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.
Origin of the ceremony of throwing the bouquet
The bouquet as an attribute of the bride's image first appeared in England in the 19th century. We owe the origin of the accessory to Queen Victoria, who held fresh flowers in her hands at her wedding to Prince Albert. Thus, the royal lady introduced the fashion for the bride’s bouquet throughout the civilized world. By the way, it was Victoria who also set the trend for a white bride’s dress at her wedding.
The custom of throwing something over the shoulder into the crowd of guests at a wedding appeared in medieval Europe. It didn’t have to be a bouquet; any element of the bride and groom’s wardrobe was considered a talisman against evil forces and a talisman of good luck. Initially, the outfits of the bride and groom were literally torn to pieces. Therefore, over time, the young people themselves began to give away any of their accessories for good luck. Today, this tradition has evolved into the bouquet and garter toss.
In the Middle Ages, the trend for a bridal bouquet had not yet appeared in France, but fresh flowers were actively used in the wedding look. For example, they were made into a bracelet or sewn to a dress on one thread so that the jewelry could be easily and quickly removed and thrown away. This tradition was transformed into throwing the bride's bouquet.
Now let's figure out what it means to catch a bouquet? It’s very simple - the one of the unmarried girlfriends or relatives of the newlyweds who gets it will be the first of all those present to get married.
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.
How to throw a bouquet, classic version
The ritual with a bouquet is not just fun, girlish dreams and dreams are involved here. It is believed that by giving her bouquet to her friend, the newlywed conveys a grain of her happiness, which will subsequently give the lucky woman a faithful marriage. Therefore, if it does not go against your principles, you should not deprive others of hope.
This is not only a classic, but more an American version. The bride should turn her back to the girls who are not yet married and, without looking, throw her wedding bouquet to them, throwing it over her head. The one who, by chance or due to her own dexterity, catches the thrown symbol of marriage will become the first contender for quick family happiness. Tradition says: if you want to get married, keep the talisman you catch in a safe place.
Today's bridal bouquets are so chic and often amaze with their bizarre shape. Throwing away such a masterpiece, even with good intentions, can harm it. Therefore, often at such ceremonies, the bride throws a plush toy or an artificial bouquet to the company of unmarried girls, and subsequently grandly presents her wedding bouquet to the applicant.
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It also happens that the bride does not want to give her flowers, because of other views, or she plans to take the fiance’s fiery gift with her on her honeymoon, the second bouquet of twins helps out. To do this, someone who organizes a wedding, in particular, orders bouquets for the bride, needs to order two of them, duplicating each other.
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.
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If you have a lot of girlfriends
More typical for a purely Russian wedding. The girlfriends, to the sound of the melody, stand in a circle and, holding hands, begin to move to the beat of the music. In the center of the circle with her eyes tied with a beautiful ribbon, in the opposite direction and with a bouquet in her hands, the bride is spinning. At a pre-agreed signal, for example, stop the music or a signal from the groom, who stands with his back to the round dance, all the girls, together with the bride, stop. The one who happens to be opposite the newlywed will receive the wedding bouquet.
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
Lottery at a wedding
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What bouquet should the bride throw?
What kind of bouquet does the bride throw at a wedding?
Girls have a lot of questions regarding the composition itself. There are no strict rules.
There are nuances that it is advisable to observe:
- Do not use flowers that are too vulnerable. For example, violets are so delicate and thin in structure that they can crumble already in flight.
- Carefully tie the composition at the base with a thick thread. You should not lose a single branch from your bouquet. Flowers should be tightly tied.
- Remove the composition from the vase in advance so that it dries a little. No one will be pleased to catch a wet accessory, which, moreover, can slip out of their hands.
- Compositions that are too massive and bulky are completely unsuitable for use.
Nowadays, an increasing number of brides do not want to part with their wedding symbol and talisman of love. Therefore, the girls began to resort to tricks, namely the use of a double. On the one hand, the young ladies thereby preserve traditions and please their friends.
On the other hand, they manage to take their main attribute of love home in beautiful condition, where they can admire the floral creation for a long time.
Role-playing games, lots and competitions
At any large wedding, in addition to the feast, various competitions and auctions are organized. Another good thing about such events is that the bouquet is preserved in its original, undamaged form and thus goes to its candidate.
- A ritual with a bouquet can be turned into a competition with lots. To do this, you need to prepare beautiful ribbons, exactly as many as you want, to participate in the bride competition. These ribbons should be wrapped several times around the base of the flower arrangement, but only one should be tied with a strong knot. The ends of the ribbon should hang freely, so make sure they are long in advance. When the planned event begins, each unmarried girl must choose her own end of the ribbon; the one who gets the ribbon holding the bouquet is the lucky one.
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- When preparing the script for the wedding, it is worth taking care of an unusual competition with the bride’s bouquet. The pirate version will serve as an example. You will need a chest with a lock for it; you can take a huge suitcase or box and transform it beautifully. The bride's bouquet is hidden in the chest in advance; it is better to use its double, and the key to the lock is mixed with other similar keys. The keys can be placed in a crystal vase, on a tray, or played in a competition. The bride's bouquet will go to the one who can open the chest with her key.
- Write the names of the girls on beautiful leaves, roll them into tubes, tie each of them with a silk ribbon and put it all in a beautiful vase. At the solemn moment, the bride takes out the treasured leaf at random, and thus determines who will receive the bouquet.
- A somewhat unusual, but interesting Greek version, about a shoe. The name of the bridesmaids is written with a felt-tip pen on the sole of the bride’s shoes, whose name remains at the end of the celebration or the next dance, and she will receive the desired bouquet.
- On a large Whatman paper, draw a labyrinth or a complex diagram, where a symbol marks the location of the lucky bouquet. The one who finds it first before finishing the competition will win.
All scenarios and examples with a wedding ritual about presenting a bouquet to the bride are good when the heroes of the occasion - the bride and groom - take part in their preparation. A few outside tips and tireless imagination will allow you to come up with your own, original tradition that can please both you and your guests.
So as not to offend anyone
A wedding is a joyful event not only for the newlyweds, but also for the guests. In order not to deprive all unmarried girls of playful pleasure, especially if there are only 2-3 of them left, you can give a bouquet to everyone. The situation is saved by a large, chic bouquet, which, if desired, can be easily divided into parts. Before throwing flowers, the bride just needs to untie the ribbon and she will have three bouquets in her hands at once, which she will throw without looking at her surprised and happy girlfriends. The whole beauty of this idea is its unexpectedness; don’t let anyone else know about your planned plan, and everything will go as well as possible.
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Why do you need a leg garter for a bride?
Throwing the Bride's Garter by the Groom
There are several reasons that force brides to wear a garter under their dress to the wedding. A garter is needed for the following purposes :
- The first and most common is following the Western tradition . The garter tossing by the bride or groom is a highlight of the wedding ceremony.
- The accessory can also be used to create a complete image of a beautiful bride. Knowing that the outfit is thought out to the smallest detail, the girl will feel feminine and confident.
- A bridal headband is a very sexy item of clothing. Many girls wear an elegant ribbon to give a pleasant surprise to their loved one on their wedding night.
- Often an accessory turns into a family treasure, passed on by inheritance. While a wedding dress is quite difficult to preserve and may go out of fashion, a garter always looks stylish and sexy. After many years, a regular headband will be called an heirloom.
Bride's Wedding Garter
When thinking about creating a wedding look, include a feminine garter in your outfit. You can keep its presence a secret and surprise your significant other, but if you are brave enough, implement the ancient tradition according to which the groom removes the garter holding his stockings and throws it to his friends.
