Category Archives: Life

There Will Be No Lifetime Exactly Like This One

Posted in Life, Love, Marriage, Parenting, relationships, Romace, Spiritual by

Which WayThere will be no love, no sweetheart, exactly like this one the man who pronounces your name in just such a way, with his beautiful voice, the man who brings flowers, whose words move your heart so tremblingly softly, whose arms holds you this way and they way, embracing, consoling, protecting: the woman whose fragrance enchants you, whose head on your chest when you sleep is the sweet weight of bliss, whose kisses are blessings, whose laughter is sunlight, whose smile is pure grace.

There will be no lifetime exactly like this one, no other, not ever again, not this birth, not this particular story, this mother and father, these houses and walls, these strangers and friends . Oh! And how you are moved by it all, with such beauty, touching each other, dancing, stepping, curtsying, bowing across all the stages, filling the rooms of your lives with this joy,  this sweet love. There will be no other way to live this life, only the way you have chosen to live it and with whom moment to moment. This moment , this day, this relationship, this life, are all unique, exquisite, unrepeatable. Like every  moment as if you, indelibly, knew this.

Celebrate Your Specialness

Posted in Adversity, Divorce, Life, Love, Marriage, Psychology, relationships by

PrettyYou complete me. Many people believe that when  Mr. Right or Mrs. Right comes along then they will be a complete human being. All too many of us consider love to be the miracle by which, we  will become complete human beings. This is the fixer-upper notion of love, the idea that we’re not all right as we are but we could  be  if we could  just find that one person to be loved by,  then that would prove we’re OK.  Love begets love.

If you don’t think well of your self, enjoying and valuing the person that you are, and have an understanding that self-knowledge is a lifelong personnel enterprise. It means that you appreciated yourself at least as much as you value your honey, that you know he or she is as blessed in love as you believe you are. It means you measure your strengths and weaknesses neither with the abuse of self-depreciation nor the insanity of egomania, but with genuineness, with accuracy. Loving  yourself is recognizing your gifts and talents and putting them to good use, acknowledging your flaws and forgiving yourself for them. Loving yourself is reaching for more, for the best in you.

So often people put up with shabby treatment in love because they don’t believe they deserve better. But self-love is always the model for the love you may reasonably expect, the true measure of the love you will give and get. Your heart can only hold as much love as you believe it can. So treat yourself better, believe you deserve to be treated well, and you will get treated ever more wonderfully in love. Love yourself. If you have not been treated kindly throughout your life or are trying to overcome a trauma from the past do yourself a favor and seek professional help and that should put you on a journey to loving yourself. You can exchange those ashes for beauty. Remember God is love.

Discover Your Loving Self

Lovely LadyBegin your journey toward love and truth today by searching for the love inside you that is longing to be expressed and find the words to speak it. Seek the truth that stands in your midst, that is carried , embodied, and spoken by all your strangers and friends.

Live the higher truth as you know it, as it is revealed to you through art, literature, in music, in nature, and in your dreams. Receive the truth that surrounds you, for the truth is everywhere. Surrender yourself to the truth, for love and truth is the ultimate light. Align yourself with truth and love because to live your life in truth and love is to live in perfect freedom.

Love gives meaning to our relationships and our relationships give meaning to our love. There is nothing purer than the truth. If stands inviolate on its own merit, searing through falsehood and equivocation, shining brilliant as the spiritual totem around which our whole lives are organized. 

Truth is a journey toward itself. To live in truth is to be aware that , as your context changes, so will your view of truth and range of the truth that your heart and soul can contain. Your truth may not be now what is once was or what it will be in the future, but it is your duty to live and speak your truth of the moment and to be willing to change it, should some larger truth be revealed.

In relationships, we begin with telling our stories, our needs, our hopes, and our dreams. We begin with sharing small truths and what seems to be true in the moment for us and speak them in love, to the people we love. Then we move on to the many and varied vicissitudes of our ever unfolding personal selves, toward the truth that embraces love.

Speak Kind Words To Your Sweetheart

Posted in Life, Love, Marriage, Psychology, relationships, Romace, Spiritual by

Love is like a gardenWords can build your sweetheart up or tear them down so it seems that this saying most that most of us grew up hearing from our parents and school teachers was right,” If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Isn’t it amazing how a simply statement like that is so true?

Even small children learn that language is a very powerful instrument and what they utter gets results. When a baby says, Da, Da  or Ma, Ma for the first that little baby receives some awesome responses and that experience becomes forever ingrained in their parents hearts.

Statements like “You’re Brilliant” or “I Just Love The Way Your Mind Works” and this one, “You Are So Intelligent” spoken to your sweetheart can over time change how your sweetheart sees themselves. If your sweetheart was endlessly yelled at or told they were stupid or maybe they were overly criticized as a child they may not know just how brilliant they are and just how much you love and adore them.

It’s never to late to start telling your sweetheart just how wonderful they are and how much they mean to you. After all you’re no dummy and you have chosen them to be your sweetie . . .  so that right there makes them pretty awesome. Doesn’t it?

The more you tell them in all sincerity something  inside of them will start to shift and they will begin to believe you and in them selves and that they aren’t stupid. The more you speak kind and true words into them the more they will become able to believe you and in them selves. You will start to notice that other people will start saying similar things to them and in time the words will change entirely how your sweetheart feels about themselves.

Stop and celebrate your sweethearts intuitive genius and the extraordinary functions of their minds after all they were smart enough to choose to love you that choice right there makes them genius. Doesn’t it? One form of emotional healing comes from the precise use of language and words that you speak to your sweetheart and words that they speak to you. What you say, and what you hear them say, has the power to sculpt how you love and respond to your sweetheart.

Consider the words you utter to your sweetheart as words of great gifts of love and in the midst, marshal this powerful influence and use it to bring life, encouragement, and healing to the one you most adore. Negative words may have shaped your sweethearts early consciousness and their perception of themselves but you see the opposite in them. They may see themselves as, “Ugly” and you see them as,” Beautiful” don’t just tell them one or two times or when your feeling amours tell them often.

Remember silence is like a vacuüm, drawing in all thoughts that go by, so protect your sweethearts ears and be aware what your words imply. Choose your words carefully; think about what you say. Don’t fill the void with just anything, squawking like a jay. Make sure your emotions aren’t trapped elsewhere. Give what you say, meaning; speak and act with care. Then love will sound like a trumpet and to your words impart the clarity of romance as you speak to your sweetheart.

Giving Help Is A Sign Of Love

Posted in Changing Habits, Life, Love, Marriage, Psychology, relationships, Romace, Spiritual by

Woman In WhiteIt can be difficult to ask for help because you don’t want to appear weak or stupid. You don’t want to be turned down or put down. You don’t want to be yelled at or ignored. You don’t want to lose face or have a face made at you. Again. But once you cry out for assistance and that helping hand is next to yours, it’s such a relief and it makes you wonder why you waited so long to ask.

There is no better feeling than to be told help is on the way especially if it comes with two strong hands, a wealth of expertise, a blanket of caring, and a smile. You, see giving help is a sign of love. The person who comes to your aid is living proof that your lives are shared and that you each want to be there for the other with your time, your energy, and your knowledge.

So look at a cry for help as an opportunity to prove the strength of your love to each other. And never be afraid to ask for help . . . not from the one you love and who loves you. If you never ask for anyone’s help, when you do for the first time, you may get a strange reaction. The person you’re asking might not believe you at first. Don’t take their attitude as rejection; it’s just surprise.

To trust means that we start from the position of believing that our sweetheart is motivated by a deep concern for us , that he or she, in spite of occasional missteps or mistakes, truly has our well-being in mind. When we trust, we believe that the other loves us deeply and intends to love us well and long.

Trust images the best; trust expects the happiest possible outcome. Trust serves with joy in the expectation that trust will be returned. Trust develops trust. Acknowledging that the person you love with your heart, your body, your talents, your fears, your children, your worldly goods invites him or her to become even more worthy of that trust. Thus, the more you trust, the safer you become and the more you can love and ask for help. If you have be betrayed this is no easy task. Is it?

Words Are The Wings Of Romance

Posted in Life, Love, Marriage, Psychology, relationships, Romace, Spiritual by

See The Sweet LifeNothing can sustain the high pitch of romance better than beautiful love words, generously and endlessly spoken. Love words are a tonic for love, an elixir for passion, a medicinal balm for fading romance. Life is full of ordinariness, and there isn’t any reason love should be too.

Love is what we fall into in order to partake of magic; Loves is how we fly. Words are the wings of romance, the way in which, more than any other, we elevate ourselves above the ordinary and pedestrian. Everybody wants to hear how much, and precisely why, he or she is loved. Even when we’ve been chosen, even when we’ve tied the knot, we still need verbal reassurance that we are loved.

We need to be endeared, to feel that we are special, delightful, precious, irreplaceable to the one we love. We want to be singled out, to be told we are loved above all by the person who has chosen us. We often think that having feelings about someone is as good as saying it, but it isn’t. Make no mistake . . . words mean a lot to all of us.

We all walk around with a huge collection of insecurities, and none of us is so sure, so cut and dried in our conviction about our own self-worth that we don’t need the inspiration of being told every which way, over and over again, exactly why, how , and how much we are loved.

We need to be told, and the words have to be heartfelt. There’s just no comparison between the abstract  “Of course I love you” and the direct “I love you” no contest between silence and “you’re the light of my life: I want to be with you forever.” Even though some people may think it’s corny, in the delicate layer of even the coolest of cucumber hearts is a lover who yearns to be adorned. There’s a hidden romantic in each of us, the person who fell in love, who was tantalized by music and moonlight, who waited breathlessly to hear the words of  love “I adore you. My Life is better with you in it.”

We want our hearts to be filled by hearing the love words over and over again. So call your sweetheart by a special name and tell her/him often what delights you about her, why you so deeply love him or her. Say the mushy/gushy things you think people only say in love stories and the more romantic and delicious the better. “You’re the woman of my dreams”.  Don’t say you’re the woman of my night mares . . . if that is the truth then heaven help you.   Say things like  . . .  “I love you to pieces.” “You’re my angel.” “You’re my wonderful man.” “You’re a fabulous lover.”

Some people are confused about romance and think it can be bought. While money may be able to help create a romantic atmosphere, romance itself doesn’t ever have a price tag attached to it, nor can it be wrapped up in a box from Tiffany’s. It just needs to be a significant part of you: a thought, block of time, a sympathetic ear, some warm arms, the pressure of a back rub, the flutter of a kiss. Love needs to nestle in the cocoon of romance. You don’t need threads of gold and silver to weave your own safe haven of love. All that’s required is a small part of yourself.

~ Granny In Training~

 

Girlfriends Forever

Posted in family, friendships, Life, relationships, Spiritual, Women by

Friends ForeverThe best kind of friendship are the lasting , warm, and wonderful kind. They’re the kind when the caring never goes away and the two friends are so near in their hearts that they’ll stay closes forever. Our friendship is like that. We have a trust, an honesty, and a history together that make me think of you as so much more than a friend. You’re at the center of the circle of my life and you’ve been a precious part of so many yesterdays.

I know you’ll always stay that way, because when a friend is as close as you are, she’s just like family. You’ve always been and you always will just like a sister to me. We didn’t have all those yesterday’s of being little girls together. We didn’t share the same mother and father, or help each other blow out our birthday candles.

It's Great To Be A GirlThere weren’t any days of playing hopscotch or tag or of staying up nights giggling and planning our future’s. We never experienced the gift of love sisters share, until now. I have had many friends but none of them knows my heart and my spirit as you do. Your have given me something very special. . . the gift of a sister’s love. “What I’m trying to say is this: As long as you have me and I have you for a friend, life’s never going to be lonely, boring, or without someone special in our lives.

Ten Big Things To Remeber During The Ups and Downs Of Life . . .

Posted in Changing Habits, Dreams, friendships, Goals, Life, Love, Psychology, Quotes, relationships by

be-yourself-When life puts a mountain in your way don’t forget you’ve faced mountains before. Don’t be afraid. You’re strong. Just start climbing. Imagine yourself reaching your goal. Changing your attitude can free you or keep you bound. You have what it takes . You have your spirit, mind and body. You have wisdom to know how to compensate. Cry is you want. Kick and scream. It’s okay. Get it out of your system then check your worries at the gate. Remember  . . . it’s just another mountain. You’ve climbed mountains before, and you will climb this one. You can do it. Absolutely!

Ten Things to Remember During The Ups and Downs After Calling Your Best Friend . . .

  1. Your life is a gift to you. Appreciate this gift with all your heart.
  2. Know that God is always with you. Pray to Him often, Listen to His guidance, and don’t forget to thank Him for your blessings.
  3. Respect yourself and make wise choices about your life.
  4. A balanced life is based on give and take. Give joyfully out of your own need, and you will draw whatever you need to you.
  5. You’re thoughts, words, and actions paint the total picture of who you are. Be good as your word, and be good.
  6. Treat others as you want to be treated, no matter how they’ve treated you . . .
  7. Don’t judge others. Don’t try to change others especially your sister or your best friend; it won’t work. You’ll have enough trouble changing yourself.
  8. When you’re down, get up and try again. Whatever you’re going through will look different on another day.
  9. If you wrong someone, ask forgiveness, and when someone wrongs you, be quick to forgive.
  10. Choose to love others, for when you show love, you are making a positive difference and don’t forget to call your best friend.

I hope you will look at all your good qualities and realize how important you are to those who love you. Start reflecting on your own attitudes, your accomplishments, and all the things that make you who you are. I know you will find ways to make the difficult times easier, your cares lighter, and the days brighter. I pray that revelations and secrets will unfold for you to make a difference as you tap into that source of strength I know is within you, that place where hope and courage lives  and new dreams are born.  I hope you will connect with the kind of faith that helps you to reach your desired goals.

~Granny In Training~

A Little Bit Of Friendship

Posted in friendships, Life, Love, relationships, Women by

girlfriendsGirlfriends always carry each other in their hearts, whether they live near or far from each other. Girlfriends walk through life together. They’re there for each other no what, sharing everything. They wear pretty dresses with flowers in their hair and hum songs to the beat of children’s laughter. They say nothing at time and that silence is the greatest solace. Other times they talk for hours, or until the sun sinks into night. They remember when the days when life was defined by complexity when they dance in the moonlight and vowed that their friendship would last a lifetime.

They wouldn’t trade their friendship for anything and nothing else could begin to bring them contentment, the craziness, the laughter, and all the thousands of things they share together. Friends like that don’t need to see each other everyday . .  . no matter how long it’s been since they were last together, they just pick right where they left off. Friends like that just understand that life isn’t always bright, and they take turns cheering each other up. Girlfriends like that don’t need to tell each other how much they care . . .  They can just feel the strength of their friendship in their hearts and that’s the very best kind of friendship of all.

“Change Your Habits Change Your Life”

Posted in Getting Organized, Goals, Life, Love, relationships by

Good Habits Bad HabitsA major key to experiencing success in our lives is found in making good habits, and breaking bad ones. In other words it’s a “make or break” principle for us. We all have habits. Some of them are good and some are bad. The good ones benefit us and add joy and power to our lives, while the bad ones do nothing but steal our peace and joy and prevent our success.

The truth is we all have things about ourselves we’d like to change. And no matter what they are e, when we can’t seem to stop or even slow down unwanted habits, it can be very discouraging. Some people respond to this discouragement by making excuses for why they can’t change.

Others decide that they’ve failed because they didn’t read the right book or on the right program. And some just give up and refuse to try again.

I want to give you a fresh perspective today it’s not a new one, in fact it goes all the way back to the beginning of time and hopefully you’ll experience  an aha moment  like I did when I read this.

The entire Bible takes place in an agricultural world . . . that’s why Jesus used so many examples about farming, planting and gardening.Maria and Friends

For example, a farmer goes to bed every night trusting that the seed he planted in the ground will produce fruit. His life depends on it. No matter how great last season’s harvest was, his future depends on his seed producing again this season. It may seem simple, but he knows if he plants corn, he’ll get corn. If he plants wheat, he’ll get wheat. And if he doesn’t plant at all, he won’t get a crop.

Here’s how this principle works in our lives . . .

Today, we can get so busy that our days turn into weeks . . .  weeks turn into  months . . . and months turn into years as we cruise along without realizing that we either aren’t planting for the future or we’re planting things that won’t yield a good “crop” in our lives.

Sometimes we can become discouraged by current situations in life without realizing we’re simply reaping what we’ve sown. If this is the case for you . . . there is hope for change and for letting go of the old habits and that have keep you from the life you long for.

Good habits lay the foundation for any other habit we need or want to develop. What's Your FoundationWhat is your number one priority  ? Is it your job, children, looks, material things, or taking care of a loved one? These are all important and honorable.

In order to be successful in developing good habits, it’s going to require commitment on your part to do whatever it takes to succeed and start planting the right seeds into your life.Your Past Is The Past

As you do this each day, you’ll find focusing on good habits not only establishes good behaviors you want in your life but also helps you break the bad habits in the process. As you are thinking about your choices remember that God has a plan for your life and wants you to prosper.

What’s your motivation to change a bad habit to a good habit is it health, money, love, children, material things, ego or God? The right kind of “farming” starts with planting the right  seeds.

What seeds are you planting are they seeds of love or seeds of selfishness? Where does your love, health, money, children, material things, ego come from?

“Begin Your Journey Toward Truth Today”

Posted in Dreams, Life, Love, Psychology, relationships by

plant your own gardenTruth is a journey toward it’s self and it includes an empathetic moment when we surrender, expressing our own urgent truths in order to be with another during the unfolding of his, or her truths. To live the truth is to be aware that, as your context changes, so will your view of the truth and the range of the truth that your heart and soul can contain.

Your truth may not be now what it once was or what it will be in the future; but it is your duty to live and speak your truth of the moment and to be willing to change it, should some larger truth be revealed to you.Finding Joy

In relationships we begin with the small truths that  are true at the moment for us and speak them, in love, to the persons we love.Happy Couple We start with our stories, our needs, our hope, and our dreams, then move on, through the many and varied vicissitudes of our ever-unfolding personal selves, toward the truth that embraces us all.

For the ultimate truth is immense; it swallows up all other truths, our little individual truths, the contradictions we all are living, and even the bigger truths of paradox and dogma, of principles and rules.Right Or Wrong

There is nothing purer than the truth, it stands inviolate on its own merit, searing through falsehood and equivocation, shining brilliant as the spiritual totem around which our whole lives are organized.

The truth is indivisible, stunning, eternal, the alpha and the omega of our mortal human existence. Nothing less than the truth can ever pass for it. Begin your journey toward truth today.

 Search for the truth inside you that is longing to be expressed and find the words to speak it. See the truth that stands in your midst, that is carried , embodied, and spoken by all your strangers and friends.Your Journey Is Your Own

Live the higher truth as you know it, as it is revealed to you, through art, in music, in literature, in nature, and in God given dreams. Receive the truth that surrounds you, for truth is the ultimate light. Align yourself with the truth, for to live your life in truth is to live in perfect freedom.God Moments Begin your journey today!

“The Perfect Boyfriend”

Posted in Dating, Humor, Life, Love, Psychology, relationships, Romace by

Top Hat and Over Coat Are you referred to as the woman who is “Shopping”?  Meaning looking for the ” perfect boyfriend”.  Are you working every angle you can to find him?  Here’s a little hint . . .  women who are known to be interesting and  perusing their own personal  goals are more appealing to men than the woman who is in hot pursuit. While you are waiting for Mr. Wonderful, you might enjoy playing this little game listed below.

To create your perfect boyfriend fill in the blanks on this page with the words called for. Then using the words you have selected, fill in the blank spaces to the story. Have fun creating your own hilarious lines and lighten up a little!

Create Your Perfect Boyfriend . . .

Noun____________

Noun____________

Number__________ 

Noun____________

Adjective__________

Adjective__________

Plural Noun__________

Verb Ending in “ing”__________

Plural Noun___________

Adjective_________

Noun___________

Noun___________

Celebrity  (Male) ____________

Verb Ending In “ing”__________

Now that you have selected your own words read the story below and fill in the blanks with the words you already selected above. Have fun!

Let’s imagine the perfect boyfriend. He would wake up every morning with a cheery_________. He would call you and send flowers _______times a day. He would rub your weary______after a/an_______day at the ____office. He would help you shop for ________without________  one bit. He would charm all of your girlfriends with his __________personality. He would never click over to a pro _________game while your watching your favorite chick flick called_________. And he wouldn’t be at all jealous of your obsession with________. Ladies, he is out there just________ for you!

“Giving And Recieving Help Is A Sign Of Love”

Posted in friendships, Life, Love, Marriage, Psychology, relationships by

Call Her SweetheartGiving help is a sign of love. The person who comes to your aid and is living proof that your lives are shared and that the two of you want to be there for the other with your time, your energy, and your knowledge.

So look at a cry for help as an opportunity to prove the strength of your love to each other. And never be afraid to ask for help… not from the one you love and who loves you. It can be difficult to ask for it. You don’t want to appear weak or stupid. You don’t want to be turned down or put down. You don’t want to be yelled at or ignored. You don’t want to lose face or have a face made at you again.

But once you cry for assistance and that helping hand is next to yours, it’s  such a relief and it makes you wonder why you waited so long to ask. There’s no better feeling than to ask for help and be told that help is on the way. Especially if it comes with two strong hands, a wealth of expertise, a blanket of caring, and you see, giving and receiving help is a sign of love.

“If I’m Ever Stranded I Hope It’s In A Bookstore”

Posted in Books, Keepsakes, Life, Movies, Romace by

I Love BooksMy whole life, I have been very interested in the potential held in things. I love beginnings, when all is possible and everything could be fantastic and nothing has stepped up to the plate to disappoint me. There is nothing I like more than feeling  the weight of a book in my hands and wondering what the story inside might be and if I’m ever stranded I hope it’s in a bookstore.  I feel an overwhelming excitement at the beginning of reading a book, and I  am sure that this love of pure possibility must be (along with how they smell) one of the reasons I adore newborn babies. I can‘t wait to see who they might turn out to be.

I can’t  wait to experience the emotions that will come to the surface. Will I laugh till I cry or will I cry till I laugh? Will I think about experiences I’ve shared with friends from my early school years? Will I be taken back to a time in my childhood when I was a happy and carefree sixth grader riding my bike down to school or to the beach. Will I feel like I just stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting ? Will I think about my first love, my wedding day or the birth of my children? Will I agree or disagree with the author? Will I be moved to make a change in my life, community or even globally because of what some one wrote in a book? Will I give up one or two hours of sleep for this book because it speaks to my heart and soul? Will I feel energized and motivated the next day? Will it seem as though the author knew me and I just know the book was just for me?

Every time I walk into a lovely used  book store  or browse through my local library I am full of excitement and anticipation and I can’t help but wonder what adventure will I be taken on while browsing through all those wonderful books?  Every now and then a movie comes along that resonates with us it maybe a romantic comedy, drama, religious, political or your favorite childhood movie but one thing that is guaranteed you’ll be thinking about possibilities.  One of my favorite movies is a 1940s movie called “The Shop Around The Corner “The Shop Around The Corner Kralik , puts a red carnation in his lapel and finally reveals to Miss Novak that he is in fact her mystery correspondent . . . her “dear friend” and the two kiss and embrace. While watching the movie you just think  they are perfect for each other but will they or wouldn’t they fall in love?  That’s the question!

In the 1981 film “Steel Magnolias“Steele Magnolias at her daughters funeral and  after the other mourner have left. M’Lynn  ( Sally Field) breaks down in hysterics in front of four of her best friends crying out in anger “WHY” and her friends are able to give support to her through love and humor. Later M’Lynn begins to accept her daughter’s death and focuses her energy on helping raise her grandson and life goes on.  Toward the end of  Steel Magnolias you might feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster ride full of sadness when M’Lynn is asking “WHY” and is expressing her anger that her daughter died. I always cry, cry, cry,  then I start feeling better as M’Lynn goes from asking “WHY” to loving and enjoying her grandson and I find myself returning to joy  and laughter as I watch her with her with family, friends and grandson enjoying an Easter Egg hunt.

In the 1998 movie “You’ve Got Mail“You've Got Mail Joe, known as “Ny152”  mysteriously postponed meeting shop girl in the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie they finally meet for the first time. Brinkley, Joe’s golden retriever, who is the topic of many e-mails is with him and Kathleen admits that she had wanted “NY152” to be Joe so badly, and the two kiss.  “Brinkley” Joes golden retriever steals the show and once again we are reminded anything is possible. Shop Girl forgives Ny152 for being part of the big business world that contributed to closing  her family  book store that she had inherited   from her mother . . .  there we have it a Hollywood ending . . .  they happily ever after.

“Flowers Are love’s Truest Language”

Posted in Brides, Brides and Grooms, family, Life, Love, Marriage, relationships, Romace, Spiritual, Weddings by

The Flower GirlFlowers are a beautiful addition to any wedding decor, as well as a lovely adornment for the wedding party. Brides make sure they choose flowers with care and consideration to enhance their ceremony. It’s been said, that during Victorian times, lovers would send messages to each other using different flowers, with each flower having its own meaning. These associations were soon adopted for the bride’s bouquets and are still used today by many brides. Isn’t that romantic?

During Roman times, brides and grooms wore floral garlands to signify new life and hope for fertility. The custom of the bride carrying flowers has its roots in ancient times. Strong smelling herbs and spices were thought to ward off and drive away evil spirits and ill-health.

Flowers are love’s truest language and here is a few of the most popular wedding flowers preferred by brides today and their symbolic meanings.

  • Anemones: Represents expectations and they bloom in either single or double blossoms an is in season from fall (Japanese) to spring (Wood or De Can)
  • Baby’s Breath: Represents innocence and is best used as a filler in bouquets, corsage and are in season year round.
  • Calla Lily: Means magnificent beauty and this large tropical flower is very popular in weddings.
  • Carnations: Pink represents boldness, red symbolizes love and white indicates talent, some other colors have negative connotations. Carnations are in season all year-round and have a very light fragrance or none at all.
  • Chrysanthemum or Mum: Meaning wealth, abundance, truth and the name literally means “Golden Flower” used most often in the fall.
  • Daffodil: Meaning regard and is most often used in the spring.
  • Daisy: Meaning share your feelings and are in season year-round.
  • Freesia: Meaning innocence and spring brides enjoy the sweet fragrance of the freesia flower.
  • Gardenia: Meaning purity and joy.
  • Hydrangea: Meaning understanding and is used by spring and fall wedding bouquets and arrangements.
  • Iris: Meaning a message of faith, wisdom and spring brides enjoy this beautiful flower as part of their wedding bouquets.
  • Lilac: Meaning love’s first emotions with a strong fragrance. A little flower fact: The local lilac is grown like a bush, and is used as a filler because of the greenery. The French lilac is more flower like and can be used as such in bouquets and arrangements. This exotic flower comes in a variety of colors and sizes.
  • Lily of the Valley: Meaning happiness and these small, fragile, bell-shaped flowers are considered traditional marriage flowers.
  • Magnolia: Love of nature and are best used for flower arrangements by spring or summer brides.
  • Orchid: Meaning love, beauty and is best used for bouquet, boutonnieres and corsages.
  •  Roses:  Meaning love, joy and they are the most popular wedding flower.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  •   Stephanotis: Meaning marital happiness. They are best used for bouquets and arrangements. Brides love their trumpet shape blossoms consider them traditional bridal flowers, no doubt due to their meaning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
  • Tulips: Meaning love, passion this flower is a favorite for spring brides. Flower fact: These sweet and stately flowers can be found in myriad of colors. Let’s not forget the Sunflower many country brides love their sunflowers!

Brides and Grooms will be celebrating World Marriage Day on the second Sunday in February and it honors husbands and wives as the basic units of society, and statutes for “the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with flowers that express your truest love language to your sweetheart.

Carol. E.