1840: Queen Victoria
The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is the stuff of fairy tales — guy and girl fall in love, girl proposes to guy because she's a monarch and legally has to ... you know the story. Thankfully, he said yes! On her wedding day, the bride carried a small bouquet of snowdrops (Albert's favorite flower) and myrtle, a Hebrew symbol for love and marriage. A few years later, Victoria would plant a piece of myrtle from a nosegay given to her by Prince Albert's grandmother in her garden. Cuttings from this plant have been used in almost every royal bridal bouquet since, starting with Princess Royal Victoria (the Queen's daughter) at her wedding in 1858. After the wedding, the cutting is planted in the bride’s garden by a bridesmaid. Legend has it that if it doesn’t take root, whoever planted it will become an old maid.
