Why Bouquets?

There is a list of items every bride should have when she gets married. First is THE DRESS and the second is THE BOUQUET. Bouquets can be designed to fit the personality of each bride and bridesmaid but why do we have them? It is a special day so of course we need a special dress but do brides carry bouquets simply because they are pretty?

While the origins are a little hazy, traditionally there are two main reasons brides carried bouquets: for good fortune and to mask smells. In ancient cultures brides carried herbs with a potent scent to ward off evil spirits. Even garlic was used to scare of evil on the special day. Certain herbs, plants and flowers carried special meaning as well. In ancient Greece, ivy was used to symbolize an enduring love.

By Medieval times bouquets were used to hide unpleasant body odors. Most people during that time only bathed once a year, their annual bath being in May. June became a popular wedding month because it was so close to their annual bath, helping prevent body odor. Brides carried bouquets to help mask any returning smells.

Obviously as people began to bath more often, the traditional of bridal bouquets did not fade, after all they are beautiful and today there are so many varieties to choose from, check it out.