Think fast! First thing that comes to mind when I say Tulips? Holland, right? Guess again!
Turns out tulips are awash with symbolism, apparently starting their journey to your wedding in Persia and Turkey. They picked up their name, by the way, from the Turkish word for “turban”.
In general, tulips symbolize “perfect love.” And if you dig a little deeper, you find that each color has an extra meaning. Like …
Pink = Perfect Love + Caring
Yellow = Perfect love + sunshine and happy thoughts
Red = Perfect love + true love
Psst! The Persian translation = “my heart burns with passion”. Cool, no?
The “official flower” of the 11th wedding anniversary, each tulip part has symbolism, too. Like the velvety black center, which represents a lover’s heart, darkened by the heat of passion.
And of course, there’s always an ancient legend associated with flowers. Tulips? Well, there was a Persian dude named Ferhad, who fell passionately in love with Shiri, a local Persia beauty. She didn’t return his affection (do they ever?) and so it broke his heart. He hauled himself out to the desert for a good cry, during which time he died (we can assume from the broken heart). His tears, as they hit the sad, burst into tulips. I’ve also see this as his blood. Who knows?
Happy tulip wedding planning!