How Many Roses to Give: What 1 to 150 Roses Mean

There is no official table of what each number of roses means. The lists online do not even agree with each other: one says a single rose means "you are the only one", the next says "love at first sight". That is no reason to ignore the number, only a reason not to overthink it. This page sets out where the common readings agree, which numbers carry a meaning of their own in Turkey, and which bouquets we actually tie in Istanbul at exactly that count.

Planning a proposal or an anniversary surprise while you are in Istanbul? A large rose bouquet can be delivered to your hotel, see send flowers to a hotel in Istanbul. For any other address, use our same-day flower delivery in Istanbul page.

What each number of roses means, at a glance

• 1 rose: you are the one, or love at first sight. Either way a deliberate, personal gesture.
• 3 roses: "I love you", one of the few readings almost every source agrees on.
• 7 roses: admiration and infatuation.
• 9 roses: eternal love and loyalty.
• 11 roses: you are truly treasured.
• 12 roses: be mine. The dozen is the classic romantic bouquet.
• 15 roses: I am sorry, a request for forgiveness.
• 21 roses: in Turkey a popular number for a proposal, more on that below.
• 24 roses: I think of you around the clock.
• 25 roses: congratulations, and a natural fit for a silver wedding anniversary.
• 36 roses: a passionate declaration of love.
• 41 roses: in Turkey the traditional bouquet for kız isteme, the visit at which the family formally asks for the bride's hand.
• 50 roses: unconditional love.
• 60 roses: mature, grown love, or simply a 60th birthday.
• 99 roses: I will love you forever.
• 100 roses: complete devotion.
• 101 roses: in Turkey: a hundred for you, and the one left over is you.
• 150 roses: no traditional meaning. It is simply going beyond a hundred, for when a hundred does not feel like enough.

Small bouquets: 1 to 12 roses

Some European etiquette guides recommend an odd number for small bouquets because it looks more natural, with the dozen as the well-known exception. Turkey has no such rule, nobody there checks whether the number is even. For a birthday or an early date a few roses are plenty, a large count in a new relationship can read as too much too soon. From our collection, for example, 9 red roses in a vase or the 11 red roses bouquet.

Medium bouquets: 15 to 36 roses

From about twenty roses, a greeting becomes a statement. 25 roses suit congratulations of every kind and a silver wedding anniversary, 36 roses read as a passionate declaration. Numbers like 35 have no fixed meaning, they take their message from the occasion, a 35th birthday for example. From our collection: 21 red roses, 25 red roses in a vase and 35 red roses in kraft paper.

What is different in Turkey: 21, 41 and 101 roses

Most lists of rose meanings come from Western Europe or the US. In Turkey three numbers carry a meaning that everyone there knows and that the usual guides leave out.

41 roses are the classic bouquet for kız isteme. At this visit the man's family calls on the woman's family and formally asks for her hand. Flowers and chocolate are part of it, and 41 is the number many families choose. It is often linked to the saying "kırk bir kere maşallah", a blessing against the evil eye. If you cannot travel to Istanbul for such a visit, you can send the bouquet to the bride's family. From us: 41 red roses with daisies.

21 roses are the smaller, also common choice for a proposal or engagement. 101 roses are the big gesture: a hundred roses for you, and the one left over is you. We do not carry a fixed bouquet of exactly 101 stems, the closest is 100 red roses. For the engagement ceremony itself, see our guide to Turkish engagement flowers.

Grand gestures: 50 to 150 roses

50 roses stand for unconditional love, 99 and 100 for a promise that lasts. At these sizes the number matters less than the sight of it: a bouquet of a hundred stems is heavy, takes both arms to carry and needs its own place in the home. If it is meant as a surprise, still check quietly beforehand that someone will be in, and give the recipient's phone number, our couriers call before delivering. The choices: 60 red roses, 100 red roses, 100 white roses and 150 red roses.

Choosing the number by years

The most personal answer is not in any table: as many roses as years together, months since you met, or the age at a milestone birthday. It works especially well for a wedding anniversary, with ideas in our anniversary guide.

When the number does not matter

For condolences in Turkey the count is irrelevant, what matters is colour and timing: white flowers, and quickly, because the funeral usually takes place within 24 hours. Everything on that is in our guide to sending condolence flowers to Turkey. Even for romantic occasions, colour often says more than the number: what red roses mean and what the other rose colours mean.

Every rose bouquet is tied in Istanbul and delivered the same day when the order arrives by 18:00 Turkish time. See all roses.