Wedding Invitations

I ran across something that I just had to share with you here in wedding etiquette.

Have you ever wondered why the bride carries flowers during the ceremony? Or wonder why the bridesmaids and groom even have flowers?  Well, there are a few reasons but there was one that stood out to me during this day of Halloween.

Once again it goes back to the superstitious days when people went to great lengths to ward off evil spirits. A long time ago, instead of flowers, the bouquets were often made of herbs such as rosemary and garlic. The smell was believed to drive away evil spirits from the bridal party (including bride and groom). Honestly the smell probably would have driven away more than the evil spirits. Can you imagine if we continued this tradition into this day. Imagine garlic bouquets decorating the end of the church benches. Hey at least “the line”  wouldn’t drag out forever. People would want to get away from you as fast as they could.

Now speaking of garlic…What else does garlic ward off? Vampires!

Throughout time and up until now, flowers, herbs and even ivy have been symbolic for everlasting love, fidelity, fertility, bounty, etc. Each country and plant holding their own symbolism. For example, the Greeks considered ivy to represent indissoluble love.

Have a happy and safe Halloween (or is it now called “Candy day”?).