Flowers: Symbolic Meanings
Did you know that magnolia means love of nature and stephanotis signifies marital happiness? During the Victorian era, The Language of Flowers created an ultra-romantic language for lovers' correspondence in which flowers replaced words. If you want to suffuse your wedding flowers with symbolism, check out our guide to the most popular wedding flowers and decide which messages move you most. Happy gathering!
Anemone
Meaning: Expectation
Scent: None
In Season: Fall (Japanese) to spring (Wood or De Caen)
Price Range: Moderate
Floral Fact: Anemones bloom in either single or double blossoms.
Baby's Breath
Meaning: Innocence
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Calla Lily
Meaning: Magnificent beauty
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This large tropical flower is very popular in weddings.
Carnation
Meaning: Pink represents boldness, red symbolizes love, and white indicates talent. Some other colors have negative connotations (see below).
Scent: Very light fragrance or none at all, depending on variety
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Chrysanthemum (or mum)
Meaning: Wealth, abundance, truth
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Floral Fact: Mums come in several varieties, which determine their size and color. The name literally means "golden flower."
Daffodil
Meaning: Regard
Scent: None
In Season: Spring
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)
Daisy
Meaning: Share your feelings
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)
Delphinium
Meaning: Swiftness, lightness
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Summer
Price Range: Moderate
Freesia
Meaning: Innocence
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)
Gardenia
Meaning: Purity, joy
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Expensive
Hydrangea
Meaning: Understanding
Scent: None
In Season: Spring and fall
Price Range: Expensive
Iris
Meaning: A message of faith, wisdom
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Spring
Price Range: Moderate to expensive, depending on variety
Floral Fact: Irises come in several sizes; they are usually blue or white, but you may find exotic varieties (including purple ones).
Lilac
Meaning: Love's first emotions
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Local lilacs are available in the spring; imported French lilacs are available year-round
Price Range: Moderate to expensive
Floral Fact: The local lilac is grown like a bush, and is used as filler because of its greenery. The French lilac is more flower-like and can be used as such in bouquets and arrangements.
Lily
Meaning: Majesty, truth, honor
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Summer, but often imported during other seasons
Price Range: Moderate to expensive
Lily of the Valley
Meaning: Happiness
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: These small, fragile, bell-shaped flowers are considered traditional marriage flowers.
Magnolia
Meaning: Love of nature
Scent: Depends on variety
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: Magnolias are more common in Southern-style weddings, as most magnolia trees grow in the South.
Orchid
Meaning: Love, beautyBest For: Bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round -- almost always imported
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This exotic flower comes in a variety of colors and sizes.
Peony
Meaning: Bashfulness, the American spirit of ambition and determination
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Late spring
Price Range: Expensive
Rose
Meaning: Love, joy, beauty
Scent: Lightly fragrant to very fragrant, depending on variety
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Moderate to expensive
Floral Fact: Roses are the most popular wedding flowers.
Stephanotis
Meaning: Marital happiness
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Moderate
Floral Fact: These trumpet-shape blossoms are traditional bridal flowers, no doubt due to their meaning.
Stock
Meaning: Lasting beauty
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Floral Fact: Stock can be found in many colors to complement and fill out arrangements.
Sunflower
Meaning: Short-stemmed sunflowers mean adoration; long-stemmed sunflowers symbolize haughtiness
Scent: None
In Season: Fall
Price Range: Inexpensive to moderate in season
Sweet Pea
Meaning:Pleasure
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Late spring and early summer
Price Range: Moderate
Tulip
Meaning: Love, passion
Scent: None
In Season: Late spring
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: These sweet and stately flowers can be found in a myriad of colors, but they are very fragile.
Unfavorable Flowers
It's sad but true: You might want to avoid certain flowers (if you're superstitious, that is). On the other hand, you can always thumb your nose at history and ascribe your own meaning to these "questionable" blooms. Here are the so-called negative indicators:
Christmas Rose: Scandal
Foxglove: Insincerity
Larkspur: Infidelity
Lavender: Distrust
Marigold: Grief
Mulberry: I shall not survive you
Raspberry: Remorse
Red Carnation: Alas for my poor heart
Red Poppy: Consolation
Rhododendron: Danger
Striped Carnation: Refusal
White Poppy: Sleep
Yellow Carnation: Disdain
Yellow Chrysanthemum: Slighted Love
Yellow Lily: Falsehood
Yellow Rose: Jealousy
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