Since ancient times one of the sweetest and most beautiful traditions has been to give flowers showing your feelings: love, gratitude, respect, friendship. The way to present flowers is a real art. There exists an etiquette of doing it for sure. To master it you should follow general rules and understand the language of flowers plus learn how to arrange a bouquet, putting a special meaning in each component.

Our greetings to everyone!
What is floral etiquette? Does it exist at all? Do you need it in your everyday life? Well, we bet yes!
Since ancient times one of the sweetest and most beautiful traditions has been to give flowers showing your feelings: love, gratitude, respect, friendship. The way to present flowers is a real art. There exists an etiquette of doing it for sure. To master it you should follow general rules and understand the language of flowers plus learn how to arrange a bouquet, putting a special meaning in each component.
The history of floral etiquette is beautiful and touching. There is a story saying that in ancient times, Oriental women were denied the right to openly express their feelings, so they used hidden signs to send love messages. Each flower was assigned a symbolic value. In the XVI century, the method of secret communication was successfully adopted by the Europeans. It was influenced by different cultures, and therefore in each country acquired its own national specifics. Finally the contemporary floral etiquette was formed.
However, floral etiquette varies from country to country, there are general rules more or less accepted everywhere. Flowers are always chosen depending on the occasion, personal preferences, age category and sex of the person you are giving them to. Floral etiquette prescribes to deliver a bouquet without a plastic wrapping (a fancy wrap is allowed though) holding blooms up. You hold it in the left hand in order to be able to shake the right hand with the hostess or the host and then hand in the floral gift.
In the theatre, you may take the flowers directly to the stage at the end of the performance or send them to the dressing room of your favorites.
When sending a bouquet with a courier, do not forget to attach a special note or a business card explaining the reason for the gift. If, on the contrary, flowers delivered to you, do not forget to thank the sender. You can write a response letter using e-mail, or make a phone call. In case a bouquet was sent by a business partner, use a business card to answer. In the bottom left hand corner of the business card it will be nice to put the designation “PR” - “To thank”.
Flowers have a wealth of meanings, depending on the type, the colour, the number, a combination in a bouquet, etc. Many flowers derive their meaning and symbolism from ancient myths and legends. In the language of flowers there are a lot of different signification.
Red roses are used to say "I love you," and are symbolic of unconditional love. They may also mean courage and respect. They are usually given to a very special person and should therefore not be offered to a person with whom you are not intimate.
White roses symbolise birth, virginity and innocence. They stand for chastity, perfection and reverence and are traditionally associated with marriage or beginning of something new. According to a Christian legend a bush of red roses turned white when Virgin Mary put her coat to dry on it.
Red and white striped roses express unity and togetherness. A typical rose is "York and Lancaster" which commemorates the end of the Wars of Roses between the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the House of York (white rose).
Pink roses symbolize grace, sophistication and elegance. They are often given as an expression of beginning love or admiration.
Yellow roses in many cultures express jealousy and infidelity. They may also evoke a finishing love. More recently, yellow roses have been associated with friendship, but this newer meaning seems to be an invention of rose producers to promote this color, as no underlying legend or tale seems to corroborate this symbol.
Presentation of flowers, its arrangement or bouquet composition are all messages symbolizing love, friendship, trust, or on the contrary. Though floral etiquette involves many rules the most important thing is to give and take flowers with sincerity and respect.
We at the LSCE have developed workshops including Floral Etiquette, Art of Giving Presents and Table Decoration in the curriculum. If you want to learn more about it, come and join our workshops designed for you.
To register for a programme, please, fill in this form
https://forms.gle/75Ye8299enMpe1nN6 Look forward to meeting you soon! 😉
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