Your Wedding Day - Something Old, Something New

Something Old, Something New

by Nico Cervantes, Nico Designs
photography by Cheryl Mac, Pure Image

     Something old, something new, something borrowed . . . we’ve all heard it a million times. But do we take the time to think of something old? Something like tradition? Or meaning? We live in a modern world filled with iPods, camera phones, DVDs, electric cars, and computers that basically do everything for us. With all of this, it is easy to loose sight of the meaning behind old tradition.
     Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time running away from tradition, thinking it’s trite and stuffy, but maybe, just maybe I was overlooking something very special? With that in mind, let’s visit some of these old traditions now.
     The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are the source of many wedding traditions we use today. For instance, flowers were always a prominent part of the wedding celebration, and it was traditional for wedding ceremonies to take place before noon so bridesmaids, who arose before sunrise, could pick and gather flowers from the forest and garden for the wedding.
     These bridesmaids searched for just the right flowers to convey specific meanings to the bride and groom. In particular, they searched for Bridal Rose, a beautiful dusty pink English Garden Rose which means happy love; Violets which represented faithfulness; and Veronica, meaning fidelity. They also gathered Shamrocks, symbolizing light heartedness, and Moss, believed to bring the new couple health. Once these beautiful, fresh flowers were gathered, the bridesmaids turned them into headdresses and boutonnieres.
     There were other flower-based traditions too. In England, a country bride and her wedding party walked to church on a carpet of blossoms. This was said to assure a happy path through life. Of course, this is why the aisle of rose petals, in spite of being considered by some as passé, is still used today.
     Some traditions, though, have become passé. Throwing bird seed or rice at a couple following the ceremony was said to bring fertility, but today, we know this can harm birds and animals. Now, it is more customary to throw loose lavender, which is environmentally safe, aromatic and a beautiful substitute for the long-standing rice tradition.
      Incorporating old floral traditions can be fun too. For example, the Bridal Rose is gorgeous in bridal bouquets, wreaths, and other personal flowers. Violets in many shades can be planted in a large wooden trough to make an excellent display for your escort cards. Shamrocks planted in containers can serve as an environmentally friendly yet meaningful cocktail table centerpiece. Veronica is a terrific accent flower that will add a whimsical touch to your centerpieces. And last but not least, moss, which has come full swing, now popular again with twenty first-century brides and grooms, can be used in a variety of arrangements. In fact, adding large “mossed” spheres, covered in vines and flowers to your ceremony alter makes dramatic yet, inexpensive staging.
     Floral traditions such as these, old and new, can highlight your wedding day in a variety of ways, from subtle to flamboyant. For instance, choose a single type of flower for your dining table centerpieces, then label the tables using its flower name or more interestingly, the flower’s meaning. For example, a bouquet of stock, meaning “Lasting Beauty” could be a theme for one table, and arrangement of Lilac, meaning “Affection” could be the theme for another. By taking the meaning of the flower and printing it as the dining table’s name, guests will enjoy the careful thought and attention to these details.
     Can you imagine your bridesmaids walking through the forest collecting flora and sticks in the wee-hours of the morning in today’s world? Perhaps that is one tradition to be gratefully left behind! However, the old traditional flowers are still beautiful, and their meanings still significant, and now they are readily available from your florist and event designer, so many of the old traditions can be kept alive.
     Old customs are beautiful, warm, and unforgettable, and selecting traditions and meanings that are significant to you is the ultimate key. Consider the personal importance of each old tradition, dust it off, and adapt it to the twenty-first century. “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something YOU!” •

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