Happy Bride Blog

The history of flower arranging is almost 5,000 years old. These are the stories of 5 favourite blooms.

Going back over 4,500 years, ancient Egyptians were the first recorded use of flowers as decorations as early as 2,500 BCE. As is often the case today, flowers were chosen not only for their beauty, but for their symbolism, with flowers being tied to different emotions and gods.

Given this multi-millenia-spanning history of flower arranging, many flowers - including those stocked and sold by Hidden Botanics, have accrued intriguing histories and associations.

Your zodiac sign can represent so many things… Who knew it could even tell people what flower to give you!

As well as certain traits and characters associated with each astrological star sign within the zodiac, did you know that each also has a flower connected to it, representative of the personalities the people born under that star embody?

Depending on where you look, you may see that certain signs have a more than one flower linked to them, while others have only one. In order to not overcomplicate things, we’ll be going through the more commonly associated flowers for each sign!

Choosing to stay in the UK for your honeymoon? These places will ensure you still have a magical and romantic time.

You did it! You tied the knot! Now it’s time for the honeymoon.

Don't have as much time as you would like to pack, nor are you able to go abroad? No problem! These enchanting little places will help you forget that you are having to opt for a stay-cation!

Fancy a “mini-moon”? Let's go!

Dried flowers outlast their fresh equivalent significantly.

Dried flowers are everywhere lately, with their everlasting beauty taking social media by storm. Sustainability is the main attraction point, and they are a great investment for years to come, lasting significantly longer than their fresh alternatives.

But with that point in mind the real reason that you’re probably reading this is because you need to know:

Flowers can make your home beautiful, and dried flowers won’t wilt and don’t need to be watered like fresh flowers, but there are still steps you need to take.

We know the story. You buy flowers, intent on loving them and turning your home into the nature wonderland you’d always dreamed it would be and becoming the plant whisperer, no, the flower queen you know you’re destined to be.

Only problem is… they keep dying.

Your wedding is something you should be anticipating, excited for, something you almost can’t sleep at the prospect of it. It’s your day. Your friends and family will be there. The person you want to spend the rest of your life with will be there. You’re going to look fantastic.

There’s just one thing that keeps nagging at your mind. That article that you read - or maybe just saw the headline for and then sent it to someone in shock - about the environmental impact of weddings. The waste they generate. The emissions they cause.

Try not to let it overwhelm you. We’ve written previously about how to make your wedding more eco-friendly, about venues that operate sustainably, and now it’s time to handle that one item that you keep thinking about. The wedding dress.

Don’t worry, brides-to-be, it is possible to sustainably source a wedding dress, and look good doing it.

SECOND HAND

I can understand if the notion makes a couple of you wince. I just said this was your day, why am I now suggesting you wear someone else’s dress?

Well, the sustainability of a whole new dress not having to be made aside, what’s so wrong about a second hand wedding dress? It having belonged to someone else first being something that filled them with happiness and confidence at being beautiful walking down the aisle doesn’t mean that you will be any less beautiful wearing it, or that you won’t be filled with the same happiness and confidence. And before you even say it, no one is going to say “hang on, isn’t that the same dress Sandra wore last year?” You’re buying second hand, not borrowing from a friend (although honestly? If you are doing the latter, fairplay to you. Well done saving even more money and time than second hand dresses already do).

If you’re feeling so inclined, after your special day, you can use the below websites to sell your wedding dress on, paying it forward and getting money back in the process. We’ve decided to skip the more general, more obvious ones (your eBays, your Etsys, etc.) and dive straight into the wedding-specific sites.