Throwing the bouquet is a frivolous tradition that has gone from serious to merely jovial to now possibly outdated as years have passed. The bride flinging the bouquet over her head to all the single ladies—bridesmaids and guests alike—is a sign of good fortune…but only for the one who catches it!
Hundreds of years ago, it was considered very good luck to touch the bride – and even better luck to grab a piece of the bride, in the form of her wedding dress or veil. To avoid a ruined dress and the stress of being physically grabbed at as they were trying to run off on their honeymoon, brides began throwing their bouquets to distract their guests and make them chase after the flowers, instead of her and her gown. Thankfully, guests were totally happy with grabbing at the flowers, which were still believed to bring romantic luck for the future. Meaning whoever managed to snag the bouquet was obviously going to get married soon.
The bride and dress grabbing tradition died down as a result of this new sneaky trick, as guests realised they could just remain calm and wait for the bouquet, and soon tossing the bouquet became a key part of every fancy wedding. So there you have it. There is a reason for throwing flowers around (though it’s based on total nonsense from a past of being obsessed with marriage and superstition).
Lately many couples have chosen not to include it because guests could be injured easily, and it might embarrass the single women who are “dragged” to the floor to participate. If you have doubts about including this tradition in your wedding, consider an anniversary dance instead, which honors the longest-married couple by presenting them with the bouquet. How it works: Ask your married couples to join you on the dance floor as a slow song plays. Throughout the song, your DJ will ask guests to sit down as their length of marriage is called out.