Of all the gifts lovers give one another, perhaps no gift brings more happiness the one from the florist. Research shows that flowers simply make people smile, and what a sure-fire way to bring happiness to your beloved! Who frowns at cheerful blossoms? Thomas Hood wrote, "Sweet flowers alone can say what passion fears revealing." Indeed, in medieval and Victorian times, social mores constrained lovers from what we now call "public displays of affection." But lovers found a way. With a floral communication, couples could exchange messages as well as affection. Grooms as well as brides of ancient Greece and Roman times adorned themselves with blossoms and greenery representing beauty and fertility.

In Western culture, flowers and love are forever linked. The tradition of floral gifts extends beyond recorded history. They are symbols of fertility and sensuality, and as such have played an important part in weddings and courtship since ancient times. Lilies and orange blossoms represented fertility and fidelity. Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of spring, was the goddess of fruitfulness, fertility, and sex. Indeed, the lily, while revered as a symbol of purity, also represented lust. According to legend, the goddess Venus envied the white beauty of the lily, and caused it to grow a monstrous pistil. Ever since, the lily has been a representation of Venus, Satyrs, and lustful passion.

Flowers are also a gift of innocent childhood and maternal love and happiness. Can you think of a child who hasn’t picked daisies, dandelions or someone’s prized garden blooms for his mother, sometimes to the mother’s chagrin? Floral gifts are as traditional and beloved in expressing filial live as they are in expressing romantic love.

Could anyone imagine a wedding without floral abundance? Even in the barest civil ceremony, the bride carries a bouquet, a statement of love derived from the wreaths worn around the heads of the bride and groom. In medieval times, bridal bouquets were made of edible herbs and plants. Their purpose was to protect the bride! It was considered great good luck to take something from the bride, and to save her from being mobbed, she would throw her bouquet at the wedding party, and (hopefully) escape. Sound familiar? In modern weddings, bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres reflect the happiness of the occasion, and are given as gifts to the wedding party and loved ones. Visit www.WooHooFlowers.com for beautiful blooms to express your love.