Meaning of Wedding Flowers

By Julie Ndagire

Flowers are symbolic. Some of the common flowers on the market are roses, Carnations, sunflower, baby breath, ferns and tiger lilies.

Carnation
Some scholars suggest that the carnation’s name comes from the word ‘corone’ (flower glands) or ‘coronation’ because of its use in Greek ceremonial crowns. Carnations symbolizes love, fascination and distinction. Each colour carries a unique meaning. The white carnation means pure love and good luck. The light red carnation symbolizes admiration, while the dark red one symbolizes deep love and affection.

The Anthurium

The one with open-heart shaped flowers, symbolizes hospitality. It is also known as the flamingo flower or boy flower or painter’s palette because of its distinctive shape and colour.

Baby Breath
It also symbolizes innocence. It is usually referred to as the bridal rose. It is associated with young love, truth and loyalty with the message “I am worth of you”

Sunflower
The sunflower symbolizes adoration, haughties and devotion.

The Rose
Regardless of colour, the rose has been regarded as a sign of confidentiality. The latin expression sub rosa (literally means ‘under the rose’) which is something told in secret.

The yellow rose in Victorian times symbolizes jealosy. Today, it implies friendship, joy, warmth, gladness, care and affection. While the white rose also symbolizes purity, humility and innocence, a pink rose symbolizes gentility, femininity elegance and refinement while deep pink symbolizes gratitude. Pale shades of pink stand for grace, gentleness, admiration and happiness. Orange stands for enthusiasm, desire, admiration, attraction, passion and excitement. Lilac or purplr roses stand for enchantment, desire and love at first sight.

The red roses is also known as the lover’s rose. It alsoe represents romantic love and enduring passion.

A combination of red and yellow roses symbolizes gaiety (cheerfulness) and happiness. A red and white combination symbolizes unity.

Yellow and orange roses symbolizes passionate thoughts. The white dried rose symbolizes that death is preferable to loss of virtue. A single rose means “I still love you!” A bouquet of red rose buds means innocent love and ‘you are forever young and beautiful’ while a thornless rose stands for ‘love at first time’

A pink rose symbolizes a mother’s undying love that is why it is worn on Mothers day and given on the first wedding anniversary.


The Lily
It symbolizes majesty, wealth, pride, purity and innocence. The white lily symbolizes purity, modesty, virginity and majesty. The message it spells out is ‘ it is heavenly to be with you’. The orange lily symbolizes flame and the message it passes on is ‘I burn for you’. A yellow lily symbolizes walking on air, lily of the valley symbolizes the return of happiness, purity of heart, sweetness, ‘you have made life complete’, humility and love’s good fortune.

Daffodils
These symbolize rebirth and new beginning. They are usually given on 10 th wedding anniversary.