Bridal Bouquet
Of all the flowers at the wedding the most important are probably those in the bride's bouquet. These have traditionally had both practical and symbolic importance.
Early cities used to be unpleasant, smelly places. The bridal bouquet was traditionally highly scented and would act as the woman's equivalent of a nosegay - the flowery buttonhole
that many gentlemen wore. Should the smell of the city get too much, she could take a quick sniff of the more pleasant flowery smells. And, of course,
wearing flowers meant that she would smell sweet to others.
Symbolically the meaning of different plants and flowers varies between countries and cultures. Ivy was considered a symbol of love in the ancient Greek culture, much as the rose is in the US and UK today. For the Spanish the orange blossom traditionally signifies happiness.
Regardless of such specifics one common symbolism is fertility with fruits and herbs often forming part of early wedding bouquets.
Throw and Catch
At the end of the ceremony the bride throws her bouquet into the crowd of single female guests, tradition holding that whoever catches it will be the next to marry.
The origin of this custom is obscure, it may be connected with an old belief that it was lucky to possess a fragment of the bride's
clothing. It also seems likely that it symbolised "passing on" the gift of fertility. It's also one of those
predictions that could very well have been self-fulfilling.