Tradition Of Throwing The Bouquet

Tossing the bouquet is a wedding tradition that has lasted through the centuries. Today it is great fun to throw the bouquet at the reception into the crowd of single ladies to see who may be the next to marry. Unfortunately long ago it was taken far more seriously and often ended in disaster. It is said to originate from Medieval Europe when women would try to rip pieces of the bride's dress in order to obtain some of her good luck, leaving her in tatters. The wedding guests believed that a piece of the bride’s dress was a fertility charm and would bring good luck and prosperity.

Source - weddingvows.mobi 

As times changed wedding dresses became a cherished keepsake and brides did not want their expensive dresses to be ripped or torn. Instead brides preferred to keep the dress for its sentimental value and to hand down to future generations.

 To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet as a distraction and run away. The tradition has filtered down through the ages and is now a fun tradition for modern weddings. Some modern brides and grooms do not like the tradition of throwing the bouquet and either modify it or do away with it altogether. Some brides choose to order a special throwing bouquet so as not to destroy their own. Others choose to pass a flower from their bouquet to their friends and family instead of throwing the bouquet at the reception.

Source - topnotchdj.au 

Wedding Flowers

Tara and Declan were married in Bofeenaun in June 2014. Here are some of their gorgeous wedding flowers which included pale blue, soft pink and ivory.

Wedding Flowers

Caroline and Connor were married in Lacken Church in April. Their wedding flowers consisted of cream roses with delicate white filler flowers to add that extra touch. The church was decorated with a variety of flowers in cream, white and green which complimented the church perfectly.

Wedding Flowers

Claire and Declan were married in the Our Lady of the Assumption church in Ardagh. Claire chose pink and white Peonies with natural twine bound around the stems. The bride carried a bouquet of fluffy pink peonies while her bridesmaids were given all white peony bouquets. The summery scent from our work room while working on these wonderful flowers was such an enchanting aroma.

Wedding Flowers

Michelle and Steve's Wedding - Bofeenaun

These beautiful designs were created with an autumnal theme in mind. The dark orange callas mixed with snowberries, viburnum and mini cymbidium orchids give an elegant and classy look.

The theme was continued at the ceremony location. Dark orange Gerberas mixed with autumn greens.

A huge Thank You to Michelle and Steve for choosing Connacht Wedding Flowers to be part of their special day. 

Flower of the Week

Tulip

Source - www.wallconvert.com

Common Name:  Tulip

Botanical Name:  Tulipa

Colours:  White, Yellow, Pink, Peach, Orange, Red, Lavender, Purple and Bi-colours. Almost every colour except true blue and black.

Origin:  The origin of the tulip can be traced back to Hungary, Turkey and the Middle East.

Description:   The Tulip is a genus of single seed-lobe from the Lilium family or Liliaceae. There are up to 75 wild species of tulips in existence and an astonishing 3,000 different varieties of cultivated tulips. Most tulips produce only one cup or star shaped flower per stem however the tulip comes in a multitude of different forms including the gorgeous ruffled Parrot Tulips or Fringed Tulips.

White Parrot Tulips
Source - www.redbubble.com

The Tulip first became a popular spring flower in Turkey where it was adopted as a symbol for life and fertility.The name tulip stems from the Persian word for turban 'tulipan' after its rounded form and in fact it is believed that Ottoman Sultans would wear a tulip in their turban as a symbol of their importance. It was first introduced to Europe in the middle of the 16th Century via Antwerp to the Netherlands where it has remained and become synonymous with Spring. The season lasts from late December to early April and during this time the flower fields of Holland become a striking display of flowering tulip bulbs bursting with colour.

Tulip Fields in Netherlands
Source - www.idealmagazine.co.uk

Traditions Of The Wedding: Brides Bouquet

The tradition of carrying flowers on your wedding day is centuries old and the exact origin of this tradition is unclear. They range from practical reasons to superstitious reasons but whatever the origin, the wedding bouquet is a beautiful accessory and marks a very special occasion.

It is believed that in Medieval times most brides would carry bouquets of fragrant herbs to enhance their aroma on their wedding day and to ward off evil spirits while welcoming goodness and happiness into their life. The bouquet also signified that the bride was in bloom.

As time passed by and we came to Victorian times the flowers had even more significance as couples would send each other flowers. Each flower had its own particular meaning and it is this association that is still adopted to this day by many brides. The groom generally wears a flower that can be seen in the bridal bouquet. This dates back to medieval times and the tradition of a Knight wearing his brides colours to declare his love and respect for her.

We will be continuing the Traditions Of The Wedding series and we will cover everything from the veil to cutting the cake so pop back here in the near future to check it out. 

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