Choosing Wedding Flowers
With Meaning
Choosing wedding flowers with meaning is a fantastic way to personalize your wedding.
You can tell your bridesmaids how important they are to you with
the flowers you use in their bouquets.
For example: the yellow rose
means friendship forever, periwinkles mean happy memories, and violets
stand for loyalty.
THE TOP TEN WEDDING FLOWERS AND THEIR MEANINGS
Felow are the top 10 wedding flowers:
- Calla Lilies - Magnificent beauty
Dahlias - Forever thine
- Gardenia - Secret love
- Lily of the Valley - Sweetness
- Orchids - Love, Beauty
- Peonies - Bashfulness
- Roses - Red: True love / White: Purity / Coral: Desire
- Stephanotis - Marital happiness
- Sweet Peas - Lasting pleasure
- Tulips - Consuming love
A GUIDE TO CHOOSING WEDDING FLOWERS WITH MEANING
- Carnations - One of the most popular flowers in the world, the carnation is available in a variety of colors and is symbolic of love and fascination.
- Gerbera Daisies - The traditional flower meaning for the gerbera daisy is beauty and innocence. The gerbera daisy is distinguished by their large, beautiful blooms and wide assortment of vibrant colors.
- Hydrangea - Posses enduring grace and beauty. With its wooden stems and lacy, star-shaped flowers packed closely together in a pom-pom, the hydrangea's color ranges from white to blue to pink and purple. The hydrangea symbolizes giver's gratefulness.
- Iris - Representing faith, hope, and wisdom, the iris can be used for many different occasions. The iris comes in blue/purple, yellow and white.
- Stargazer Lilies - Known for their star-shaped blooms and sweet fragrance, the flower's traditional meaning is that of innocence and purity.
- Sunflowers - Sunflowers' meanings are warmth and adoration.
After choosing wedding flowers with meaning for your wedding bouquet, you will want to preserve them to make their memory last.
HOW TO PRESERVE WEDDING FLOWERS
If you love your wedding bouquet, consider preserving it with these easy-to-follow steps.
How To Dry Flowers
First you will need to decide if your flower bouquet will dry well.
The blooms should not be fully mature or they will lose their petals.
Consider the type of flowers in your bouquet. Air drying will work for
some flower varieties, such as roses and lavender. For more delicate
flowers like lilies, try the preservation technique of pressing. Gerbera
daisies, chrysanthemums, roses, and tulips are great for the microwave
flower drying technique.
- Strip the
excess foliage from your flowers and cut the stems to the desired
lenght. No shorter than six inches. For your flowers to maintain their
color during the drying process, remove them from sunlight as soon as
they are cut. Hang the flowers individually.
- Find a
dark, dry area with good air circulation, such as an unused closet.
With unflavored dental floss, secure the bottom end of the flower's stem
to a hanger. You may hang two flower stems on each hanger. Once secure,
hang flowers upside down to dry. Leave the flowers in the closet for
two to three weeks.
Drying Flowers With A Microwave
- Find a microwave-safe container that will hold your flowers and fit into the microwave. (You can not reuse this dish for food.) To help the flowers maintain their shape cover the bottom of the container with an inch or two of silica gel (more for larger blossoms). Place your flowers in the gel with the flower blossom opening upward. Gently pour gel over the flower to ensure all petals are positioned properly. Be careful with the gel because you can flatten your petals, but be generous with it for the best results.
- The temperature and time will vary from flower to flower. Place your uncovered container in the microwave. Start the microwave on one or two levels above defrost for 2-5 minutes. Roses can withstand more heat; daisies prefer lower temperatures. Start with a short amount of time, checking on your flower's progress. If the flower does not seem to be drying, you can increase the heat and time gradually.
- When your flowers have dried, open the microwave and immediately cover the container. Remove the covered container, open the top a quarter of a centimeter and let it sit for 24 hours. When the flowers have completely cooled, clean off the petals with a fine brush and mist them with an acrylic spray.
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