The Art, Symbolism & Magic of Flowers

Like any bride planning her wedding, I wanted to add personal touches unique to my partner and I, our relationship, and our life together to make our event feel sentimental, special and impactful. Everything was carefully chosen, from the location, to the color scheme, to the vibe, to the guest and staff list, to the intention behind our ceremony. Now that our big day is over and my planning done, I am enjoying reliving and exploring our event, and everything about it that was so special to me.

I am beyond blessed in all of my friends, many of whom went above and beyond to make our day run smoothly and feel extra special. So many of the personal touches that mattered so much to me came from their efforts. As an artist, seeing my own creations come to life felt a little bit like magic, after so much effort and envisioning. But seeing what my friends created to commemorate and celebrate us on our special day was more touching than I could have imagined.

This blog post will focus on my bridal bouquet and the meaning behind the plants and flowers it contained.

My bridesmaid, Erika Flynn, graphic designer, owner and creative genius behind @goodmajick composed my bridal bouquet based on a few inspiration photos from Pinterest and a general sense of what I was looking for:

non-traditional
textural
emphasis on greenery
with a warm, tropical, boho-vibe

Wedding bouquets can be more than just aesthetic additions to a wedding event. Flowers have long been imbued with personal, cultural and spiritual significance. Scientists have attributed humanity’s attraction to flowers to survivalist instincts, as flowers can signify a proximity to fruit. While others, like the physicist and quantum theorist David Deutsch have suggested that “flowers contain a type of objective beauty, attracting humans with their harmonious colors, soft curves and symmetrical forms.”

Research shows that, “the relationship between humans and flowers is special. Humans have always been strangely attracted to flowers even when they provide no physical sustenance and when resources are low. Humans have also put embodied and physical effort into growing flowers for their aesthetic qualities." You can read more about humans’ aesthetic relationship to flowers in this study, published by the National Library of Medicine.

A selection of photos from my Pinterest board that were used to inspire the design of my wedding bouquet.

Whatever the reason, the attraction to flowers, and their importance when marking significant events like celebrations, commitment ceremonies, births, deaths and both sad and joyous occasions alike is unquestioned. In researching the plants and flowers contained in my wedding bouquet, I found Floriography.

Floriography is the language of flowers.

Flowers have different meanings, based on their type, color, characteristics and behavior. Floriography has been practiced for thousands of years in many cultures throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. The interpretation of flowers and their meanings has also been expressed by Native Americans, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Ancient Celts, and other cultures around the world with their own specialized flower-language.

Many flowers still derive their meaning and symbolism from ancient myths and legends. The Language of Flowers was also heavily influenced by the Victorian era. Under the reign of Queen Victoria, new standards of etiquette limited communication across England’s upper class. As a result, gifts of flowers were used to send coded messages, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society. Le Language de Fleurs, the first dictionary for flowers, was written in 1818 by Charlotte de la Tour. This was followed in 1879 by Flower Lore, The Teachings of Flowers, authored by Miss Carruthers of Inverness. For a full list of flowers and their meanings from the Victorian era, you can read an archived copy of Kate Greenaway’s 1884 book Language of Flowers here.

In a bouquet, flowers can have symbolic significance based on Floriography and be used to convey various feelings and emotions, symbolize blessings, well-wishes, and imbue flower magic.

The Use and Application of Flowers

Flowers have been used for centuries as sources of food, drink, medicines and more. They can be used for aromatherapy, in teas, medicinally, and as air purifiers. Practically, they can be used as dyes, in beauty products, and expressively in art and craft. They are used in charms and rituals, herbal potions, and can be used and grown to help manifest the life conditions you desire.

Check out Tess Whitehurst’s book, The Magic of Flowers, to learn how as manifestations of divine beauty and wisdom, flowers can offer countless magical and spiritual ways to connect with them.

Using magic, blessings, or other spiritual practices is common at commitment ceremonies and other important life-events. They are often used with the intention of acquiring knowledge, power, love, or wealth, OR, to ward off illness or danger. It is interesting to think how you witness these practices regularly at significant events and rituals like commitment ceremonies, births and deaths, and yet, so much of the symbolism and history goes unnoticed.

The Perfect Bridal Bouquet

I trusted Erika completely when it came to designing my bouquet. She’s incredibly talented, exceptionally thoughtful, unbelievably hard-working, and has an eye and flair for all things design. She knew my aesthetic and my intention and completely delivered on the most gorgeous, personalized, exceptional bridal bouquet. Honestly, I was surprised by how perfect and intentional all the aspects and pieces of it felt, and by how attached I would grow to it. Finding myself mourning it’s passing as the flowers slowly withered, dried or died post-wedding was an experience I never anticipated. It has been by creating art with its remnants, researching the flowers and their symbolism, honoring its beauty and significance in both digital art and written word, and planning to cultivate the living flowers in my garden to come that I am able to truly celebrate it’s life.

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see my bouquet and the plants and flowers contained within it.

Bouquet Components

Here are the plants and flowers contained in my bouquet, their symbolism, and a little on my interpretation and hopes of the intentions behind their inclusion. Use the drop down arrows to read more.

The wedding was Sunday, September 4, 2022 at the Seal Harbor Village Green, overlooking Seal Harbor Beach on Mount Desert Island, Maine.

The flowers were primarily sourced locally, in-season, except for a select few which were ordered through a local flower cultivator.

Source material:

Gottesman, Sarah. A Brief History of Flowers in Western Art. Artsy. 2017

Greenaway, Kate. Language of Flowers. 1884

Huss, Ephrat. Yosef, Kfir Bar. Zaccai, Michele. Humans’ Relationship to Flowers as an Example of the Multiple Components of Embodied Aesthetics. National Library of Medicine. 2018