How did the tradition of throwing a bouquet by a bride appear and is there an alternative to it?

The bride's bouquet, perhaps, delights those present at the wedding no less than the wedding dress. Few people know, but many years ago, a wedding bouquet was completely different from the modern design. Flowers were not used at all, the bride went to the altar with three ears of wheat. The bouquet served as a talisman. It served as a kind of protection for the bride from negative energy, and in no case was it allowed to pass it on to anyone. The tradition of throwing the bride's bouquet to her unmarried girlfriends appeared relatively recently.

No one knows how the tradition of throwing a wedding bouquet to unmarried women came about, but a lot of assumptions have accumulated. According to one of them, in many countries, a wedding bouquet was a symbol of a happy life and success. Naturally, all those present at the celebration tried to get it. Subsequently, it acquired a completely different meaning, which is familiar to all of us: the definition of the future bride.

Today the tradition of throwing a bouquet is used as an innocent entertainment. There are no specific rules, and this can be done at any time convenient for the bride and groom. For example, after leaving the registry office, during a photo shoot or a walk, at the beginning of a banquet or when the celebration comes to an end.

As a rule, most of the invited hosts try to schedule the tradition before the end of the banquet in order to avoid possible embarrassment with already drunk guests. In addition, this moment is a kind of culmination of the whole evening, and therefore should be well organized.

The presenter must make sure that all the participants are in place for the catch of the bouquet. Therefore, it is advisable to announce the upcoming competition a couple of minutes before its start and explain the rules in detail to those around you. First of all, the bride is invited to show all the guests her beautiful bouquet and answer the tricky question about who will catch the bouquet this evening. Then all female representatives who have not yet married are invited.

For unmarried friends of the groom, there is a similar entertainment with throwing a garter, which is previously removed from the graceful leg of the bride. A man who has caught a garter, according to tradition, will soon meet his soul mate and marry her.

If there are no unmarried ladies at the celebration, then the bride should give the bouquet to the first unmarried girl she meets on the way to the banquet. Or you can act more romantic and let the wedding bouquet down the river. If there is one unmarried girl at the party, then the bride should simply give her the wedding bouquet, saying a few warm words.

The tradition of throwing a wedding bouquet came to us from the west, and appeared in America. In France, for example, the bride, after her marriage has been registered, goes to the temple with the groom and gives flowers to one of the saints. This is done as a token of gratitude for the fact that the heavenly angels allowed two earthly lovers to meet and unite in a lasting union. In the UK, there is another tradition according to which a wedding bouquet should be laid at one of the monuments.

When planning a wedding, newlyweds are increasingly moving away from this tradition, making a choice in favor of more original solutions. As a result, many variations have emerged over the past few years. There are some successful ones among them, and they are widely used.

• The first alternative tradition is to use ribbons. The bridal bouquet is still participating in this action. Beautiful satin ribbons, which were chosen in the same color scheme as the wedding decorations, are tied to the bouquet. The highlight of this method is that only one ribbon is tied, the rest of the bride is holding with her hand. She and all the unmarried ladies stand in a circle. Stretching out her hand with a bouquet, the bride gives the participants the opportunity to choose a ribbon for themselves. At the signal of the presenter, all the participants pull on the ribbon, and the one whose ribbon remains in the bride's hand becomes the winner of this competition. It is she, according to tradition, who is next to get married.

• An interesting and rather original alternative to the traditional bride throwing a wedding bouquet is method using a chest. It holds a wedding bouquet and is locked with a key. Then the key is placed in a satin bag or some beautiful container and mixed with keys that are not suitable for the lock. Each of the unmarried girls takes one and tries to get a wedding bouquet. The one who succeeds wins the competition.

• In modern wedding celebrations, there was a place for ancient Russian traditions, namely: round dance transfer of the bride's bouquet. All unmarried people present at the celebration form a circle in which the bride stands in the middle. Then rhythmic music turns on, and the participants begin to lead a round dance. Meanwhile, the bride spins in the opposite direction. This method is one of the most competitive, as, in anticipation of the transfer of the bouquet, some bridesmaids begin to move faster or slower, thereby creating a cheerful and joyful atmosphere. Turning off the music will be a signal that all participants in the process need to stop. The girl facing the outstretched hand of the bride with a bouquet wins the competition.

• The next method is extremely touching., he will show the warm attitude of the bride to all the ladies present at the celebration. However, it is necessary to know in advance the exact number of participants. The essence of this method is to create several identical flower arrangements and combine them into one so that it looks like a whole bouquet. When the bride throws the wedding bouquet, it will be divided into several parts, and each of the participants will emerge victorious.

• According to the following method, all responsibility is transferred to the side of luck or chance. Each of the unmarried girls is given the opportunity to write their name on paper. Then the papers are mixed in a glass jar. The bride's task is only to pull out a piece of paper and hand the bouquet to the one whose name is indicated on it.
• An extremely original way of handing a flower arrangement into the hands of a bridesmaid is using a large slingshot. Despite the seeming danger of the process, everything is pretty harmless. Two of the men invited to the wedding hold a pre-made large slingshot while the bride pulls on an elastic band and throws flowers. This moment will definitely become a bright and memorable event that guests will remember for a very long time. Don't forget to take some colorful photos.
• An interesting alternative is creation of an intellectual task... Each girl will be asked to answer a few humorous questions about family life. The active girl herself is given a bouquet with warm parting words.

• The next method has not yet gained widespread popularity, but you can surprise those present with an original approach. The names of all the girls participating in the competition are written on the sole of the bride's shoes with a felt-tip pen. During the entire celebration, all guests and the bride herself are prohibited from looking at the back of the shoes. At the end of the celebration, the presenter and the bride decide which name will be chosen: what has been erased most or least of all. The bride gives flowers to the winner.

Speaking about alternative methods of transferring a flower arrangement from a bride to an unmarried girl, it is worth mentioning the original types of wedding bouquets. For example, few people know, but for the competition, a backup bouquet is often used to replace the original. It is completely identical to what the bride is holding during the entire wedding ceremony.

As a rule, such a bouquet weighs much lighter than the original. This is due to the fact that, although the backup bouquet looks the same as the original one, it is much smaller in size. Florists try to lighten it as much as possible so that it would be easier for the bride to throw it up.

According to another tradition, the bride, in order to remain happy in marriage, throughout the entire celebration should not part with the flowers that were with her during the wedding ceremony. There is a belief that flowers absorb the positive energy emanating from two hearts in love and should not be passed on to anyone.

Bouquet decoration is limited only by the bride's imagination. But traditionally it is customary to tie a small bag to flowers, into which coffee beans, tea or the bride's favorite sweets will be poured. This is a kind of hint that the future bride should invite her friend to visit. However, this tradition is completely optional and is only a whim of the bride herself. And you can also complement the flower arrangement with any decorative ornaments.

For the version of the origin of the wedding bouquet, see below.