Love Knots

Here are a couple of examples of "love knots", those are the little slip knots that florist used to tie in the ribbons hanging from bridal bouquets. Often the knots were used to tie in small flowers, tulle tufts, or other ornaments for the bouquet.

The pic to the left is of Queen Ingrid and King Frederik of Denmark on their wedding day in May , 1935. They were married in Stockholm Cathedral. At the time they were married, Frederik had not yet ascended the throne, so they were know then at Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark. Ingrid was the daughter, wife, and aunt to kings, and two of her daughters would become queens. Quite a resume I would say. It looks like her bouquet is made completely of Longiflorum/St. Joseph/ or Easter Lilies and myrtle branches, and the long trailing ribbons have small bits of myrtle leaves tied in the love knots.

The picture on the right is of my mother on her wedding day in 1964. I know for a fact that the love knots in her bouquet ribbon were tied around tulle tufts and sprigs of Lily of the Valley made of fabric. I know this for a fact... why? Because, before she tossed that bouquet away to history... I snipped some of it's ribbon and love knots to keep as mementos. Some of the salvaged ribbon wrapped the stem of my brother's boutonniere for his wedding in 2002.

Royal Wedding Tidbit of the day... After their wedding in May 1935, Ingrid and Frederik were chauffeured to a cemetery in Haga, Sweden, where Ingrid placed her bouquet on the grave of her mother, Queen Margareta.