Royal Wedding Bridal Bouquet

Source: Ian West

What a beautiful morning we had today in USA watching the British Royal Wedding.  

The Union Jack flags continued to fly as Britain cheered its new royal couple. 

Around 2 billion people tuned in to watch Prince William marry his love Kate Middleton.

But, Why am I writing about William & Kate in this blog?

The answer is simple: knowing that is spring in the UK, we (as garden lovers) were really anxious in the greenery that would be adorning today’s event. So what better day to show their gardens than in a Royal Wedding.

I am not going to uncover anything by saying that Kate looked really pretty today, but...the detail of her flower bouquet gave her the perfect final touch.

It was a simple and tiny, hand wired bridal bouquet (compared to the one that Princess Diana wore on her wedding).

It was designed by Shane Connolly. It had Myrtle, Lily of Valley and Hyacinths.

The tradition was followed in perfection. The bouquet contained stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

Everything has a meaning in life and the bridal bouquet was not an exception. Every flower was chosen for a reason. They have a unique meaning:

Lily of the valley: Return of happiness. This delicate, fragrant flower signifies sweetness and renewed happiness. The flowers are very traditional wedding symbols

Sweet William: Gallantry and of course, because of the Name.

Hyacinth: Constancy of love. Another very fragrant flower. The white hyacinth signifies "constancy." Again, a very important sentiment when starting a life together.

Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection

Myrtle: The emblem of marriage; love. Every royal bride since Queen Victoria has had a sprig of myrtle in her bouquet. The myrtle comes from a tree which grew from a cutting of Queen Victoria's own bridal bouquet myrtle. Since then, each royal bride has included a spring from the tree in her bouquet, and they then plant their sprigs in Queen Victoria's garden as well. In fact, the tradition is that the bridesmaids plant the sprigs in the garden. Supposedly, if a sprig doesn't root and grow, the bridesmaid who planted it will be an old maid. Luckily for them, myrtle roots very easily.

The biggest complaint I had about the bouquet was that it was too small and understated. But I wonder: “How big does a bouquet really need to be?” Bigger is not always better ; understated, elegant, and meaningful is the way to go at least for me. I appreciated the understated beauty of Kate Middleton's bouquet amid the pomp and extravagance of the royal wedding.

For your information, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is generally only available in the UK in April and May.  Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is available generally from April to June.  Hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are more readily available – normally from November to May.  So Kate really showed us the seasonal flowers from the UK!!!

Source: www.bbc.com