Flowers
 
                           As with the clothing, the flowers displayed were rich vibrant shades
                     such as yellows, reds, oranges and browns, as well as soft golds, dusty
                     pinks, sage greens and creams.  The flowers were worn in the bride's hair
                     as wreaths and carried in hand-tied bouquets.  Bridesmaids during the
                          Elizabethan Era  each commonly carried a different small bouquet of
                     herbs and flowers called "tussie-mussies," while the brides carried a
                     "pomander," or flower ball decorated with a colorful ribbon or gauze
                     loop for carrying.  The pomander's primary purpose was to perfume the
                     air around the bride and then was used to decorate the reception hall.

                        The element that makes wedding flowers of the Renaissance unique, was
                     the prominent use of herbs and wheat.  Rosemary, thyme, basil, sage,
                     chives, lavender, parsley, and even garlic were often seen in bouquets
                     interspersed with wheat and the chosen flowers that were available to the
                     bride.  Wheat, considered symbolic of fertility, played a vital role in
                     marriage ceremonies and was viewed much as rice is in weddings today.
                     The use of herbs originated from  what was then believed to be the
                     mystical, even religious, significance of various herbs and flowers in both
                     health and destiny.

 

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