It Is All In the Details - The Bouquet

What is the origin of the Wedding Bouquet?  In ancient times, bouquets were made of herbs and not flowers. The herbs were part of the bouquet so that they would ward off the evil spirits and even included garlic! Sage represented wisdom and dill represented lust. Flower girls would carry sheaves of wheat which represented renewal, growth and fertility. In the Celtic tradition, bouquets were made of heather, ivy and thistle. Eventually herb bouquets were replaced with flowers which also had their own meanings: orange blossoms represented fertility and happiness, ivy represented fidelity and lilies represented purity.