Wedding Tradition - Tossing of the Bride's Bouquet

The tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet dates back as far as the 14th century in ancient England. Back then, weddings were not the elegant affairs they are today. Instead, they were often rowdy drunken parties and it was believed that it was good luck to own a piece of the bride’s wedding gown. So when the ceremony was over, single women would make a mad dash to tear off pieces of the bride’s gown to keep for good luck.

In time, as wedding gowns became more expensive and to prevent herself from ending up in tatters on her wedding day, brides started tossing other things instead to keep them at bay. Flowers were a good choice as they symbolized fertility, are perishable and no longer used once the wedding was over. Tradition says that the woman who catches the bridal bouquet will be the next to marry!

Today's bridal bouquets are expensive and brides are chosing to preserve and keep their actual bouquet.  Since many brides don't want to throw their actual wedding bouquet, the florist will create a less expensive "throw bouquet" with the same wedding flowers and colors.

Can I skip the bouquet toss tradition at my wedding?  Yes, you certainly can skip the bridal bouquet toss if it's just not something you want to do. Instead, you could give your bouquet to a special friend or relative, or break it into smaller bouquets and give them to a few special wedding guests. Some brides opt to do the Anniversary Dance, where all married couples join the bride and groom on the dance floor as the bandleader or DJ plays a song and eliminates couples depending on the amount of time they've been married. The last couple remaining on the dance floor, the one married the longest, would then be presented with the bridal bouquet, or another special gift.