The tradition of bouquet tossing!

The famous bouquet toss! As a wedding photographer, this is a tradition that we usually see repeated wedding after wedding. Sometimes, some brides will get creative with this trend dating back hundreds of years, others will even go so far as to stop a burning party in order to honor a tradition, without even knowing its origin, by believing that this marriage would not be consistent or complete without this throw!(Click to subscribe)< /a> 

Today I am taking the time to clarify this for you (as I plan to do on several other subjects). Because as they say, an informed bride isn't worth two, it's still a bride who does what she wants, because it's her day! (Okay, I just made up this proverb!) All that to say that even if you don't know the origin, you can continue to start it, as long as it makes you happy 'Happy wife, Happy life''.

The tradition of bouquet tossing is an English (some say French) tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. It was a way for the bride to pass on her fortune (luck) to an unmarried woman.

Long before that, at the time, there was a belief that touching the bride brought good luck. So, it happened that during weddings, guests came to surround the bride in order to leave with accessories that belonged to her, going so far as to tear pieces of her precious dress. Imagine today, your precious dress, carefully purchased, being torn into pieces by loved ones in order to seize this opportunity!

This tradition regularly caused discomfort during celebrations. I tried to trace the 1st  bride who threw her bouquet (in vain),  but one day, a woman threw her bouquet to her guests during her wedding (probably because she was keen on her dress) and they, rather than trying to leave with pieces of dresses, jumped on the bouquet. In the end, the guests only wanted one accessory from the bride. The bouquet toss also served as a distraction for the newlyweds to escape to the bridal chamber and at the time, this was when the groom would remove the garter in private.

Over the years, this distraction has become a tradition whereby the bride passes on her fortune and luck to a single woman (having never been married). From a simple matter of luck, a tradition arose, according to which the woman who caught the bouquet would be the next to get married. It was probably by chance that several women who caught the bouquet got married in the times that followed and being in a very superstitious era, catching the bouquet was associated with the chance of getting married.

So what was originally just a way of receiving luck from the bride became an indication of being the next to get married.

So, why continue to launch your bouquet today? Brides no longer run the risk of having their dress torn by guests looking for chances (I hope!). Why throw a bouquet knowing very well that the ''lucky'' to catch it won't necessarily be the next one to get married (tell that to the women who have become experts at catching the bouquet).

It's simple, because it's'the' fun''. Quite simply. Indeed, there is no obligation to throw the bouquet. This is why many decide either to put this tradition aside (for the price a bridal bouquet costs),  or to throw a smaller bouquet (often that of a maid of honor) , either to throw several small bouquets at random or to give it directly to a person,  in order to directly transmit luck to them. 

In any case, as long as this tradition brings pleasure, it will last. So we probably still have several decades left. So, single ladies, get ready to kick off your heels, because in the next wedding you attend, you may once again have to jump like an Olympic athlete, in order to receive that lucky break! Subscribe!

Johnny Welson

First Class Pictures