Springtime and weddings have been a perfect combination for centuries. In fact, the word "bride" comes from the nickname for the Celtic Great Goddess Brigit, who was also known as Bride, the Maiden Goddess of Spring.
Like Springtime and its flowers, brides through the ages have been representative of "life's renewal" and "hope for the continuity of life." So brides and flowers have also been a perfect match...and a feminine expression of intimacy and beauty.
What flowers are you carrying for your wedding? What do they symbolize for you?
With the approaching royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the news (and one that perhaps will become the most famous Springtime wedding in history), I'm reminded of other royal wedding bouquets.
For her winter wedding in 1840 wedding, Queen Victoria carried a nosegay of snowdrops, her beloved bridegroom's favorite. Prince William's grandmother, the current queen, carried three types of British-grown orchids in her wedding bouquet in 1947 when she was still Princess Elizabeth. Grace Kelly, from movie-princess to real princess, selected lilies-of-the-valley for her bridal bouquet in 1956 for her wedding in the tiny country of Monaco to Prince Ranier. When she became a princess bride, Lady Diana Spencer carried a large spray of mixed cream and yellow flowers, each chosen to honor English and royal traditions.
Whatever the season you've selected for your wedding, enjoy the lightness and brightness of Spring wherever you are this moment...and bring that abundance into your wedding day.
Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia
ps: What flowers will Catherine Elizabeth Middleton carry in her wedding bouquet? Tune in next Wednesday to learn of a treasured royal botanical tradition that she will continue as a princess-to-be bride.
[Photograph: Princess Diana and Prince Charles, circa 1981]
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