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= Mountain View Freeze Dry presents….Brides and Fresh Flow= ers a Must!=

By Deborah McCoy, President, The American Academy of Wedding Professionals&#= 8482;

Flowers, their natural beauty, colors and quantities m= ake a wedding different from any other occasion that a woman celebrates in her lifetime. On her wedding day she will carry a bouquet—the only time in her life.

Beforehand she will spend long hours selecting just the right boutonniere, corsages and bouquets for her cherished family dearest friends. And she may never again be so frivolous when it comes to decoratin= g or purchasing centerpieces for her reception. Flowers make weddings special. F= or centuries, they have added beauty and bestowed grace upon the bride. They w= ill always remain an integral part of the festivities.

The first bridal bouquets were mad= e up of herbs—not blooms—because ancient peoples believed that h= erbs could empower the wearer with their special attributes. Garlic, for example, was said to cast off evil spirits and was very popular as were sage, the he= rb of wisdom and dill, the “lusty” herb. Flowers eventually replac= ed herbs in bouquets (thank goodness!) and acquired a symbolism all their own.=

Orange blossoms, so popular in the 1800s and early par= t of the last century, trace their history to mythology. It is said that Juno ga= ve them to Jupiter on their wedding day. The tradition of the fragrant blooms survived the ancient world and even holds a place in our history.

Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice, carried orange blossoms at her White House wedding as did = Frances Folsom, Grover Cleveland’s much younger fianc&Eg= rave;e, at their historic wedding; he was the first U.S. president married in the executive mansion.

When Jacqueline Kennedy wed Aristotle Onassis in a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony, crowns of orange blossoms were placed = on their heads symbolizing happiness and fertility. Today, we rarely see orange blossoms in bouquets although the beauty of fresh flowers, their symbolism = and the important role they play in weddings has continued to blossom.

Fresh Flowers and Bridal Parties

Fresh flowers are required for weddings no matter how = large or small, formal or informal because they make a wedding festive and unique. Every bride should carry a fresh, floral bouquet (even a simple nosegay) wh= ether she is marrying for the first time or the third. Bridesmaids should carry f= resh flowers. The flower girl should carry a basket of flowers and the ring-bear= er should sport a boutonniere. All members of the immediate families (including step-relatives) must have corsages and boutonniere.

Flower requirements vary depending on the size and typ= e of the wedding. A large, formal wedding with a regal bride and six bridesmaids will require full-floral bouquets styled to match the formality and design = of their dresses. A simple corsage worn by this bride or a single rose carried= by these bridesmaids would look out of place.

For an informal wedding, on the other hand, the bride = may wear a simple corsage and the maid of honor may carry a single rose flanked= by decorative ribbons or pearls. This would be perfectly appropriate.

I stress fresh flowers for your wedding because itR= 17;s the one day in your life when you should carry them! They don’t need = to be elaborate or expensive, but a bride and her bouquet should go together j= ust like “...love and marriage.”

Silk Flowers and Weddings

To save money many brides consider using silk flowers because they erroneously believe that they’re less expensive. This isn’t the case. Good “silks”, the kind that look real, can cost up to three times more than their fresh counterparts. Inexpensive silks used in bouquets or centerpieces will look it! Silks have no place at weddi= ngs. If you want to save money, use fresh flowers.

Deborah McCoy is the author of four, major bridal refe= rence books for mainstream publishers, and is the author of the premier course on= how to become a professional wedding planner. www.aa-wp.com