Royal Wedding Flowers lily of the valley

Let's talk flowers, it's August after all. Lily-of-the-valley has been used in two of the most famous royal wedding bouquets of the last sixty years. The tiny flower with its big scent was a feature in Kate Middleton's posy when she walked into Westminster Abbey to become Duchess of Cambridge while six decades earlier, Grace Kelly had used this flower alone in her bouquet. If you want to get the lace and loveliness vibe of these two famous royal brides, then lily of the valley is the way to go.

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You can see why Kate and Grace both went LOTV (you can work that one out). It's very light and delicate and those two famous dresses with their not dissimilar shapes need something subtle in the flower department to allow them to really sing. The delicate bouquet that Kate Middleton carried at her wedding on April 29th 2011 was dominated by the tiny tubular flowers that make LOTV so distinctive.

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In fact, even from a distance the sprawling sparkle of the little blooms remains distinctive as you can see from Grace's bouquet above. She's carrying just a tiny little posy of LOTV but it really stands out. These wedding flowers pack a punch and then some and a little goes a very long way which is handy as it can be pricey when ordered for bouquets. It grows well in gardens and is abundant in late spring. It's also the birth flower of May although Kate and Grace were both April brides.

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OK, for years it was best known as the scent of a soap generally used by people entering their second century but they were on to something. In its purest form, the smell of these flowers is captivating and holds all the promise of summer. But you do need to be careful. In big doses it can be overwhelming plus there's the hayfever warning. Pop this little pollen packer everywhere and you run the risk of sneezing guests as far as the eye can see. And remember it's poisonous, too. Not that anyone should really be tucking into your wedding flowers but keep an eye on kids and pets if you're leaving LOTV lying around.

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There's one more reason that LOTV has been such a stand out royal wedding flower and that's its symbolism. We heard a lot about Kate's love of the language of flowers when her bouquet hit the headlines and this particular bloom was made for weddings. It means humility, chastity, purity and sweetness and it's also meant to bring luck in love. It also means ''the return of happiness''  so it kind of ticks every wedding box going. A regal meaning if ever there was one.