21st January 2022
We love a fun wedding tradition, especially one as bonkers as throwing the bouquet. It’s a fun chance for all your single girl (and guy) friends to gang up and hustle for a chance to take home your florals and perhaps be the next to walk down the aisle. Whether you believe in the good luck superstition or not, it is undeniable that this tradition always gets the crowd excited at a wedding.
It is up to you if you want to include this as part of your day. Maybe you have plans for keeping your bouquet, or feel that this tradition is a little outdated for your taste. However if you want to get involved, or are still on the fence, here is the history of throwing the bouquet and some reasons why you might want to do it after all.
Like many mad traditions this one originated in England in the 1800s. It was born from the idea that touching the bride on her wedding day was good luck and would lead to you becoming a bride soon.
During these times it was imperative that women would marry as it was their only means of social mobility. Due to this frenzy for marriage brides would be mobbed on their wedding day as women tried to touch them or even rip pieces from their gown.
This aggressive ritual was replaced with the more palatable one of throwing the bouquet – while the ladies aiming to catch it may have been a bit rough with each other this at least kept the bride out of harms way!
In modern times women no longer need to marry in order to live, but the tradition endures like so many quaint cultural oddities do. Whether or not you still see it as good luck to catch the bouquet is up to you.
Ahh weddings. The unsung logistical nightmare. When you get proposed to it’s probably the white dress you start dreaming of, not the wedding planning spreadsheet. But every detail needs some planning even down to traditions like this.
Tradition states that all unmarried female guests participate in the ritual, but really it is up to you and your guests who gets involved. We think it’s fair to include all genders, and not to force participation from those who don’t want to.
Bouquets are expensive! They are also pretty sentimental to many people, so if you are one of those people and cannot bare to part with it you have two options. One, simply don’t throw it! It is your day and you can throw whatever you like at your guests. Well, within reason… Two, order a second bouquet specifically for throwing. This is a pretty common thing to do and will keep your blooms safe from the grabbing hands for you to preserve later. You definitely don’t need to spend as much on your second bouquet either. Nobody will be checking if it’s an exact replica!
Choose a fun song to throw the bouquet to. This will make it a fun and memorable moment in your evening. A good choice would be a song you and your friends enjoy dancing to together, as it will be a nice tie in for all of your friends participating. It’s also usually one of the last things you do at a wedding reception so expect some less than sober participants for this one.
If you:
Then absolutely yes! First of all, why not? As long as you will get enjoyment from a tradition then we say get involved.
However, if you:
Then there is no need to participate. You could either come up with a fun alternative, or just let your wedding reception do the entertaining. You should only have things at your wedding that you truly want there.
FULLY INSURED DELIVERY
Buy online with confidence, with our excellent service
ORDER SAMPLES
A boutique experience from the comfort of your own home
UNBEATABLE VALUE
Up to 50% cheaper than the high street