In the bloom of love

A petal-by-petal guide to bouquet do’s and don’t’s and each flower’s not-so-hidden meaning

Infidelity probably isn’t the message you want to convey as you glide down the aisle on your wedding day. Pack your bouquet with larkspur, and that’s precisely what you’ll do. Yellow roses? Forget it, they’re synonymous with jealousy. Marigolds mean grief; lavender distrust; and yellow carnations disdain. Fortunately, greenhouses and gardens are overflowing with dozens of beautiful blooms that say all the right things. For a heads-up on the most popular varieties, we picked the brains of a pair of local florists, who gave us the scoop on good-vibe flowers that are ripe for the wedding picking.

Flower: Rose
Season: Year-round
Price range: $1.50 to $5 per stem
Color: Endless variety
Scent: Lightly to strongly fragrant
Meaning: Love, joy, beauty
Vase life: 4 to 7 days

Roses have inspired everyone from Shakespeare to the makers of American Beauty, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re the No. 1 wedding bloom of choice. Roses are classic without being stodgy, and according to Sheldon Anderson at University Florist, “You can find a rose to match just about anything nowadays.” Besides being amenable to any palette you desire, roses preserve well, so you’ll have a keepsake for the ages.

Flower: Long Stem Calla Lily
Season: Spring and summer
Price range: $5.50 to $12 per stem
Color: Variety, including white, yellow, pink, lavender, rose, orange.
Scent: Lightly fragrant
Meaning: Magnificent beauty
Vase life: 7 to 10 days

Calla Lilies are giving roses a run for their money in the popularity contest. They were the Flower Market’s best wedding seller last year, says proprietor Randall Cash. Because these trendy tropical flowers look stunning on their own, many a bride is foregoing an elaborate bouquet in favor of carrying a single Calla Lily clutched significantly as she processes down the aisle. Sometimes, apparently,  less really is more.

Flower: Anthurium
Season: Year- round
Price range: $3.50 to $6.50 per stem
Color: Red, pink, white, green
Scent: Not fragrant
Meaning: Attraction
Vase life: 2 to 3 weeks

Anthurium is one of the most popular tropical flowers, and its shiny, heart-shaped leaves inspire thoughts of luv. Like the Calla Lily, anthurium is favored for its exotic simplicity, but it packs more punch. Tropical flowers, says the Flower Market’s Randall Cash, last “forever” and won’t droop. If you’re a non-traditionalist looking for something chic but different, this funky plant may be the way to go.

Flower: Gardenia
Season: Year-round
Price range: $12.50 to $18 per bloom
Color: Creamy white
Scent: Highly fragrant
Meaning: Purity and joy
Vase life: 2 to 3 days.

Picture Winona in The Age of Innocence and you can almost smell the gardenias. They’re another one of the classics and, after a time out of fashion, they are now experiencing a renaissance, especially, says Cash, in corsages and boutonnieres. The bloom with the mostest is the G. florida/G. grandiflora. Keep in mind, though, that while they preserve well, gardenias turn brown when handled.

Flower: Bouvardia
Season: Winter
Price range: $8.50 to $22 per bunch
Color: White, pink, salmon, red
Scent: Lightly fragrant
Meaning: Enthusiasm
Vase life: 1 to 2 weeks

The Bouvardia comes in a blushing bride palette of whites, pinks, peaches and reds, shades that are highly recommended by that queen of wedding planners, Martha Stewart. And even if they’re not getting hitched in the Hamptons, many brides are thrilled to grip this delicate, feminine flower as they make their way down the aisle. The icing on the (wedding) cake: Bouvardia comes complete with its own foliage, so less filler is needed.

Flower: Stephanotis
Season: Year-round
Price Range: $25 to $65 per 25 blooms
Color: White
Scent: Very fragrant
Meaning: Happiness in marriage
Vase life: 3 to 4 days

You don’t need to be a Ouija Board believer to get a little superstitious about your wedding bouquet. That’s probably why many brides choose stephanotis, the flower that forecasts “happiness in marriage,” to hold their hands on the long march down the aisle. The white blossoms open into a five-pointed star and grow on a vine. While a traditional choice for the blessed event, word on the street is that stephanotis has been known to wilt during the reception.

Flower: Lily-of-the-Valley
Season: Spring and summer
Price range: $75 to $150 per bunch
Color: White
Scent: Fragrant
Meaning: Return of happiness
Vase life: 4 to 6 days

Also known as Our Lady’s Tears, Ladder-to-Heaven or Jacob’s Ladder, among other nicknames, Lily-of-the-Valley, like stephanotis, is a traditional white wedding flower with a delicacy and innocence that reminds one of fair maidens and simpler times. Although this flower preserves well when freshly cut, it does tend to get a bit brown during the reception, especially when no one asks it to dance.

Flower: Freesia
Season: Spring and summer
Price range: $7.50 to $12 per bunch
Color: White, cream, pink, yellow, violet, blue, red, lavender
Scent: Very fragrant
Meaning: Innocence
Vase life: 7 to 10 days

Freesia is another popular member of the bouquet squad. With its bell-shaped flowers and fruity scent, it is dainty without being insipid. Freesia is also a spring flower and, according to University Florists’ Sheldon Anderson, many people are choosing seasonal flowers nowadays because they are cheaper. They also add a “fresh-picked” look to the bouquet, even though the flowers themselves tend to be more delicate and prone to browning.

Flower: Lisianthus
Season: Spring and summer
Price range: $12.50 to $25 per bunch
Color: a variety including, white, light and dark pink, lavender and dark purple
Scent: None
Meaning: Appreciation, outgoing
Vase life: 10 to 14 days

Sheldon Anderson at University Florists let the cat out of the bag when he told us that many of his customers mistake lisianthus for roses. They’re cheaper than the oh-so-pricey rose, so you won’t hear any complaints from a father-of-the-bride who’s just gotten the bill for his daughter’s wedding gown. This might explain why lisianthus has come from behind lately, making its move for the title of most popular wedding flower.

—NELL BOESCHENSTEIN