Flowers have always been woven into myths, stories and ceremonies; each with its own specific meaning. The blossoms used in a period wedding and reception can reflect the virtues of the nuptial couple and hopes for their future, as well as lend authenticity to the period and/or region recreated. Foliage choice is your opportunity to allow personal expression to emerge through the rich symbology associated with flowers. If you're ceremony is going to reflect a specific period no doubt you've put a lot of thought into the clothing and headpieces, music, invitations, setting and the wedding feast. You want everything to reflect that time, that place and also, to say something about how special and unique the couple is. Flowers play an important part in personalizing your special day and shouldn't be seen as just a way of adding favorite colors and filler to the festivities. Flower choice can be used to lace significance throughout the ritual. Everyone will have their own ideas of what's important to them. Here's a few things to think about:

Flower Meaning Bluebells consistency Blue Violets faithfulness Carnations distinction Daisy (white) innocence Forget-me-not true love Gardenia joy Ivy fidelity Lily purity Lily of the Valley happiness Magnolias dignity Myrtle constancy in duty, affection Olive and Laurel leaves plenty, virtue Orange Blossom happiness, fertility Orchid beauty Roses (red) deep, passionate love Roses (white) purity Roses (red and white combined) unity Rosemary commitment, fidelity

Significance
What's the meaning associated with the flowers you'd like to carry? Or maybe a better question to ask is what are you trying to say about yourself? What values do you want to bring to your union and what are your hopes for the future? You might want to carry flowers that reflect your heritage. Find a flower native to your roots. Or weave a bouquet of mixed heritage (your family and his).

Many flowers have stories attached that illustrate their virtues. One such is jasmine. In Italy those at the rank of duke or above kept jasmine for themselves. A servant of the Medici family stole a branch from his master to give to his bride. From the single cutting the industrious woman grew many more plants and soon had enough to sell and the couple prospered. Italian brides began wearing a sprig of jasmine on their wedding day hoping for increase and good luck.

The lily is dedicated to ancient goddesses in the western world. The Romans believed that the first lily sprang from the breast milk of Juno, empress of nature. In the Middle East, the lily is associated with Asarte, goddess of fertility. Christians also associate the lily to a feminine deity, the Virgin Mary. In fact, the English word 'chalice' derives from 'calyx', the cup of the lily flower.

Lillies, today, come in a wide variety of hybrids and colors lending themselves to many color schemes.

In England, rosemary was used in a spell to induce clairvoyant dreams. On the eve of the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, young women who had not yet reached the age of 21 would mix rum, wine, gin, vinegar and water together. Without speaking they would take a drink and dip a sprig of rosemary into the mixture three times and then place the sprig between their breasts and go to bed and dream a true and clear path for the future. Anne of Cleaves wore a crown of rosemary at her marriage to King Henry VIII. Perhaps that's how she managed to save her head.

The works of the Shakespeare abound with floral associations. In the Middle Ages, buttercups where thought to be a cure for lunacy. Shakespeare called buttercups "cuckoo bud." In his sonnets, Shakespeare uses violets as a symbol of humility and constancy in love. The embodiment of faithfulness. And honeysuckle he referred to as 'woodbine' or 'goat flower'. Goats were seen as very lusty, suggesting honeysuckle has aphrodisiac properties.

Throughout Europe, asters were believed to have magic powers. Ointment made from them was thought to cure the bite of a mad dog and the watchful eyes of their centers surely drove away evil spirits. A lady who placed bachelor's button beneath her apron might have any bachelor she desired. Hollyhock was brought to England in the sixteenth century. Gardeners found that it grew so fast and produced so many seeds that it was associated with fertility.

The Crusades brought treasures to Europe from the Middle East, among them flowers. Tulip comes from the Turkish word for turban -- the shape of the bloom. Wild tulips were native to Persia and brought to Europe in 1559. In Persia, to give a red tulip is to declare your love. The black center is the lover's heart, seared to coal by love's passion. In Arabia a mimosa sprig is hung above the marriage bed to lengthen love and ward off spells of jealousy. The Koran praises hyacinth. A proverb says that if you have only two loaves of bread left, eat one and sell the other and buy hyacinth to feed your soul.

There are some flowers you might want to avoid. Lilacs were thought to ward of Black Death and anemones symbolized abandonment. According to Christian tradition they grew beneath the cross where the blood of Christ fell. In England marigolds were first called 'golds'. In the Middle Ages they were used to adorn images of the Virgin Mary and came to bear her name: Marigolds. They embody that which is bittersweet.

Lilacs, Although lilacs have an intoxicating fragrance and spill beautifully from a bouquet, you may want to choose something else (unless you want to send a negative message to your groom).

The Period
What time are you trying to recreate? And what location? Today's bride must not only choose the meaning they wish to convey, but also determine what was available then. If you want to portray sixteenth century England you'll want to use a flower that was accessible at that time in England. Sweet Peas, while thought of as being very English didn't appear there until 1699 when they were brought from Sicily. They provide a riot of curly tendrils and rich blooms in many colors which make the Sweet Pea an emblem of careless luxury. They would be more appropriate for an eighteenth century English affair or a Sicilian wedding. If you're mixing both red and white roses as a symbol of unity then make sure your wedding is set after 1486, when Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York, thereby uniting the Lancastrians and Yorkists and founding a new dynasty.

Luckily, today you have access to many kinds of flowers. Some specialty florists will have them flown in when they aren't in season at your locale. Another option is silk. Good quality silk flowers abound. You can experiment with arrangements, find most any type of flower and make them in advance. Ribbons can be added to bouquets and impart meaning of their own. White denotes purity and yellow stands for faith. Green is associated with fidelity and strength. Red is for loyalty and blue and purple for royalty.

Lastly, the Victorians had their own symbology attached to flowers. They were used as a discreet source of communication. There are several books on the subject which are easier to find than sources reflecting the meanings associated with flowers during the medieval and Renaissance periods. One should not be confused with the other.