--adapted from For Your Wedding: Flowers by Tracy Guth

The Victorian (1837-1901) meanings of different flowers may move you to include them in your celebration. Here are some of the most popular wedding blooms and what they represent. The colors you choose may affect their significance, and some shades even have bad connotations, so if you're superstitious, ask your florist.

  • Amaryllis: beauty, pride
  • Anemone: expectation, anticipation
  • Baby's breath: innocence, pure heart
  • Blue violet: faithfulness
  • Calla lily: magnificent beauty
  • Camellia: luck, contentment
  • Carnation: fidelity, love
  • Chrysanthemum (mum): abundance, constancy, truth, hope
  • Crocus: joy
  • Daffodil: regard, devotion
  • Daisy: innocence, faith
  • Fern: sincerity
  • Forget-me-not: remembrance, constancy
  • Freesia: innocence
  • Gardenia: purity, joy
  • Gerbera daisy: beauty
  • Gladiolus: generosity
  • Honeysuckle: affection, devotion
  • Hyacinth: constancy, play, loveliness
  • Hydrangea: understanding
  • Iris: faith, wisdom, passion
  • Ivy: fidelity, wedded love
  • Lilac: first feelings of love or first love, innocence
  • Lily of the valley: happiness
  • Magnolia: love of nature
  • Orange blossom: eternal love, fertility
  • Orchid: love, beauty
  • Peony: shyness, happy marriage
  • Poppy: pleasure, success
  • Rose: love, joy, beauty; red and white together mean unity; pink signifies grace and gentility; yellow stands for joy and passion; coral indicates desire
  • Stephanotis: happiness in marriage, desire
  • Stock: bonds of affection
  • Sunflower: adoration
  • Sweet pea: bliss
  • Tulip: perfect love, passion
  • White lily: purity, gaiety, sweetness

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