Lily of the valley flowers

A British Royal Wedding will usually feature Lily of the Valley flowers and always myrtle flowers, it is tradition! Royal flowers, like royal wedding dresses have traditions that go back for generations and hundreds of years.

Lily of the Valley Flowers

Lily of the Valley flowers are said to have formed the bouquet of Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later the Queen Mother). Other reports say her bouquet included roses and even heather from her native Scotland. As there are no formal wedding pictures showing her bouquet we cannot be sure.

Other British Royal Weddings, such as those of Princess Diana and of Sarah, Duchess of York have also included lily of the valley flowers in the wedding bouquet.

Lily of the Valley is a delicate and elegant flower yet very difficult to grow and a challenge for a florist to work with. For these reasons it is an expensive choice for a wedding bouquet. Of course, for Royal wedding flowers, the price of the wedding bouquet is not usually a concern! These flowers wilt and go limp very easily so they need to be kept refrigerated in a chilled cabinet and only added to the bouquet at the last minute. In the traditional language of flowers, Lily of the Valley is said to represent the tears of the Virgin Mary.

Myrtle flowers

Back from lily of the valley flowers to Royal Weddings...