He loves me, He loves me not...

Roses and Tulips and Lilies -- OH MY!

Today (or rather yesterday...) Being mother's day, i know a lot of you went out and bought your mothers Flowers for their big day. It was also my mum's birthday so i took the day off to spend with her -- apologies for the lack of posts. I'll double up today! (promise ^.^) But i figured since the day was pretty much centered around flowers, I'd post something about them dealing with weddings!

(Also, personal picture spam! -- It's the first time using this icing techinique so it's not perfect, but i'm rather proud of it XD)

(This is my mum's Birthday/Mother's day cake. She's in LOVE with hummingbirds, so i did a hummingbird!)

Now i know in all the big chick flicks and wedding magazines the aisle is flooded with rose petals and roses, the bride's carrying a floral arrangement of imported flowers from Holland or the Bahamas -- well, either tropical or local, flowers have more meaning in weddings than just making the bride and her girlies look gorgeous.

Being that my hubby and I are planning on holding not only a wedding but a handfasting, (Pagan/Celtic wedding ceremony of the joining of hands) We're taking into account the symbolism of each and every little thing. The colors have meaning, the words have meaning, the MONTH has a meaning. Well, whether you mean it or not, even your flowers have a bit of symbolism themselves. Below is a list (compiled from a couple of websites) of the most common (and uncommon!) wedding flowers!

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• Baby's Breath: -- Innocence
• Calla Lily: -- Magnificent Beauty
• Carnation: -- (Pink) Boldness, (Red) Love, (White) Talent
• Chrysanthemum: -- Wealth, Abundance, Truth
• Daffodil: -- Regard
• Daisy: -- Sharing of Feelings
• Delphinium: -- Swiftness, Lightness
• Freesia: -- Innocence
• Gardenia: -- Purity, Joy
• Hydrangea: -- Understanding
• Iris: -- Message of Faith, Wisdom
• Lilac: -- Love's first emotion
• Lily: -- Majesty, Truth, Honor
• Lily of the Valley: -- Happiness
• Magnolia: -- Love of nature
• Orchid: -- Love, Beauty
• Peony: -- Bashfulness
• Rose: -- Love, Joy, Beauty
• Sunflower: -- (Short Stemmed) Adoration, (long stemmed) haughtiness
• Sweet Pea: -- Pleasure
• Tulip: -- Love, Passion

Unfavorable Flowers: (If you're one of those people that believe in not opening umbrellas inside, or walking underneath a ladder, you'll want to avoid this next list of flowers! With rather negative meanings I'd rather not see these at MY wedding! .... well, if was superstitious that is ;-) )

• Christmas Rose: -- Scandal
• Fig: -- Idleness
• Foxglove: -- Insincerity
• Larkspur: -- Infidelity
• Lavender: -- Distrust
• Marigold: -- Grief ( also a very stinky flower for bouquets o.O)
• Mulberry: -- You'll pass away before your partner
• Raspberry: -- Remorse
• Carnation: -- (Red) "Alas for my poor heart" (whatever that means ..?)
• Carnation: -- (Striped) Refusal (Yellow) Disdain
• Poppy: -- (Red) Consolation (White) Sleep (I don't see what's so wrong with that o.O i like sleep...)
• Rhododendron: -- Danger
• Chrysanthemum: -- (Yellow) Slighted Love
• Lily: -- (Yellow) Falsehood
• Rose: -- (Yellow) Jealousy

(More flower meanings can be found here and all over Google. just type in "Flower meanings" on Google and you'll find plenty of sites to help you out! :-D)
Of course there's many many MANY more flowers to choose from, and if you want them fresh, it all depends on what's in season and what your florist has to offer. If you go silk? sky's the limit. Heck you can have BLUE roses if you want o.O

Also, fun note about Hydrangeas:

"Hydrangeas are moderately toxic if eaten, with all parts of the plant containing cyanogenic glycosides.^[4] Hydrangea paniculata is reportedly sometimes smoked as an intoxicant, despite the danger of illness and/or death due to the cyanide"

Ironically? A lot of wedding shows use these, haha. Oh well. Just don't munch on them during the wedding i suppose XD

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Anywho, for those of you curious, Jim and I are planning on doing Lilies. (Not Calla Lilies, the kind in the shape of a star, like Tiger Lilies.) Unfortunately, Tiger Lilies aren't usually supported at Florists and they tend to die rather quickly after being cut o.O So we're most likely going to go for some kind of Orange Lily (or a colorful mixture of lilies...) mixed with Deep Green.

The meanings?

• Day Lily: -- Coquetry
• Orange Lily: -- Hatred Disdain, Wealth, Pride
• White Lily: -- Majesty and Purity, Virginity

Yes yes i know, Orange lilies have hatred and disdain, but they're also for wealth and pride. Thank god I'm not superstitious. right?

I'd love to hear about what flowers you used/are using at your wedding or any other meanings you've found!

-Cake42