Victorian Wedding Bouquets Express Wedding Essence

A Victorian wedding bouquet is sure to be absolutely lovely, a delight to the senses. The Victorians were delightfully sentimental, and floral design was a favored medium for expressing intimate thoughts and desires. Ranging from simple posy style bouquets to gloriously extravagant bouquets decorated with ribbons and lace, jewels and pearls, a Victorian wedding bouquet was always a sight to behold, which is why the Victorian influenced weddng bouquet is still so popular today.

Marriage was a very important event in the life of a woman during the Victorian era, perhaps even the most important, as it was through marriage that the highest expressions of womanhood in that era could be achieved that of wife and mother. Thus, each detail of the wedding was touched by sentiment and tradition, from the day and month of the wedding to the shade of the dress to the flowers included in the lovely Victorian wedding bouquets.

Flowers were of special importance during the Victorian era. Courtship rituals and male-female interaction were a great deal different then. Couples were alone less and chaperoned more, many things were left unspoken, though not unsaid. Flowers became a medium of communication, and building on earlier traditions of floral symbolism, the Victorians devised what they called floriography, or the language of flowers.

There were numerous books published throughout the era, detailing the often complex meanings of individual flowers, flower combinations, as well as meanings associated with particular numbers of flowers. The flowers chosen for Victorian wedding bouquets were deeply symbolic and full of meaning.

Perhaps it is this concept, as much as the natural beauty of the flowers themselves that makes a Victorian wedding bouquet so special. Even if one is not directly aware of the deeper meanings associated with the flowers, the beauty and harmony that characterizes the bridal bouquets of this era certainly hint at something more, something greater to be found just below the surface.

Naturally, the rose, associated with deeply committed true love and passion, as well as with respect and marriage, for centuries was an important part of many styles of Victorian wedding bouquets, from the very simple nosegay or posy style to the trailing and abundant styles popular in the grander and larger weddings of the era.

However, there were many other flowers important to making Victorian wedding bouquets. Stephanotis, with white fragrant flowers symbolizing marital happiness, were a popular choice. Baby's breath was another Victorian favorite, representing innocence and a pure heart. Primroses were a deep expression of love and need for the beloved. Orange blossoms represented fertility and eternal love. Jasmine held many promises life long attachment, sensuality, grace and beauty.

A traditional Victorian wedding bouquet is perhaps one of the most beautiful of the bridal bouquets, as much for the deeper meanings and the hopes and dreams it holds for the future, as for the lovely flowers that are arranged with such care and attention to detail.

Victorian wedding bouquets, when created with all the thought and care in flower selection that is traditional in the design of these bouquets, express the essence of the wedding ceremony better than all of the rest.