Wedding flowers and the superstitions tied to them

Wedding traditions are often rooted in superstition. Believe it or not, this even includes wedding flowers. In fact, wedding superstitions linked to flowers can be traced back to ancient Rome, ancient Greece, Asia, and elsewhere around the globe. While some ancient cultures didn’t actually carry or use flowers exactly like we do today, the plants they chose to incorporate in the wedding can be traced back as the precursor of the wedding flowers we have today. Of course, we don’t believe the superstitions they held back then, but isn’t it fun to know where some wedding traditions got started and why?

Wedding superstitions associated with flowers

Among wedding superstitions these are associated with flowers.

• In ancient Rome, brides carried a bouquet of herbs which symbolized faithfulness and fertility. They believed it warded off evil spirits.
• In ancient Greece, brides carried ivy, which actually has a history of being a plant of superstition. For instance, ivy growing against the side of a house was believed to keep witches away. The ancient Greeks thought that it prevented drunkenness, and when the bride carried ivy at her weddings it was thought to be a symbol of never-ending love for her spouse.
• In Victorian times, the bride tossed her wedding bouquet to a friend as she left the celebrations. This practice is still pretty commonplace today, but back then it was thought to keep that friend safe because it warded off evil spirits and brought her luck. This evolved into a tradition of its own as it came to mean that the single woman who caught the bouquet would be next to marry.

  

   Merigolds were eaten because they were thought to be aphrodisiacs!

   

  
  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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• Brides actually ate the flowers they carried in Tudor England. They traditionally carried marigolds dipped in rosewater which ranged in flavors from spicy or peppery to bitter. The reason they ate them? They were thought to be aphrodisiacs!
• In the Middle East tradition, a bitter herb called artemisia is included in the bridal bouquet to make certain that marriages will survive the bitter times as well as harmonious times.
• In Asia, the mothers of brides and grooms in Thailand drape Thai wedding flower garlands around the couple’s shoulders as a wish for good fortune in the life together.
• In South Asia, at the end of Indian wedding ceremonies, the groom’s brother sprinkles flower petals over the newly married couple to protect them from evil.

  

   A white rose represents purity.

Wedding flowers meaning

In the Victorian era, people were also fascinated by “meanings” of different flowers. This is the time when the idea that the meaning of the rose represented true love became popular. Since then, the rose is a favorite wedding flower, but the meaning has evolved to depend on the flower's color with a white rose representing purity and a pink rose signifying joy.

Crowns of orange blossoms traditionally worn by the bride and groom in a Greek Orthodox wedding were thought to symbolize virginity and purity.

Today various popular wedding flowers are thought to have different meanings. For instance, just the flowers that grow in my front garden include the daffodil which represents new beginnings, the hydrangea which means to consider, and the iris which represents perseverance. Just think, if your creative, your floral arrangements can tell a story all their own on your wedding day!

Photo credits: pixabay, pixabay, Wikimedia

How we mirror Ancient Egyptian wedding ring traditions

When looking into the history of wedding traditions, it is surprising how many of them can trace back to ancient Egypt. The wearing of wedding rings, for example, was recorded within 6000-year-old Egyptian papyrus rolls. These first wedding rings were crafted from braided hemp or reeds and worn as a marital status symbol. The husband placed the ring on his wife’s finger, a custom which entrusted and entitled them both to each other. Over time, this practice evolved to include more durable rings crafted of leather, bone, or ivory, and eventually, they advanced enough to work with various precious gemstones and metals such as gold.

 

 

Ancient Egyptian wedding ring beliefs

 

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs considered the circle to be a symbol of eternity because it had no beginning or end, and with this in mind, the wedding ring served to signify the perpetual love of the spouses. These beliefs are still held by many today, but one belief the ancients held that we haven’t adopted is the belief that the opening in the ring denoted a gateway to the unknown.

 

The custom of wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand also originated in this culture because the ancient Egyptians believed a special vein, the vena amoris (vein of love) ran from this finger directly to the heart. The ancient Romans adopted this belief and wore wedding rings on the same finger. While this belief isn’t anatomically correct, today in the West, we still call this finger the “ring finger.”

 

Passing on the wedding ring tradition

 

One of the oldest ring symbols in the world is the Egyptian ouroboros ring. It portrays a serpent swallowing its tail creating the eternal cycle of things. The word ouroboros means “tail devourer” in Greek. 

 

Later history includes ornamental finger rings worn by wealthy Egyptian women. This included the famed scarab design. Rings became more common, and by the Middle Kingdom grew more complex. Over time Greek and Roman rings styles supplanted Egyptian styles during the Ptolemaic dynasty. 

 

When Alexander the Great conquered the Egyptians, the Greeks adopted the practice of giving rings to their lovers. These rings were thought to represent devotion, and many of them depicted Eros or Cupid, the god of love. Then Rome conquered Greece. They also adopted the wedding ring tradition but with iron and copper wedding rings. The iron rings sometimes bore key designs that symbolized that the wife now had control of the household goods. By the 2nd century CE, most wedding rings were gold, and by the 3rd and 4th centuries CE the style of gold wedding rings became more luxurious and a way to flaunt the giver’s wealth.

 

We mirror the Ancient Egyptian wedding ring traditions in that we even have wedding rings, that we wear them on our left hand ring finger, and that they indicate our marital status. Over 6000 years, rings have changed but why they are worn has not.

 

When did people start engraving wedding rings?

Engraving wedding rings dates back almost as far as wedding ring history, which can be traced back about 4800 years ago to Ancient Rome. The first rings were made of leather, bone, or ivory, but then transitioned to something more permanent. The newer version of wedding rings presented to the bride were made of iron, and while we may not consider it a precious metal worthy of a wedding ring, back then it represented strength and permanence. However, as I’ve mentioned before, brides of Ancient Rome actually received a second wedding ring made of gold. This is the ring that was to be worn in public. Along with the introduction of wedding rings, the Romans of the day are also said to be the first to engrave wedding rings.

First inscriptions of wedding rings

Wedding rings evolved and the fede ring design of two clasping hands became popular, but within the Byzantine Empire in the Middle Ages, inscribing images of the couple became a popular practice. Once Christianity became the state religion, rings often depicted Jesus or the cross between the couple which was thought to bless the marriage. In the second half of the Middle Ages, poesy rings became popular, a popularity which stretched from the 5th to 15th century. Engraved rings designed during Medieval times tended to have words engraved on the outside of the band. Latter on, rings sported lettering inside the band.

Rings for the Finger

Common sayings on wedding rings historically

The original inscriptions found on wedding rings let people dictate what saying to have inscribed, just like we do today. This allowed people to make their rings personal. However, the Victoria & Albert Museum has determined that certain inscriptions appear on multiple rings. It is thought that the goldsmiths probably had a list or book of “stock” phrases that customers could choose from. A 1917 book titled Rings for the Finger by George Kunz includes phrases and words from back then that show words like “honey” and simple phrases like “joy without end” were used, or more elaborate Greek lettering rendered “To her who excels not only in virtue and prudence, but also in wisdom.”

Ideas for engraving your wedding ring

You can find plenty of ideas for inspiration when it comes to engraving wedding rings. Today Bible verses are a popular choice for engraving wedding rings, but some couples choose funny sayings, or something that has personal meaning for the two of them. Some people choose to include the date of the wedding followed by words like “forever begins.” On a practical level, I have to say, that’s one way you won’t forget your anniversary date. Plus engraving your ring makes it easier to identify if it should happen to become lost or stolen.

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Photo credits: Wikimedia