Flower girls

 
Recently a friend was talking to me about her upcoming wedding.  She was so enthusiastic about all the details of her special day, especially her dress, bridesmaids' dresses and of course, the flower girl dresses. I found myself thinking of the whole marital ceremony and began wondering the history behind the flower girl dresses.   I start to read about it, googling all through the evening, to cure my curiosity and thought I'd briefly share what I've learned.
  Today, flower girls precede the bride down the aisle, with their dresses often matching the bridesmaids' dresses or tying into the "theme" of the wedding in same manner.  The flower girl dresses changed throughout history and I'm sure they will continue to evolve as time goes on.  But let's take a brief journey back in time to the beginning of a flower girl, and flower girl dresses.
  The first young lady preceded the bride back in ancient Rome.  The sweet girl carried sheaths of wheat and herbs to signify blessings of fertility and prosperity.  It wasn't until the Victorian era that the flower girl dresses began to look as they do today - made of white muslin with a ribbon sash.   The sash is very popular today, often matching color of the bridesmaids' dresses.
  It wasn't until the Edwardian era that the flower girl dresses began to mirror not only color, but the style of the bridesmaids' dresses.   During the 1920's up until the 1960's, flower girl dresses followed the style of that period, including flapper style designs of the 20's.  It wasn't until the 1960's that the flower girl dresses were being introduced in full elegant style.  This is when the empire waist incorporated into the style of the dresses.
  During the 1970's and 1980's, the empire waist was still in fashion, but the style of dresses did begin to follow many directions of popular fashion.  This is also the time that the wedding of Princess Diana influenced much of the dresses fashion at that time.   The big poufy sleeves, full dresses were part of everyone's wedding look.  It wasn't until the 1990's that flower girl dresses started leaning toward the more casual fashion sense.  This evolved in what we have today, which ranges from the extreme elaborate to a more casual with specific emphasis on accessories, such as a sash, flower, or jewelry, for flower girl dresses.
  I found it interesting how a tradition that began back in ancient Rome evolved through the styles and desires of the bride over time.  I find myself now paying much more attention to the flower girl dresses and how the bride has played into the tradition of that role by her choice of look and significance of the dress and accessories.   Today, our appreciation for the flower girl continues from the innocence, beauty, love and luck that she represents.  Having a flower girl is a time honored tradition that will bring special charm to any wedding with the array of good luck, as intended from a day long ago.