Long considered a symbol of beauty and love, roses figure into many myths and fairy tales. Romantic writers and poets have used the flower as a metaphor for emotion, beauty, passion and true love. An all-star in the world of weddings, the rose is far from boring, particularly when it comes to color—roses are available in solid hues and bicolor varieties—there are even striped and tipped roses as well.
More than 3,000 varieties of roses are grown commercially, and many are available year-round and are surprisingly affordable. And though roses are associated with luxurious fragrance, not every rose is scented. Three main types of roses are most popular for wedding flowers: hybrid tea roses (the classic, uniformly shaped commercial roses generally seen at your local florist), spray roses (a rose with five to ten small heads on each stem and a "natural, garden-grown" look) and garden roses (expensive, old-fashioned varieties with bushy, open heads and delicious scents).
