Episode 01: The Bouquet Toss!
Episode 1 of The Bouquet Toss is about the tradition of… you guessed it, The Bouquet Toss! We’re examining where this tradition came from so you can decide what to keep and what to toss from your wedding day plans. Subscribe to The Bouquet Toss Podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!
Listen to Episode #01: The Bouquet Toss
What better topic to dissect and discuss in our first episode than the one that inspired our title? Let’s explore this wedding tradition and where it came from.
The Bouquet Toss Tradition
What is the bouquet toss at a wedding?
The bouquet toss is a wedding tradition where a bride throws her flowers over her shoulder into a group of single guests. The person who “catches the bouquet” is meant to receive good fortune and luck from the bride. The lucky person who catches the bouquet is assumed to be the next to walk down the aisle themselves, or in some cases to get engaged.
The bouquet toss typically happens later in the reception after dinner and toasts are complete. Often, the deejoy includes gathering the single guests on the dance floor. Depending on your group of single guests, things can get a little competitive when it comes to catching the bouquet.
The tradition typically lasts fewer than a few minutes, depending on how long the bride and guests want to drag it out. It’s become very common for the deejay to play “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé when the bouquet is thrown.
Where did the tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet come from?
The bouquet toss tradition we are familiar with today began in England in the 1800s. It was long considered good luck to merely touch a bride on her wedding day. All the hopeful single women and girls would gather around the bride to touch her. They did so in hope of the bride’s good fortune rubbing off on them, and they would soon be married. According to legend, some of these women got a little over-excited about getting a little extra luck. The women would sometimes grab onto the bride and rip her dress, taking pieces home with them as keepsakes. To distract overzealous hopefuls, the bride would often toss the bouquet and run away.
It’s hard to imagine single ladies being so savage about this today. But it’s important to remember that marriage was one of the only ways for a woman to elevate her status in life in that time period. So women *really* wanted to get that good wedding juju!
Essentially, the bouquet toss tradition was created to keep the single ladies from getting carried away with their attempts to garner good luck. By throwing the bouquet, the bride was able to share the luck with her guests without endangering herself or her dress!
What do you do if you don’t want to toss your bridal bouquet?
If you decide that you want to preserve your bouquet as a keepsake after the wedding, you may not want to toss it at your reception. Or you may decide you don’t want to take part at all if the tradition doesn’t vibe with you.
Bouquet Toss Alternatives
Use a toss bouquet. If you don’t want to throw your professionally arranged bouquet, you can definitely use a smaller, toned down version. Many florists will give you a “toss bouquet” in your floral package.
If you use faux flowers like the silk wedding bouquets you can rent from Something Borrowed Blooms, you can add a “toss bouquet” to your order for $8! That way, the lucky guest who catches it gets to take it home with her as a keepsake!
Give flowers to all your guests. If you like the idea of spreading luck to your guests, you don’t have to do so via a competitive bouquet grab. Consider leaving a little boutonniere sized arrangement at every place setting as a symbolic gesture of luck to every guest!
You could also opt to give small arrangements to all of the single ladies, or the special women in your life. Some brides choose to ceremoniously give their bridal bouquet to someone specific, like their maid of honor.
Skip the tradition. Don’t want to force your single friends to feel “singled out” on the dance floor at your wedding reception? You’re not alone. The good news is that throwing your bouquet is not a requirement, and you don’t have to feel obligated to take part in the tradition.
So if this concept seems a little savage, feel free to “toss it” – quite literally! You don’t need to take part in any tradition that doesn’t feel authentic to you.
BONUS
Give the bouquet to the longest married couple. Ask all married couples to join the dance floor. After one minute, celebrate the couples who’ve been married for less than a year and ask them to take a seat. Then, every minute after, increase the number by five years. The last couple standing (or dancing, in this case) will be the longest married couple and will receive the coveted bouquet!
Whether you choose an alternative or skip the act entirely– we encourage you to do whatever feels aligned for you! We believe every couple should have your day, your way. ?
Will you be throwing the bouquet at your wedding reception? Let’s discuss this subject in the community!
About The Bouquet Toss Podcast
The Bouquet Toss is a wedding planning podcast that empowers couples to plan a meaningful, authentic, and affordable wedding celebration! On the show, we will have candid conversations all about weddings and why we do them the way we do so that couples can plan their weddings based on their own values, and not on the expectations of others.
In our Budget-Savvy Wedding Planning Community, we see the same questions asked over and over again. So many couples seem to be seeking permission to plan their weddings on their own terms, and we’re here to say go for it! We believe you should have your day, your way and our goal is to help empower you to plan a wedding celebration that actually feels authentic to you.
This podcast is brought to you by TheBudgetSavvyBride.com and is hosted by the founder, Jessica Bishop, and real weddings editor Sari Weinerman. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify today!
In case you missed it, check out our other episodes:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
- Episode 29: Disrupting the Expensive Bridesmaid Dress Tradition
- Episode 30: Disrupting the Traditional Wedding Registry
- Episode 31: Even Celebrities Are Disrupting Traditional Weddings
- Episode 32: Disrupting Printed Wedding Invitations By Going Digital
- Episode 33: Ending Child Marriage
- Episode 34: Disrupting Expensive Wedding Decor with DIY
- Episode 35: Disrupting the Tradition of Buying Your Wedding Dress and Keeping It Forever
- Episode 36: Disrupting the Stressed-Out Bride Archetype
- Episode 37: Disrupting Bridal Shower & Bachelorette Party Traditions
- Episode 38: Disrupting The “Best Day of Your Life” Trope
- Episode 39: Disrupting The Exclusion of Disabled Couples by the Wedding Industry
- Episode 40: Disrupting The Stigma of Couples Therapy
- Episode 41: COVID Wedding Planning
Season 4
- Episode 42: Your Wedding Vision
- Episode 43: Your Wedding Budget, Phase 1
- Episode 44: Your Wedding Budget, Phase 2
- Episode 45: Your Guest List
- Episode 46: Your Venue
- Episode 47: Your Wedding Invitations
- Episode 48: Your Wedding Day Look
- Episode 49: BONUS: Tossing Perfectionism From Wedding Planning
- Episode 50: The Wedding (formerly known as Bridal) Party
- Episode 51: Emotional Wedding Planning and Tossing Relationship Drama
- Episode 52: Wedding Photography and Videography
- Episode 53: Food, Beverage, and Cake The Savvy Way
- Episode 54: Accommodations, Transportation, and other Wedding Logistics
- Episode 55: Rentals, Decor, Flowers, and More!
- Episode 56: The Big Day Wedding Timeline and Survival Tips
- Episode 57: Why Prenuptial Agreements are so Savvy
- Episode 58: How to Hack Your Honeymoon and Earn ROI on Your Wedding Spending
- Episode 59: Why You Shouldn’t “Toss” Pre-Marital Counseling
- Episode 60: Wedding Day Hair with Joseph Maine
- Episode 61: Wedding Planning as the Groom and why it’s “Worth It” with Ryan Cabrera!!!