On 29 April, Catherine Middleton, the now Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince William.  Her choice of bouquet is bound to start a new trend amongst brides to be in the months and years to come.  The simple style of her bouquet was the perfect choice and suited her understated elegance and classic beauty.  Her choice of fragrant flowers was very interesting, and included Sweet William, which symbolises gallantry, Myrtle, which is the Hebrew symbol of marriage, Lily of the Valley, depicting sweetness and humility and Hyacinth, which, quite appropriately, symbolises loveliness.

Since Queen Victoria’s reign, Myrtle has been a particularly traditional flower to carry in a royal wedding bouquet.  Although she didn’t have myrtle in her own wedding bouquet, Queen Victoria was very fond of this plant, which is said to bring good luck and fidelity. Queen Victoria was presented with a posy that contained myrtle on a visit to Prince Albert’s grandmother in Germany.  From this she prorogated her own myrtle plant in the garden at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.   When her daughters married, each of them carried bouquets that contained myrtle from their mother’s plant.  On 29 April 2011, Catherine Middleton continued this tradition by carrying myrtle from the same plant at Osborne House in her bouquet when she walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey to become Prince William’s wife, and our future Queen.

On 1 July, supermodel Kate Moss married rock guitarist Jamie Hince at St Peter’s Church in Southrop, Gloucestershire.  Kate chose a small posy style of bouquet, containing some traditional blooms.  We believe there to have been camellias and marguerite daisies amongst other flowers in her bouquet along with some very light green foliage, possibly lady’s mantle.  Her sixteen bridesmaids also carried small posies of flowers that we believe contained sweet peas and marguerite daisies.  They wore their hair loose and natural with a simple ribbon, decorated with small rose buds and marguerite daisies, tied at the back.

On 30 July there was another royal wedding, that of Zara Phillips and Mark Tindall.  The wedding took place at Cannongate Kirk in Scotland on a gloriously sunny summer’s day.  The bride carried a hand-tied bouquet containing calla lilies, alpine thistles and senecio cineraria, perfect for her white and green theme.  The bridesmaids carried smaller versions of the bridal bouquet.  The entrance to Cannongate Kirk was decorated with a massive garland of ivory flowers and foliage.  The inside of the church was also decorated with large urns of ivory flowers and foliage to carry the theme through.  This was obviously a much less pressurised occasion than that of Zara’s royal cousin earlier in the year, and was an opportunity for everyone to relax and enjoy the day.

Amaryllis                          Pride
Aster                                Love and Daintiness
Camellia                          Gratitude and Loveliness
Chrysanthemum              Hope and Optimism
Dahlia                              Elegance and Dignity
Forget-me-not                 True Love
Gardenia                         Grace
Gerbera                           Purity
Gypsophila                      Everlasting Love
Heather                           Passion
Hyacinth                          Loveliness
Jasmine                           Sensuality and Attachment
Lily                                   Purity
Lily of the Valley               Sweetness
Magnolia                          Dignity
Myrtle                               Love and Marriage
Orchid                              Refined Beauty
Periwinkle                        Friendship
Primrose                          Happiness
Red Rose                        True Love
Sweet Pea                       Everlasting Pleasure
Sweet William                  Gallantry and Finesse
Violet                                Modesty and Faithfulness
White Rose                      Eternal Love

Many insurers offer wedding cover for a fixed agreed period, which can commence way in advance of the actual day allowing you to relax and enjoy your wedding preparations and your wedding day itself.  Premiums range from around £25 right up to around £250 depending on the level of cover required.  Bearing in mind your wedding flowers can cost up to 10% of your overall wedding budget, it definitely seems like a good investment.  As well as insuring your wedding flowers, the cover should ensure peace of mind regarding other aspects of your wedding including your cake, rings, wedding attire and photographs, although you would obviously need to check the exact details with your chosen insurer.

You will find that there are exceptions to the insurance, for example if you simply change your mind about getting married or your wedding day is affected by a pre-existing medical condition there will be no insurance payout.

Please note, you must check with your chosen insurer regarding their terms and conditions relating to the particular policy you buy.

Birmingham:
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham                                7-9 October 2011
Further details: http://www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk

Cardiff:
Copthorne Hotel, Cardiff                                                       16 October 2011
Further details: http://www.cjweddingfayres.co.uk

Chepstow:
Marriott, St Pierre, Chepstow                                                 2 October 2011
Further details: http://www.cjweddingfayres.co.uk

Devon:
Westpoint Arena, Exeter                                                         8-9 October 2011
Further details: http://www.yoursouthwestwedding.co.uk

Edinburgh:
Edinburgh Corn Exchange                                                     5-6 November 2011
Further details: http://www.ece.uk.com/weddingfair/

Glasgow:
SECC, Glasgow                                                                      17-18 September 2011
Further details: http://www.thescottishweddingshow.com

Harrogate:
Harrogate International Centre                                               24-25 September 2011
Further details: http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk

Liverpool:
St Georges Hall, Liverpool                                                      17-18 September 2011
Further details: http://www.stgeorgesliverpool.co.uk/whatson/details.asp?id=199030
Devonshire House Hotel                                                         16 October 2011
Further details: http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk/wedding-shows/liverpool/devonshire-house-hotel.html

London:
Earls Court, London                                                                30 September-2 October 2011
Further details: http://www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk

Manchester:
Manchester Central (G-Mex)                                                   29-30 October 2011
Further details: http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk/wedding-shows/manchester/Central-G-MEX.html

Newcastle:
Newcastle Racecourse                                                           1-2 October 2011
Further details: http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk/wedding-shows/newcastle/racecourse.html

Surrey:
Holiday Inn, Kingston                                                               11 September 2011
Further details: http://www.surreyweddingfairs.co.uk/holidayinnkingston.html
Epsom Downs Racecourse                                                     11 September 2011
Further details: http://www.surreyweddingfairs.co.uk/epsomdownsracecourse.html
Woodlands Park Hotel, Cobham                                            16 October 2011
Further details: http://www.surreyweddingfairs.co.uk/woodlandsparkhotel.html
Fairfield Halls, Croydon                                                           23 October 2011
Further details: http://www.surreyweddingfairs.co.uk/fairfieldhalls.html
The Talbot Inn, Woking                                                            30 October 2011
Further details: http://www.surreyweddingfairs.co.uk/thetalbotinn.html