Throwing a wedding bouquet: from the classic version to creative ideas

The tradition of throwing a bouquet to the bride came to us from ancient times, but remains relevant to this day.

This innocent entertainment, which today determines the next bride, used to have another meaning: flowers thrown by the newlywed were considered a symbol of happiness and good luck . That is why the guests were eager to get them.

What does this custom look like now? At what point does this happen at a wedding? What should you consider to avoid comical and absurd situations?

A little history

The history of the beautiful tradition of throwing a bouquet has its roots in the distant past. In Rus', newlyweds, at the end of the holiday, handed over wedding wreaths to unmarried girls and unmarried guys, and also carried out such a beautiful custom: unmarried girls blindfolded their newly-made wife and danced around her, and she randomly gave her wedding bouquet to the future lucky girl.

The custom of throwing a bouquet behind your back, rather than passing it in a round dance, came to us from Medieval Europe or the USA - there is no consensus. This tradition became popular after its widespread appearance at American weddings, which most likely borrowed it from medieval brides.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, it was believed that if an unmarried woman touched or even tore off a piece of her wedding dress, she would certainly be happy and get married soon. Brides, fearing for their wedding dress, began to come up with alternative options: for example, French women began to decorate the hem of their wedding dress with flowers that guests could pick out. It was not very convenient to pin flowers to an outfit, so brides began to take a bouquet with them to the wedding and throw it to their single girlfriends. In other European countries, instead of a bouquet, girls threw garters, chains or pendants to lonely people, and this is how the tradition of throwing a bride's garter to unmarried guys arose.

Over time, the tradition of throwing a wedding bouquet to your unmarried friends has become popular all over the world and to this day not a single wedding is complete without it.

Traditional way

The usual throwing scenario is that the bride stands with her back to her unmarried bridesmaids and, without turning around or peeking, throws flowers in their direction. Whoever catches it first is announced as the next bride.

How to do it right?

It turns out that everything is not so simple. Going out to guests, smiling sweetly, and throwing flowers at random will not work. There are some nuances, it is better to familiarize yourself with them in advance. Below are recommendations that will help you avoid awkward situations.

The distance between the newlywed and the girls should not be very large, two or three meters will be quite enough;
Don't throw too massive a bouquet . Firstly, it is heavy in weight and can easily injure someone during the fishing process. Secondly, “in flight” such a flower arrangement will look a little comical. If the groom has prepared a voluminous bouquet for his beloved, it is worth taking care of a lightweight version for the competition;
If the flowers are additionally decorated with a brooch or ribbons, you should remove them before throwing them. The brooch can scratch the girls catching flowers , and the ribbons can get tangled or interfere;
If during the festive evening the flowers stood in a vase on the newlyweds’ table, then immediately before the competition it is necessary to dry the plant stems. Catching a wet bouquet will be inconvenient and unpleasant.

Important! It is worth thinking carefully about the location of the competition.

It is better to throw a bouquet in a wide space to provide girls with freedom of movement when catching flowers. A dance area in the center of the banquet hall is fine, but be sure to keep the DJ equipment away from the action.

Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling also need to be taken care of - a bouquet can easily get caught and hang on them, or even break. The same trouble can happen with dishes and flower vases. In addition, a bride's bouquet ending up on someone's plate of food will not be the most attractive sight.

Should we keep the tradition?

Whether to throw a bouquet or not is your personal decision, as there are both pros and cons to this tradition.

Pros: Throwing a bouquet is a fun event that will entertain guests and especially delight unmarried girls who are looking forward to this ceremony.

Cons: some girls take this ritual very seriously, which can lead to offense or even quarrels; therefore, if such persons will be present at your wedding, it is better to either abandon the traditional throwing of the bouquet altogether, or replace it with a beautiful transfer of bouquets to all unmarried girls.

When they throw a bouquet at a wedding

The bride can decide for herself when to play this fun game with her unmarried bridesmaids. There are no specific rules regarding throwing times. This can be done almost at any time:

Immediately after marriage registration;
On a walk;
At the beginning of the celebration;
At the end of the celebration.

You just need to remember that such an event does not go unnoticed.
Recommendation! If you want everything to turn out beautifully, it is still better to plan to throw the wedding bouquet at the beginning or middle of the wedding.
So, you can be sure that guests who are hot with alcoholic drinks will not spoil anything. Agree, it looks unpleasant when tipsy men try to take part in catching flowers. Throwing a bouquet by the bride can be safely attributed to the culminating moments of the wedding celebration. Many guests are looking forward to this intrigue, so you need to skillfully organize and present the bouquet “raffle” to the audience.

The presenter will cope with this task perfectly . In a series of congratulations and competitions, he will choose the right time. It is important to attract the attention of the whole company so that it does not happen that one of the girls who dreamed of getting flowers from the bride missed this action.

Reference! To make the procedure of catching a bouquet even more interesting, you can precede it with a time countdown. The host announces the start, and the guests count together; on the count of “three” (or any other number), the newlywed throws flowers.

So, the presenter must announce the start of the competition, tell what will happen and how. The bride is called first, she appears before the audience and shows off her wonderful bouquet. The presenter can ask her several questions , for example:

Who will come out to fight for the flowers now?
Who does she envision as her next bride?

Next come unmarried friends . The host introduces them to the guests and starts the competition.

Before the start of the competition, the bride can be given the opportunity to say a few warm parting words to each friend or given the opportunity to give her friends a small symbolic gift.

Recommendation! The bouquet throwing scene itself should definitely be filmed . It will look very original in the “slow motion” mode, which creates the effect of slow motion.

So that the groom’s friends don’t get bored, they, in turn, are given a “raffle” for a garter, which the groom tears off the bride’s leg and throws to his single friends, thereby determining the next groom.

Throwing a bouquet: from classic to creative

For your celebration, you can choose either the traditional option of throwing a bouquet over your shoulder or more original options. It all depends on your personal preferences and wedding style:

for a classic celebration, you can choose the traditional option of throwing a bouquet over your shoulder,
for a folk wedding - round dance,
in the case of a pirate wedding, you can lock the bouquet in a chest,
For a Greek style wedding, the ideal option would be to write the girls' names on the bride's shoe.

Understudy

Often, instead of flowers given to the bride by the groom, a stand-in bouquet is used in a throwing competition. Why?

Firstly, this does not contradict the fact that the newlywed should not let go of her bouquet throughout the day (read more about superstitions regarding the bride’s bouquet here).
Secondly, as a rule, doubles are made specifically for this kind of event, so they are light and neat, which simplifies the fishing process for girlfriends.

Therefore, the bride does not have to throw away the original bouquet. And if

Competitions, auctions, lots

The delivery of the bride's bouquet can be carried out in the form of a competition, quest or lot. There are many options here:

Unmarried girls are invited to a competition, during which the owner of the wedding bouquet is determined.
You can draw lots: write the names of the girls on pieces of paper and put the pieces of paper in a beautiful bowl; the girl with whose name the piece of paper is drawn will become the owner of the bouquet.
A similar option: wrap pieces of paper in candy wrappers and draw a bouquet on one of them. The girl who receives the candy wrapper with the coveted piece of paper will become the owner of the bouquet.
Come up with a quest for the girls to find a bouquet; they will have to solve simple tasks in order to find the treasured item.

Lottery
Read also: According to the Orthodox canon: why do you need a cape for a wedding - choose it or sew it yourself
Lottery at a wedding

Original drawing options

The “raffle” of the newlywed’s flower arrangement can be carried out in an original form . Moreover, in many cases, the throwing process itself is replaced by an alternative method of presenting flowers to an unmarried girl.

With ribbons. Beautiful long ribbons surround the bouquet, but only one of them is tied to the flowers; the rest of the ribbons are discreetly held by the bride with her hands. Girlfriends choose any ribbon and pull it. The one who pulls out the ribbon tied to the bouquet becomes its owner;
Keys. The bouquet is hidden in a beautiful chest and locked. The key to it is hidden among several bags or glass jars, which are offered to the girlfriends to choose from. Each must take out her key and try to open the chest with it. The one whose key matches wins the treasured flowers;
Round dance. This method is a memory of wedding festivities in Ancient Rus'. The girlfriends stand in a circle, in the center of which stands the young woman with a bouquet. To the music, everyone begins to spin and dance, but in opposite directions: the round dance in one direction, and the bride in the other. As soon as the music stops, everyone stops, and the girl opposite the newlywed receives a bouquet;
Several bouquets. If you know the exact number of unmarried girlfriends, then you can prepare several identical compositions at once and combine them into one. When thrown, the bouquets will scatter in different directions and each end up with its owner;
Lot. This option is a real lottery. The names of all unmarried girls are written on beautiful pieces of paper. The pieces of paper are placed in a bowl and the bride chooses one of them. The one whose name is written on the lot will become the next bride;
Slingshot. Two of the groom's friends are holding a large slingshot with a wide elastic band, and the young woman is aiming a bouquet from it. This method looks very original and is a lot of fun. In addition, colorful photographs will be guaranteed;
With humor. A fun way to beat the throwing procedure is by resorting to a false start. It can be asked by the host or the bride herself. The movements of girls rushing towards a bouquet that is not yet flying will be very eloquent;
Just donate. It happens that only one or two unmarried friends are present at a wedding. In this case, flowers can be given by saying warm words and wishes;
An intellectual quest is a difficult task for girls who dream of getting married. Of course, you need to prepare for it in advance, think through the questions and tasks that will be offered to your friends. You can make a puzzle diagram and give each girl a card with clues. Questions and tasks can relate to the bride and groom, family and love topics, or have a humorous nature. The girl who completes the tasks the fastest receives the coveted flowers;
Greek version. The names of the bridesmaids are written on the sole of the newlywed's shoes with a felt-tip pen, after which they begin to dance together. Whose name is erased faster (or, conversely, not erased), wins.

Advice! If you want to remain original in everything, then choose an original bouquet!

Traditionally, fresh flowers are used in this entertainment, but compositions from different objects are possible. Kanzashi, a bouquet made from ribbons, looks beautiful and bright. Compositions made from candies or fabric will also look interesting and unusual.

How to catch? Adviсe

It turns out that throwing a wedding bouquet is not so easy, but catching it is even more difficult. Let's give some tricky tips:

It is advisable to stand in the first row (if there are a lot of unmarried girls) in the middle, opposite the bride;
During the presenter's report, begin to raise your arms above your head ;
Try to think not only about your cherished goal, but also about your girlfriends next to you. You shouldn’t run for a bouquet , pushing everyone away with your elbows;
Try to stand so that there is a small space between you and your closest neighbors.

What to do if caught?

If a girl becomes the owner of the bridal bouquet, then she should not rush to leave her place . Guests will be interested to meet the lucky girl. The presenter can conduct a kind of interview with the person who caught the flowers, ask simple questions about her name, impressions and plans for marriage.

Video: bouquet with an action camera inside

An original idea to shoot a video with the built-in Go Pro camera in a flower arrangement:

So, let's repeat our main tips for the newlywed :

Choose in advance which bouquet to throw - the original or the duplicate;
Make a “raffle” of the bouquet at the beginning or middle of the evening;
Stand so that all participants are comfortable and there is no risk of breaking or damaging anything;
Add intrigue to the throwing procedure (countdown, alternative options for the bouquet).

We advise those who love non-standard solutions to try original ways to determine the next bride. After the competition is over, all that remains is to study the question: what to do next with the caught bouquet?

If there are no unmarried girls

There are situations when among your guests there are only married couples . How then? You can come up with a variety of options.

Don't quit at all. Keep the flowers for yourself;
Throw married girls for luck;
Give as a gift to the first unmarried girl you meet on a walk;
Set sail on the river;
Interesting options are suggested by the customs of other countries: for example, in France, the newlywed takes flowers to the temple and puts them in gratitude to some saint; in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, custom requires that the bride's flowers be laid at the memorial.

Summary

The tradition of throwing a bouquet remains unchanged at every wedding. Brides are happy to select flowers for an accessory to please their friends. How this will be done does not matter much, the main thing is the gifted accessory and sincere wishes for the soon creation of a family and mutual understanding with the betrothed. Well, girls who did not receive the desired award should not be upset - there is still more to come.