Flower girls are beautiful additions to any wedding. The moment you see a little girl dolled up in a dress and throwing petals down the aisle, you know that the bride is minutes away from gracing the event. A flower girl is a young girl who precedes the bride down the aisle, scattering petals down the aisle during the wedding procession.

The tradition of flower girls can be traced back to the ancient Roman empire, where young girls carried a sheaf of wheat and baskets of herbs during the wedding procession. It was believed that the act would bring prosperity to the couple. In the Renaissance, young girls carried stalks of garlic, believing it would repel evil from the couple’s lives.

Over the years, the interpretation of this tradition began to change as more people adopted it. In the Elizabethan era, the inclusion of flower girls in weddings reflected the hope and innocence of the bride’s childhood. It changed further in the Victorian era when flower girls began to be donned in dresses resembling the bride’s dress. In this era, the ornate basket of fresh blooms carried by the girl was a symbol of unending love.

In recent times, brides have been at liberty to decide whether they want a flower girl in their wedding procession. They also get to decide the preferred age and number of flower girls they want at their wedding. However, it is rare for males, especially older males, to play the role of flower girls.

Regardless, that was the case at a wedding in June 2023. The bride, Rachel Pitman, shared an Instagram video of her 95-year-old grandfather, Bert Edlin, who was the flower grandpa at her wedding.