Back in the olden days people didn’t make a habit of bathing everyday. In fact regular hygene consisted in washing your face in the morning and your hands on occasions, such as before eating. bridesmaids wear bouquets
But the rest of your body could go for weeks, or even months without soap and this, at a time when perfume was very expensive and deodorant not invented yet, caused most people to smell not so good.
In order to hide this, the bride, who was supposed to be clean and fresh, would wear flowers. Also, back in the olden days, before the abuse of genetic manipulation, flowers had a very strong perfume. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but flowers don’t have much of a smell anymore! bridesmaids wear bouquets