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When I first started
my wedding planning and saw the words “tussy mussy” I had no
idea what they meant. To me, it sounded like something you would
call a difficult, snotty, bridesmaid!
Tussy mussies despite their funny names, though, are actually
beautiful and elegant flower holders. The first tussy mussies
appeared in France during the eighteenth century and were used
primarily during the Victorian Era. They recently made a
comeback after Oprah Winfrey named them one of her “favorite
things” in a 1999 show.
Tussy mussies can be made from pewter, cobalt glass, silver,
gold, porcelain, and even plastic. Of course the finer the tussy
mussies make is, the more expensive it will be. I have seen
tussy mussies range in price on the Internet from $25 (plastic)
to hundreds of dollars (gold). Tussy mussies are filled with
small clusters of flowers that are tied. Lace and ribbons can
also be incorporated into the tussy mussy.
In Victorian times tussy mussies were considered art forms and
each one was unique. Suitors would spend much time selecting the
flowers they wanted to put in their beloved tussy mussies,
because each flower had meaning. When a woman received a tussy
mussy she would read the flowers like an essay—trying to
decipher what the sender was saying to her. Some of the more
popular flowers to use in tussy mussies and their meanings are:
Red Rose—love
Yellow rose--friendship
Azalea-- romance
Heather-- wishes come true
Ivy-- fidelity
Laurel-- success
Myrtle-- passion
Mint -- Virtue
Lavender -- Devotion
Rosemary -- Remembrance
Globe Amaranth -- Everlasting Love
Snowdrop - Hope
Sweet Pea - Delicate pleasures
Tulip - Love
Violet - Faithfulness
If you decide to use tussy mussies for your wedding, you can get
each bridesmaid a different tussy mussy with the same
arrangement of flowers or the same tussy mussy with different
flowers (to reflect their personality or bestow certain wishes
on them). With tussy mussies, virtually any combination goes.
Another nice thing about tussy mussies are that your attendants
will have it forever and, if you buy ones with handles, can hang
it from a doorknob in their house as a constant reminder of the
day. You can give the bridesmaids their tussy mussie as their
gift for participating in the wedding. |
