The Flower Girl
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The modern wedding has many traditions, but the role of the flower girl is one of the oldest. The flower girl will want to work in coordination with the wedding florist and anyone else creating the overall atmosphere. Her coordination with the florist is due to her role spreading flower petals during the ceremony. She is one of the most recognized members of the marriage processional. The role of flower girls is also traditionally female in all marriage traditions. She is a key member and participant in all modern weddings today. She is part of the traditional family members in the ceremony, along with the page boys and ring bearers.
There have always been women and girls walking together as part of the marriage traditions. This is true of almost all marriages from the beginning of time. Nothing is more traditional. Although there are many types of marriage rites and ceremonies today, the role of girls and spreading flower petals has remained almost unchanged. You see flower girls in Christian, Catholic, Hindu, and even Wiccan marriage rites around the world. Modern flower girls are a symbol of rebirth, innocence, family and the newlyweds entering their marriage with purity of heart. Florists are knowledgeable in the best arrangements for modern marriage ceremonies of any religion or style. Florists and marriage planners can help with such details.
The duties of a flower girl are simple but important. In the traditional wedding ceremonial format, flower girls walk ahead of the bride for the entrance processional. She generally carries a basket and spreads flower petals over the floor where the bride will be walking. She may alternatively carry a bouquet of flowers. The girl chose for this duty should be a member of either the bride or groom's extended families. She may also be a personal friend or child of the extended family. It really is only important that she be a recognized member and friend of the bride or groom. She traditionally is a younger member of the ceremonial participants, but this is not absolutely necessary.
The right flowers to pick for use by a flower girl are best kept traditional. If you work with the assistance of a florist, the choice of flowers should be easy. A professional florist will have arrangements for weddings already in mind, but will work with your personal needs. The florist may recommend any type of flowers for the ceremony, but traditionally rose petals are spread out for the bride to walk upon. These rose petals will usually be a mixture of red, pink, and white petals. This represents love, passion, and purity being invoked for the wedding couple. Modern florists may offer other ideas for marriage ceremonies. It is smart to hire a professional florist for these duties, as they will know the best arrangements to make for beautiful flower arrangements.
The wedding attire for a flower girl has not changed much over the years. Sometimes it is helpful to coordinate outfits with the florist for colors, but generally it is more a matter of tradition. The bride and her young leader in the processional wear gowns of white, which is in contrast to the bridesmaids. This is a tradition that seems to be as old as traditional Christian marriage rites. In the past, it was historically traditional for the flower carrier to wear clothing that was made by the family of the bride or groom. Often times, she and the ring bearer were dressed in attire to look like a couple themselves. They were often made to look like miniature versions of the bride and bridegroom, this is why their clothes were provided by the families of the newlyweds.
Most modern couples do not follow this tradition, so it is expected that the children leading the procession have their parents pay for their marriage processional attire. This is also true for any other expenses that are relative to her participation in the marriage ceremonies.
It is amazing that these traditions have changed so little over the centuries. Perhaps it is because they are symbolic of the most basic and human side of becoming a woman. These rites represent women progressing forward in maturity, but also represent their role in the rites of human history.
In modern weddings, the flower girl is an important and time honored symbol. She is key to the traditional wedding ceremony. She is also a symbol of innocence and the new wedding couple entering the world. It is both a symbolic gesture in the marriage ceremonies, but is equally an initiation rite for the young girl. She will one day have someone she appoints to be ahead of her in her own marriage ceremony. She will one day step on rose petals that another young girl will lay before her own feet, as she is led towards the doorway to her own matrimonial ceremony. The marriage rites carry on from generation to generation in this way. Each new woman and girl taking part to learn the path of marriage, but also to take part in it themselves one day.
