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The flowers in your bouquet can just be a pretty combinations of
colors and types. If you want to delve into folklore, though, your
bouquet can be fraught with deeper meaning. Many flowers have traditionally
had meanings attached to them. Not many people pay heed to that
anymore; most just choose flowers they like. If you're marrying
into a family from another culture, you might want to ask around
a bit about possible meanings of different flowers in their culture,
since they vary. Carnations, for example, are in some cultures only
used for funerals – and if that's the case in your future
husband's family, you probably want to avoid them entirely. Here
are a few traditional American flowers and their meanings:
Almond Blossom
A symbol of hope, sweetness, delicacy.
Anemone
Withered hopes, a dying love.
Abor Vitae
Unchanging friendship.
Baby's Breath
A symbol of the hope of procreation and new life, both for the married
couple as a new unit and for future offspring.
Bleeding Heart
A symbol of undying love. The petals of this perennial flower are
slightly united into flattened, heart-shaped, or spurred corollas.
Its colors are yellow, white, or red, pink or ivory and it blooms
in the Spring.
Camelia, white
A symbol of loveliness.
Carnation, deep red
Alas! for my poor heart.
Carnation, white
A symbol of disdain.
China-Aster
Variety.
Clover, four-leaf
One offers this to ask, "Be mine."
Clover, white
Think of me.
Clover, red
A symbol of industry.
Columbine
A symbol of folly.
Columbine, purple
This means, "resolved to win."
Daisy
A symbol of innocence.
Deadly Nightshade
A symbol of falsehood.
Fern
Fascination.
Forget-me-not
As a symbol of true love. This also simply means, "forget me
not." And it is, of course, also Alaska's state flower, and
a wildflower that florists can use without risking insects creeping
out in the middle of the service.
Fuchsia, scarlet
Taste.
Geranium, scarlet
This selection offers consolation.
Geranium, rose
A symbol of preference.
Goldenrod
This says to the receiver: "Be cautious."
Heliotrope
A symbol of devotion.
Honey-Flower
Love, sweet and secret.
Hyacinth, white
Unobtrusive loveliness.
Ivy
A symbol of fidelity.
Lady's slipper
Win me and wear me.
Lily, Day
A symbol of coquetry.
Lily, white
A symbol of purity and sweetness.
Lily, yellow
A symbol of falsehood or gaiety.
Lily of the Valley
This symbolizes the return of happiness.
Mignonette
This says, "Your qualities surpass your charms."
Monkshead
Danger is near.
Myrtle
A symbol of love.
Oats
The witching soul of music.
Orange Blossom
Chastity.
Pansy
Symbolizes one's thoughts.
Passion flower
Faith.
Peach Blossom
This says, "I am your captive."
Pear
A symbol of affection.
Periwinkle
As a symbol of early friendship (blue), happy memories (white).
Poppy
As a symbol of fantastic extravagance (scarlet), consolation (red).
If the love is faithful, placing a petal in the palm of the hand
and hitting it with a fist should produce a popping sound.
Primrose
Inconstancy.
Quaking Grass
A symbol of agitation.
Rose
As a symbol of love, pure and lovely (red rose buds), jealousy (yellow).
See the listing for rose color symbols for more meanings.
Shamrock
A symbol of lightheartedness.
Snowdrop
A symbol of hope, consolation. The flower is thought mythologically
to have been a snowflake which was transformed to comfort Adam and
Eve after they had been expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Straw
This symbolizes agreement if it is intact, a broken agreement if
it is broken.
Sunflower
As a symbol of the sun, and also haughtiness.
Tuberose
Dangerous pleasures.
Tulip
As a symbol of powerful love being declared (red), hopeless love
(yellow). The heart burning symbolically like a flame.
Verbena
This says, "Pray for me."
From Morris Communications |
