In our part of northern New York, December started with a massive snowstorm, leaving us blanketed under feet of snow. Thankfully, to quote Irving Berlin, “I’ve got my love to keep me warm!” Indeed, I’ve been cozy as could be… as my partner and I eloped on December 5th! Honestly, I couldn’t be happier, and today I want to share a bit of the joy with a sneak peek at my magical wedding bouquet! Surprising no one, I spent a lot of time planning my bouquet. Initially I perused Pinterest for ideas, and while I saw some truly lovely arrangements, nothing really jumped out for me until I stumbled across a post about the language of flowers…
The language of flowers, or floriography, is a historical means of communication that assigns symbolic meanings to various flowers, allowing people to convey emotions, sentiments, and messages through bouquets and arrangements. This practice became especially popular during the Victorian era when strict social conventions limited direct expressions of feelings. While plants, flowers, and herbs have held rich cultural significance across cultures and eons, this practice became especially popular in England during the Victorian era when strict social conventions limited direct expressions of feelings. By the 19th century, the symbolic use of flowers had evolved into a refined pastime, with handbooks and dictionaries detailing floral meanings widely available to the British public.
Beyond the meanings of individual flowers, their arrangement also played a role in the message’s meaning. A bouquet presented upright conveyed positive sentiments, while one offered upside down expressed negative or opposite feelings. Even the hand used to offer the bouquet could subtly alter its meaning. For example, giving flowers with the right hand symbolized acceptance or agreement, while the left hand indicated refusal.
As a botanically-inclined witch, I wanted my wedding bouquet to be meaningful as well as beautiful, and opted not to outsource, instead assembling it myself at our kitchen island. (One could think of it as a sort of totemic spell, but it also was quite thrifty!) Based on their meanings and personal preference, I selected the following:
- Fern: Magic, the secret bonds of love
- Lavender: Calm, peace, grace
- Rosemary: Remembrance, ancestral support
- Ivy: Endurance, faithfulness, affection
- Eucalyptus: Protection, abundance
- Sage: Health, wisdom, respect
Both the sage and the ivy were from my mother’s plants, and, using a bit of velvet ribbon, I tied my matrilineal great-grandmother’s wedding band onto my bouquet for an added bit of magic. (This also counted as my “something old” for my “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe.”)
Finally, I made a matching boutonnière for Garun.
Overall, I was very happy with how it turned out for a DIY wedding bouquet— honestly, while it may not be for everyone, making it myself gave it that much more sentimental value. For brides, grooms, and spouses-to-be looking for a more personalized touch, I highly recommend utilizing the language of flowers in your own wedding bouquet!
