For years and years brides have been following the tradition
of throwing their lovely wedding bouquet into the air to be grabbed and tousled
by single female guests at her wedding reception. Worse, she had her garter removed by her
groom and tossed to single men at the reception or auctioned off. (Note:
The wise bride wore the garter below her knee.) These customs came from European cousins who
had in their history the tradition of chasing the bride to grab a piece of her
clothing for good luck.
While the sentiment was nice, the practice wasn't, so brides
began throwing flowers from the bouquet to the crowd chasing them in the hope
that would slow them down enough for her to escape with garments intact. The modern version of throwing the bouquet
and/or garter says that the person who catches the item will be the next to
marry - although not necessarily to each other.
The good news is that tradition is changing. Today's bride often chooses to present her
bouquet to her grandparents or to the couple at the
wedding who has been married the longest.
Some brides have the bouquet constructed with a removable centerpiece
that is used on the bridal table at the reception. Other brides have a smaller version of the
bridal bouquet - a tossing bouquet if you will - for those areas that still
practice this tradition. Very few brides
ask for pictures of the groom removing the garter for her photo album. Many of those shots are not very flattering
and best not considered. Besides, most brides want to keep their wedding garter
and instead provide a special tossing garter for those areas where it is still
expected.
One new version in some areas is to have the attendants sign
the bottoms of the shoes worn by the bride and groom. Whomever's name is left legible on the soles
of the shoes after a night of dancing is likely to marry next.
The important part of considering traditional practices is your
comfort level. If it makes you
uncomfortable or feel silly, don't do it.
Instead, consider starting new traditions or finding ways to make old
traditions your own. We can help with
ideas to put your personal touch on "something old."
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