The Meaning of Flowers

Flowers can express what words cannot.  In Victorian times where people used symbols and gestures to communicate as much as words, the meaning of flowers played an important role. But today, with so many flower choices, there are no rules. Flowers are used in weddings to provide decor and express the couple's unique and individual style. Many people assign their own personal meanings - a flower or color that might remind them of a special event or moment in their lives.  I think it's beautiful exploring the deeper meaning of flowers for your wedding.  It brings more romance to such a special and momentous day.  Maybe instead of looking at a bride's bouquet as just roses, orchids, and hydrangeas, we can look at it as the bride expressing unity, perseverence, and delicate beauty as she carries her bouquet down the aisle to her waitng groom.  For those of us interested in all things vintage, here's a list compiled by the Societ of American Florist on the traditional meanings of flowers used during the Victorian Era:

Alstroemeria	aspiring
Amaryllis	dramatic
Anemone	fragile
Apple Blossom	promis
Aster	contentment
Azalea	abundance
Baby's Breath	festivity
Bachelor Button	anticipation
Begonia	deep thoughts
Black-Eyed Susan	encouragement
Camellia	graciousness
Carnation
pink	gratitude
red	flashy
striped	refusal
white	remembrance
yellow	cheerful
Chrysanthemum
bronze	excitement
white	truth
red	sharing
yellow	secret admirer
Cosmos	peaceful
Crocus	foresight
Daffodil	chivalry
Delphinium	boldness
Daisy	innocence
Freesia	spirited
Forget-Me-Not	remember me forever
Gardenia	joy
Geranium	comfort
Ginger	proud
Gladiolus	strength of character
Heather	solitude
Hibiscus	delicate beauty
Holly	domestic happiness
Hyacinth	sincerity
Hydrangea	perseverance
Iris	inspiration
Ivy	fidelity
Jasmine	grace and elegance
Larkspur	beautiful spirit
Lavender	distrust
Lilac	first love
Lily
Calla	regal
Casablanca	celebration
Day	enthusiasm
Stargazer	ambition
Lisianthus	calming
Magnolia	dignity
Marigold	desire for riches
Nasturtium	patriotism
Orange Blossom	fertility
Orchid	delicate beauty
Pansy	loving thoughts
Passion flower	passion
Peony	healing
Poppy	consolation
Queen Anne's Lace	delicate femininity
Ranunculus	radiant
Rhododendron	beware
Rose
pink	friendship
red	passionate love
red & white	unity
white	purity
yellow	zealous
Snapdragon	presumptuous
Star of Bethlehem	hope
Stephanotis	good luck
Statice	success
Sunflower	adoration
Sweetpea	shyness
Tuberose	pleasure
Tulip
pink	caring
purple	royalty
red	declaration of love
white	forgiveness
yellow	hopelessly in love
Violet	faithfulness
Wisteria	steadfast
Yarrow	good health
Zinnia	thoughts of friends

Topiary

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, topiary is the art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes.  I love creating the traditional topiary shape seen in English gardens with floral arrangements!  It gives me the opportunity to play around with colors and different blooms within the context of the unique yet familiar shape of a topiary. It's a great way to add height and to use branches.  Also, since it utilizes a lot of prop building, I get to use power tools, pvc pipes, cement and other "manly-man" materials along with flowers. I also love giving my clients the option of using something different from a glass vase.

A topiary arrangement with blue titinium, white stock, white roses, and salal. The couple was only allowed floor arrangements at the church for their wedding. They wanted height in their flowers but they weren't allowed to use any stands or pedestals.

I used a tall cylinder vase to capture the illusion of a topiary.  The flowers were actually arranged in a wreath to allow tall branches to shoot out of the center. 

 I wanted to created something different from the single linear shape topiary.  I covered my mechanics with geranium leaves. 

Here is a very traditional topiary that allowed me to use ribbon to complement the colors of the arrangement.

So I think I misnamed my blog. No, I know I did because creating flowers for weddings and special events is not work for me. It's my passion and one of my sources of happiness. It's my second baby, the first one being a lovely 3 year old boy named Matthew.   Whatever the name of my blog is, I wanted to create a space where I can give more background information on my floral designs, the events they are made for, and the people that are celebrating these special events.  I wanted a space to post pics I took with my phone when I'm on site setting up or step by step pics of my creations without having to wait for proofs from a professional photographer. So here we go, I finally took the first step of making my blog! Here's a sneak peak of my next post where I discuss my adventures in topiaries, terraniums and teacups.