The topic today....the throwing of the bouquet and the transferring of the garter. Where, when, how and why did this tradition emerge? It actually is an interesting history, but we'll leave that for you to research on your own. We want to hear about your past experiences and your current thoughts about the tradition. Provide honest feedback to help other brides who are just not sure what direction to go.
Is it a classic and entertaining wedding reception activity that gets everyone involved?
Is it awkward and outdated...void of any value?
Should it be done at the start or end of the reception?
What are the best songs to play to keep it fun and light?
Should the bride's actual bouquet be thrown, or should it be a separate, perhaps smaller replica?
I have caught the bouquet before, but as a little girl and my brother caught the garter- can you say AWKWARD???? :-) I think it is a fun tradition though! I think when the bride's bouquet gets caught, "All the Single Ladies" from Beyonce is a fun song to play. A small bouquet (not the bride's) should be thrown. It should definitely be done at the end of the night (after a few drinks ;-)!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a fun tradition. I don't think it's embarrasing because you expect it to happen and your not alone there are always plenty of single men and women. I do think it should be a smaller version of the bride's bouquet, and usually the florist includes it in the flower package. I'm not sure about what song is apropriate, but I do agree it should be done near the end of the night. At my wedding the girl who caught the bouquet and the guy that caught the garter are now married with three kids.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's a really fun tradition. If all the pictures are completed with the bouquet, I saw toss it. Maybe pick a flower off of it for a scrap book, but other than that it's really of no use. In terms of songs...definitely Single Ladies for the bouquet toss, Another one bites the dust for the garter toss, and maybe billy joel shameless for the garter being put on!
ReplyDeletedepends on the relationship to the bride and groom..... if they're fun, crazy friends it can be a great time! if its a far removed cousin and you know none of the others out there it can be a little embarassing.... especially when you catch it and so does a creepy guy! ewwwwww! at my own wedding, since i was one of the last of my friends to tie the knot and i knew the singles number would be low anyway, we did things a little differently... we had all the married couples come to the floor for a slow dance, and then dismissed them by the amount of years they have been married. we ended up with a dear couple that had been married more than 50 years. i then presented her with a bouquet.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to get more people involved...love how you gave her a bouquet.
DeleteI think it is a fun thing to do. I do think the bouquet should be a smaller version so the bride can keep hers. I know I have caught a couple bouquets but It has not helped me. I have never been the next to marry, but Oh well. It's a fun keepsake to say you were at the wedding and caught the bouquet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a fun tradition, and should be continued! It can be awkward if it's done at the beginning of the reception (before anyone has had a drink to loosen up), but near the middle or end of the reception, it's fun ;D I definitely think that it should be done with a smaller bouquet (usually called a throwing bouquet for that purpose). I have always thought it was a blast :D
ReplyDeleteI'd say I'm a torn bride to be and it'll be interesting answering this.
ReplyDelete1. Is it a classic and entertaining wedding reception activity that gets everyone involved? I would say it's "traditional" and it forces everyone to get involved even when they don't want to. The dj awkwardly calls out anyone who the bride thinks should be up there. For a shy person (not me) it's the worst time of a wedding
2. Is it awkward and outdated...void of any value? It's awkward when there are young kids tossed into the mix. Could be interesting if tw single people caught them. But I'm not sure I agree with a stranger putting something as high on a woman's leg as they possibly can.
3. Should it be done at the start or end of the reception? if it's done, I'd recommend the end when youngsters potentially are gone and the guests are "gone" in their own little way. haha.
4. What are the best songs to play to keep it fun and light? beyonce all the single ladies is overdone. I don't have any other suggestions though.
5. Should the bride's actual bouquet be thrown, or should it be a separate, perhaps smaller replica? it's up to the bride. I'm pretty sure most brides make smaller versions so they can keep their own if they plan on drying it or whatever. My flowers are going to be hand made so I'm definitely not giving my bouquet away.
One of my brides made a cute little bouquet herself which had flowers scratch offs and a gift card attached. She had the DJ call up ALL of the single people in the house and then she threw it to a lucky single person who got to enjoy in some gambling and a gift card. :)
Love that last tip! Shared it with our FB readers...thanks, Sarah.
DeleteI've been to weddings that decide not to do a bouquet toss and garter toss, and it just feels like something's missing out of the whole wedding experience. not to say I think everyone should do it, especially if they don't want to, but if it's done right it can be fun/ funny. I've also been to weddings where women fight over the toss bouquet like rabid dogs, which makes it way less fun and way too desperate for my taste.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a fun tradition, a way to keep things fun at the reception when most people aren't going to stay long.
ReplyDeleteI think deciding which bouquet to throw depends on whether you use real flowers or not. Personally, I won't use real flowers and am such a sentimental hoarder that I'll probably want to keep my bouquet and make a smaller replica. But if they were real flowers, I'd say toss em. You're just gonna throw em away anyway.
The order I would do it is probably cutting the cakes, doing the toast and then the tosses. I've seen where people have taken this time to turn it into a short game to show how well they know each other or something. People eat that stuff up.
We didn't have a formal reception. We had invited friends and family to a local watering hole to celebrate our nuptials that evening. I had made my own bouquet, so I did, indeed, toss the original. The DJ that happened to be playing at the bar did not have Beyonce's Single Ladies...so I tossed my bouquet to O.P.P. to all the ladies on the dance floor at the time. We did not have a garter to toss. We didn't have a formal wedding, it wasn't our style. But we wanted to keep some traditional elements to the celebration. Best advice, do what YOU want. Weddings are about the two people getting married...not the wants and needs of family and friends.
ReplyDeleteNo tossing!
ReplyDeleteTOSS the garter toss out of your wedding schedule. tacky. boring. nobody but your creepy drunk uncle enjoy it.
ReplyDeletexo
Super fun with the right crowd. My friend got to dance with my sister (his dream) and it was hysterical.
ReplyDeleteGetting the garter off is awesome, and being openly inappropriate is fun as heck!
We tossed it was fun, plus it gave me a chance to show off my cowgirl boots that I had on under my dress! ;) Some things we did, some we didn't. We discussed each before hand and decided if it was fun for us or fun for our guests and went from there. Also things changed once alcohol was flowing, so keep an open mind, never know where it can take you and the pictures keep those moments alive!
ReplyDeleteif you have enough single gals attending the wedding, i say do the bouquet toss! why not? we didn't have one because there weren't enough single girls to make it worthwhile. plus, we had 6+" of snow on our wedding day and plans changed a bit!
ReplyDeletebut, i do say leave out the garter toss...
Just one more thought - I really enjoyed choosing the flowers for my bouquet and trying to be sure they said something unique about me. So, why toss that away??
ReplyDeleteI think it it definitely toss... but I would probably toss a smaller version of my bouquet.
ReplyDeleteOkay well history shows people use to try and tear a piece of the brides dress or flowers to bask in her good fortune ... so i would guess tossing the bouquet was invented to pass along good fortune with out having your dress shredded ... and i say THROW the bouquet ... who doesn't throw a bouquet ... i am partial to throwing a smaller one so both the bride and the recipient have their own keepsake!
ReplyDeleteI say fling that garter across the room and cross you're fingers that who ever catches it isn't related to the lady who caught the bouquet. As for the throwing of the bouquet I say throw the real thing. I would take one flower from the bouquet and keep it. Thats what I would do if my husband ever gives me my wedding
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