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Show V Sunday. January 24, 7 A" A W 1 t I I W9, THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, Lilah Page D5 The language of flowers tells a love story By CHARLENE BALDRIDGE Copley New s Service Did you know that flowers have a language? Because this is so, the flowers you select for yourself, your wedding attendants and others you wish to honor on your wedding day can be used to deliver a personal message all your if ''A own. Flowers and flower seeds were entombed with Egyptian noblemen and Aztec kings. Even earlier, humans paid homage to their dead by burying them with flowers. From the beginning of written words, poets spelled out the significance of flowers in legend and myth, Bible stories, drama and Roses Special request: Adding a creative element, like calligraphy, lends a personal touch to the invitations announcing your wedding. The right invitations can express your creative side Broderbund, By LEE LITTLEWOOD Copley News Service When I was planning a wedding, I didn't have a clue where to go for invitations. So we turned to the local Hallmark store and picked from the selections. And they were beautiful. Now, however, creative couples who want their personalities to shine through on their invitations have so many more options. Many brides- - and grooms-to-b- e to design are also choosing their own. traditional scripts and classic paper are still favored. But more and more couples are attracted to customized, creative styles that can also be used for announcements, shower invitations and thank-yonotes. Time-honore- d u Ellen Weldon, a New York calligrapher and designer, says prospective clients often ask what she has that's different. "I offer invitations that are classic, with a twist. I've done work with handmade papers from Europe and India, some pressed with small flowers or tiny filaments of bark. I also use Japanese rice papers and have a maker in Vermont who uses dried parsley in his designs," says the designer, who can be reached at (212) 925-448- Reveal your personality No matter where you find your invitations, though, what's really vital is to look for designs that reveal your personalities and lives, from the paper, color, typeface and lining. How do you begin when sifting through invitation options? You can start by requesting catalogs from mail-orde- r companies. With access to the Internet, it's simple to peruse many wedding product companies. A few options can be accessed from the engine at Just type in www.yahoo.com. Yahoo search "bridal invitations," and you'll be presented several options. With the advent and sophistication of computer printing programs, couples can design and print their own invitations from home. Print Shop, from and Greetings Workshop from Microsoft are two programs that can help design any type of invitation, not just bridal. Print Artist and Print Master are others. Invitation software There's also software specifically designed for wedding invi- tations. Some companies offer designs and send kits that include paper and all other necessary items. Try these sites: or www.pcpapers.com www.wedding-world.com- . or www.formal-invitations.co- But if you're on a budget and want to be especially creative and personal, it's entirely possible to make your own. How, though, do you word these vital pieces of paper? Use a "dummy" invitation so you'll have a guideline to follow. The dummy could be someone else's printed invitation or a sample from a store. Roses grew in gardens in Asia as long as 5,000 years ago, making them the longevity queens of flower cultivation. In its wild state, the rose is believed to go back even farther. According to the home arts site, rose fossils date from 35 million years ago. No matter the language, roses seem to say "I love you" in a more recognizable way than any other flower. They have long been the favored blooms used in weddings. Even the color of the rose is fraught with meaning. Red and white together symbolize unity; pink means grace and gentility and yellow stands for joy. Brewer's of Dictionary Phrase and Fable reports, "Medieval legend asserts that the first roses appeared miraculously at Bethlehem as the result of prayers of a "fayre Mayden" who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death by Obviously, burning." medieval legend makers were oblivious to the fossil record. In Greek mythology, the goddess Chloris turns a dead nymph into a flower. Her beauty was then enhanced by Aphrodite, given brilliance, joy and charm by the three Graces. The flower, a rose of course, was given to the love god Eros and named "Queen of the Flowers." The Romans tell it another The maiden Rodanthe had many suitors, but she would have none of them. The suitors broke down the maiden's door, and the Roman goddess Diana was so infuriated she turned Rodanthe into a rose, her suitors into thorns. way. Before you begin ... You'll need all your wedding details down pat before beginning, including the exact time your ceremony will begin, the address where it will take place and the time and location of the reception (if different than the wedding). If you're planning an elegant evening wedding and want guests to dress accordingly, don't forget "Black Tie." Names and all other details should always be spelled with precision. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Have someone else check it, too, so there's no need to make costly or corrections later. You'll still need to purchase envelopes, card stock for response time-consumi- cards and perhaps reception cards. Don't forget, .too, to design n a map enclosure? Don't Abbreviations? guests. shorten any names on envelopes. It is OK to use Dr. Mr. and Mrs., however. If you have calligraphy skills, it's also possible to hand print your own paperwork. Calligraphy is particularly artistic and visual, but don't try it unless your writing admired by others. is 0 ft L song. til f'l ( 3 y XWa' J. - 9 MIC HAEL O.VUNOM R and JEFFREY BKOWN C opk'y News Service In bloom: No matter which flowers you choose for your wedding day bouquet, each bud conveys a different secret message. While roses always say "I love you," white stargazer lilies stand for chastity, innocence and purity. process of planning the wedding, says Blum. "They might as well get their say. It's much better from the bride's point of view, because the men can't turn around after the fact and say, 'I really hated the flowers.'" Men are also becoming more creative in selecting bouton-niere- s for themselves and their groomsmen. Cornflowers are in, as well as vocal opinions (can't stand stephanotis; hate ivy!). So are such uncommon items as boutonnieres made of green blueberries, seen recently in a bridal magazine. Traditional bouquet and centerpiece elements include ivy, alstroemeria, amaryllis, calla lily, freesia, stephanotis, tulip, viburnum, rosemary, rose, bluebell, hydrangea, borage and peony. What they mean In "The Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Wedding," Teddy Lenderman writes: "Ivy repre sents fidelity; lily of the valley, purity; red roses, love; violets, true modesty; love; orange blossoms, fertility and happiness; and myrtle is the symbol of virginity." Those who wish to delve more deeply into the love story they may tell with their wedding flowers might order Kate Greenaway's "Language of the Flowers" (Dover Publications) or Ann Field's "The Meaning of Flowers" (Chronicle Books). forget-me-not- Herbs, grains and flowers Writing in "Weddings for which she with Laura Fisher Kaiser, Manhattan wedding and special events planner Marcy Blum says, 'Today, the language of flowers is spoken most often at weddings and encompasses the language of herbs as well. Since the time of ancient Greece, when brides carried herbs and grains as signs of fertility, many a bride has slipped sprigs of herbs into her bridal bouquet to convey a special meaning or to fool the evil eye. "For years, only one style of bouquet was considered appropriate for formal weddings: roses, stephanotis and lily of the valley. No longer. At even extremely formal ceremonies, brides now carry a variety of flowers and colors." 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