After seeing this post on Snippet & Ink, all I could really think was omgwtfpansies. Pansies were my favorite flower when I was little, because they were what I chose to plant in my first ever designated patch of garden. I suppose I have always had somewhat victorian sensibilities; I also chose a serious dusty rose for the color of my childhood bedroom at the ripe old age of 4 or something. 

Apart from my own personal history with the flower, I found this little bouquet refreshing amongst the never-ending parade of "big fluffies" in bridal bouquets (you know... peonies, dahlias, garden roses, etc). With so many modern brides choosing dresses that are a far cry from the Cinderella ball-gowns of their mothers, I think it's only fair to try and show more different styles of flowers as well. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that I tried to get the sweet violets, which would have helped fix the primary functional problem of this bouquet, the extreme short stems. I didn't get them, but I think I could quite possibly have rigged the bouquet over a small floral foam core and used a very opaque wrap and no one would have been the wiser. As for the notorious short vase life and even quicker wilting out of water of these little puppies, I was surprised to find my little bouquet still pretty darn alive when I arrived home after about 7 hours, despite being barely in the water due to aforementioned short-stemage. I believe a bride could easily make it down the aisle with such a bouquet and then set it in water on her table during the evening and have it last the night. I hope some brides will take a chance on pansies in the future... the best weddings  are the ones that try things that are different because they feel right.