It’s wedding season, which means, it’s flower season. 

My husband and I recently attended a wedding outdoors with the Appalachian Mountains as the backdrop. The bride and groom stood in front of an arch of cut flowers, and the bride carried a bouquet of every color you can imagine. There were a lot of reasons that made this wedding one of the most enjoyable that we’ve attended in some time, but the flowers really caught my attention.

My year got off to a rocky start and just continued to roll on, each month adding a new challenge to work through or a disappointment to overcome. The good news is that as my family continues to work through each challenge, my marriage becomes a stronger union and my own spirit more grounded in faith to just keep going. Still, it hasn’t been easy.

Weddings are often a beautiful escape from the day to day. You get the opportunity to leave town, dress up and witness someone else’s love on public display. You get to step into another person’s love story. It can be a fun escape, while at the same time, an opportunity to reflect on your own promises. I found myself looking at my husband during this wedding realizing how lucky we are to have found one another, knowing we can endure whatever comes our way, because of the love we share. The real beauty of a love story is often found in overcoming.

I often walk by the front lawns and gardens in my neighborhood and have come to appreciate a different love story I have found between the gardener and her plants. When I come across a thoughtfully designed or tidy garden bed, all I see is the loving sacrifice that went into making it look as it does. 

My own gardens have been my own place of escape and restoration. There was a time when I would step outside and feel stress, fear or sadness. Today, those feelings have faded away. As I wipe the dirty sweat from my brow and look around, the yard is covered in color and evidence of how I’ve used flowers to work through challenges. Blue delphiniums and purple lavender woven between soft pink and white roses. Pink cosmos and magenta foxgloves wave with the breeze. Yellow sunflowers and gladiolus standing tall and proud. All I see are memories made with my children, learning lessons and finding personal strength in a healthy and productive outlet. My yard has become a place that brings me peace. It is a place I love that loves me back.

There are a variety of reasons throughout history and culture as to why flowers fill a wedding venue. But, from the perspective of a gardener, when the bride and groom stand in front of an arch of fragrant color, they stand in front of something that represents resilient and joyful devotion. When entering a lifelong union, what more could you ask for?

There is so much more waiting to bloom, in time. For now, I stop and smell the roses.