This tradition originated in France in the fourteenth century when the bride was considered to be good luck. At the end of the ceremony guest would tear off pieces of the brides dress in hopes of bringing themselves good fortune. This custom gradually became more and more brutal, until one clever bride decided to toss her flowers as a token of luck to those eyeing her garment and the crowd was satisfied. The ritual eventually evolved into what we now know as the bouquet and garter toss.
I have witnessed multiple occasions where no one has caught the bouquet or garter. In this situation usually they either throw it again, or someone picks it up off the floor and claims the prize. It’s a little anti climatic, but it does happen.
On the other hand there are times when two or more people catch it, like with these girls here.
This particular tug of war went on for quite a while before the bridesmaid ended up with full custody of the bouquet and humbly accepted the title as next to marry.
The guys can be even more competitive. Here is a dog pile of around 20 single men ready to duke it out for the lacy leg band.
If wedding day brawls aren’t your thing some brides choose to pass on their bouquet in a more civil manner to someone they want to honor, or to a married couple whose relationship is an inspiration. There is also a type of bouquet that splits off in several directions so that there is more than one winner.
Whatever way you decide to bestow these symbols it is just one more kodak moment to add to the many you have on the happiest day of your life.
1 comment:
I love these pics! And I have heard of a couple of wedding brawls in my extended family.
I really think the whole scene has the potential to become tacky--certainly there shouldn't be any pushing or shoving! I was happy on my wedding day, because my sister caught my bouquet, and we didn't set it up that way or anything.
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