Image: blooms and bouquets

The word Bouquet originated from an old French term which means "clump of trees" and was introduced to English by Lady Mary Montague in 1761.

It Gets Medieval

The bouquet catching tradition started back in medieval Europe, when single wedding guests viewed the bride’s dress a symbol of good luck, so they would chase her and rip a piece off a piece of her dress.When wedding dresses became something that brides spent more money on, they would throw other objects as a distraction. The bouquet, later on, became the traditionally thrown object, since flowers symbolize fertility.

    Most Single Gals are Against it

Perhaps when you’re young and the dance floor is packed with other fellow single women, it’s a fun activity to try and be the one who catches the bouquet. But as you get older, and all your friends get married, and you find that it is just you and one other person on the dance floor, you start to roll your eyes when the DJ announces it’s time for the bouquet toss or, like I recently did, you hide in the bathroom until the whole process is over. It turns out that only 19% of women were for the bouquet toss and 81% were against it.  

    It Can Get Violent

Think weddings are all about celebrating love and enjoying a stiff drink at the open bar? They are until it comes time for the bouquet toss. Then things can get pretty violent. Many injuries occur during this time, some by accident and some on purpose, since catching the bouquet is still a very competitive moment.

    It’s a Replaceable Tradition

Nowadays, instead of asking the single women to come together and catch a bouquet that indicates to them the idea that they will be the next to marry, often times, modern brides are swapping this tradition out with something more light hearted and fun. One idea is to play a fun song and ask for all friends to come to the dance floor to celebrate together: single and non-married friends together.