Roses are in bloom. Unless you’re in a rush, you’ll notice them. Red, pink, yellow, white and purple, making their way along fences and up trellises and into wedding bouquets. What is it about this woody perennial, from the family Rosaceae, that makes it so special?
Bobby Vinton sang Roses are Red back in 1962 and the Scottish bard Robert Burns compared his love to a red rose in the poem Red, Red Rose published in 1794.
O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
Roses speak the language of romance.
Claude Monet or Renoir, painted the rose as a symbol of beauty, love and romance.
When Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas got married there were 20,000 cream-coloured roses at the wedding – beauty, love, romance and a big budget were in the air that day.
In England during Queen Victoria’s reign, flower girls would spread rose petals so the lives of the bride and groom would be filled with flowers and happiness and Cleopatra held court for Marc Anthony in a room knee high in rose petals.
Joe DiMaggio put roses on Marilyn Munroe’s grave years after she died and William Shakespeare coined the line “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
The lore of roses runs deep.
Red roses speak of deep love and passion, while white is as pure as the driven snow; purple is royal, yellow is joy, like the sun. Every colour of the rainbow and beyond are what wedding bouquets are all about – the flowers, whether wild or cultivated, express a bride’s personality.
But if visiting the largest private rose garden in Cavriglia, Italy – which has over 7,500 varieties – appeals to your senses, consider yourself part of a long tradition of brides who chose roses. Sure, there is the romantic appeal, but don’t forget the practical: roses don’t wilt half way down the aisle. Think photos.
Call David Morris for more information.
