roses to say, "I love you," Ready Flowers can provide the most reliable flower delivery of any online florist in Australia.

Send a Secret Message in the Form of Flowers

Send a Secret Message in the Form of Flowers

The recent wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, now the HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, has re-ignited interest in the meaning attributed to different kinds of blossoms. A press release from Buckingham Palace noted that floral designer Shane Connolly to represent several facets of William and Catherine's life together composed the Duchess' bouquet.

Lady Mary Wortley Montague, wife of the British ambassador to Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), brought the Turkish text "Secret Language of Flowers" back to Europe in the early 18th Century. Not long afterward people, especially clandestine lovers, began sending one another bouquets that had secret or symbolic meanings to them. Long a sign of romance, Lady Montague's innovation brought even more symbolism to the practice. Not only did the blooms themselves have meaning, their arrangement also helped to form the message of the mélange.

The French particularly took this new romantic practice to heart. In 1819 Louise Cortambert, a French woman writing under the pen name of Madame Charlotte de la Tour, published a book titled "Le Language des Fleurs" ("The Language of Flowers"). Her compendium advised people on which blossoms to send, depending on their message and season, and how to arrange the bouquets to convey the message.

The practice reached its height during the Victorian era. Sending blossoms arranged in certain ways became the most popular form of romance, as well as of romantic intrigue. Sometimes called "floriography," sending a bouquet to one's paramour allowed individuals to express coded messages that otherwise might not be spoken. The bouquet most often took the form of a nosegay, also known as a posy or Tussie-Mussie, a floral art that has had a revival of interest. These nosegays conveyed not only the primary message, but sent in ways that conveyed many nuances of communication.

Of all the blossoms used for romantic nosegays, roses were the favorite, so much so that a secret sub-language developed around them. Shades of colors also changed the significance. According to some experts, red symbolized passion, while pink conveyed a devotion of less intensity. However, deep red blossoms symbolized grief, particularly for widows.

Among other colors, a white blossom indicated chastity or an unconsummated love, while yellow blooms bespoke either jealousy or friendship, depending upon their arrangement. Red and yellow in a single nosegay communicated joy, happiness and excitement. Coral or orange indicated desire, while lavender spoke of love at first sight. Red and white mixed together signified unity, a tradition harking back to the "War of the Roses" fought by England's feuding Lancaster and York clans for possession of the throne. The ultimate symbol of their unity was the Tudor rose, created by combining red and white petals together.

Other blossoms have similar meanings. Daisies, also known as gerbera, signify innocence or purity because of their cheerful blooms. Sunflowers, the favorite flower of St. Julie Billiart, can mean either pride or respect. The iris, named for the gods' messenger in Greek mythology, represents the act of sending a message.

Today a professional florist such as Ready Flowers is the best guide for choosing a bouquet or arrangement that will convey a distinctive message. Consulting with a florist will ensure that any floral gift sends the perfect sentiment.

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When it's time to send flowers, choose Ready Flowers first. Expert florists at Ready Flowers can help select the ideal arrangement for any occasion, from cheerful, innocent daisies to passionate roses.