Why do brides all over the world throw their wedding bouquets? What does this tradition mean? And what to do if you consider it tacky or even dangerous? You won’t believe what some single women are capable of doing to get their own big wedding. So these days, many couples are forsaking the tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet in order to avoid violence and awkward situations during the wedding party. But actually, there are some very cute alternative rituals that you can use and be sure you’ll get plenty of “Awws!” from your guests.
Let’s talk about the tradition of throwing the bridal bouquet at a wedding. This wedding tradition is one of the most well-known and popular, especially among the American and European brides.
The origin of this tradition
So, the tradition of catching the bouquet. Where did it come from? A lot of people throw the bouquet at their wedding and most people, probably, don't know where the tradition has extended from.
So, back in the olden days in medieval Europe, after the bride and groom were wed, it was a tradition for the guests to take something from the bride, because then they were blessed with wealth, with fertility, with happiness and joy. So the virginal bride – after she cut the cake and she left the wedding reception with her husband to go and consummate the marriage – the guests would literally chase her and grab her and tear things off her, like her wedding dress and her flowers. They would take pieces of her dress and her flowers, and that would bring them luck, joy, prosperity, and fertility.
It's not particularly a charming tradition and, thankfully, it's evolved down to throwing the garter or the bouquet. So, what happens in today's modern era is that the single ladies or the unwed ladies are dragged – often kicking and screaming – onto the dance floor and the bride turns around and throws the bouquet. The lady that catches the bouquet is said to be the next to be wed.
Alternative traditions
But some people don't like the idea of tossing the bouquet. So, there are alternatives to it. For instance, the bridal bouquet or a replica of it is presented to the couple in the room who have been married the longest, which is a lovely tradition.
The bridal bouquet could be presented to the mother of the bride, or split in two and be presented to both mothers – of the bride and groom.
Also, it could be split into however many bridesmaids you have and presented to the bridesmaids.
It could be presented to a family or a friend member who have recently lost a loved one in honor of that person who wasn’t able to make it to the wedding.
Some people just don’t like the frenzy of the single women, trying to catch the wedding bouquet at any cost. So they made out a way to perform this ritual calmer and easier. The bridesmaids and the single women of the room encircle the bride and let the fate decide. It is a little bit like “Pin the tail on the donkey”. The bride spins around and graciously hands out the bouquet to whoever appears in front of her. In this case, there's no football tackles or dresses slipping down or women stampeding on the floor. It's quite civilized.
If you like the tradition of throwing the bouquet or any of its alternatives, don’t be afraid to use it during your wedding party. It’s always either fun or an emotional moment for the bride that she will remember.
And for the bridesmaids and single ladies we have only two words: good luck. Who knows, maybe you’ll really be the next one to celebrate your wedding…
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