Why do Brides carry Bouquets on their Wedding Day?

The Wedding Bouquet

The Wedding Bouquet, for people, this is purely an aesthetic touch for the bride on her wedding day, but it has many more reasons, some good, some eh not so good.  Sorry!

We might as well get the nasty out right up front! 

In the times before personal hygiene was well practiced, often, brides would have a certain aroma. (Today, we refer to this as BO) According to Huffington Post, June was the most popular time of year for weddings because people took their annual baths in May. They only got one, you guys (and you thought your struggles were real), and women were the last to take a dip. A household would fill a big tub full of hot water and, in this order: The man of the house would take a nice, hot bath; followed by any male members of the household; followed by the poor and lowly women living there; and, lastly, the baby got the stagnant surplus. As you may have guessed, this is where the expression "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" originated. The fragrance from the bouquet would be used to mask the aroma of the bride. This tradition also extended to the Bride’s attendants.   Side-light – this is the same reason incense was often burned during religious ceremonies to mask the aroma of all the unwashed bodies in a confined area.  The later explanation of “incense symbolic of prayers rising to God” was a later baptism of this practice.

In ancient times, it was thought that by the bride carrying a bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers, it would ward off any evil spirits that may be present. Those using this theory often had bouquets made of flowers, dill, garlic, chives, and other fragrant items.

To incite lust in the couple.  Here, the flowers were mixed with various herbs and flowers such as dill and marigold, thought to excite the libido. This would result in a very happy and fulfilling wedding night!!!

To protect the bride. In ancient times, a bride was thought to have extremely good luck.  Those in attendance at a wedding tried to get pieces of the bride's ensemble in hopes that they would also get some of the bride's luck. Imagine walking back down the aisle with people trying to rip pieces of your clothing off.

So, from history, we see why the bouquet was a necessary accouterment to a bride's ensemble, but very different than our reasons today!