Bride on a Budget: History of Bouquets

Playing around with centerpiece ideas using supermarket flowers.

I've been thinking a lot about wedding traditions. Why do we do the crazy--and crazy-expensive--things that we do? Let's start with flowers. (One website about the history of wedding flowers describes them as follows: "The wedding bouquet is one of the most important bridal accessories, after the wedding ring and the groom." I'm not sure it's ideal to refer to the groom as a bridal accessory, but let's move on.) 

Apparently, the tradition dates way back: ancient Greek, Roman, and Celtic brides toted garlic and pungent herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits. 

Then, in 1840, Queen Victoria added a kinky edge when she included sprigs of dill--a noted aphrodisiac. (Weirdly, she, her new hubby Albert, and the wedding guests all noshed on it together. Reception orgy? I'm confused.) 

In the Victorian era, various flowers were ascribed different meanings. Asters connoted daintiness, while begonias meant "beware!" Imagine the fights that could be sparked by a dude to hitting up a flower market to choose a bouquet for his beloved. The unsuspecting bloke could unwittingly choose a pretty hydrangea, not knowing that it signified frigidity and heartlessness (ouch!). Luckily, dictionaries of floriography helped people decode their cuttings. 

How much are people spending these days? I flipped through the florist directory in New York Weddings, and it seemed as though the going rate is about $150 for bouquets, and $175+ for centerpieces. The Knot suggests that it's a good rule of thumb to allocate about 10% of your wedding budget to flowers. What?! No. 

A cheaper alternative: Whole Foods bouquets. They're locally-sourced, combine interesting textures, and--here's the kicker--only cost $9.99. Sold! FYI, in the language of flowers, yellow roses connote excitement--and I really am psyched about this savings-savvy discovery!