The Meaning and Origin of the Wedding Bouquet Toss

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If you have ever attended the wedding of a relative or close friend, you may be familiar with the moment when the bride throws her wedding bouquet to the guests, especially the single women who gather in front of the stage waiting to catch it. It is commonly believed that whoever catches the bouquet will be the next bride. But have you ever wondered about the origin, meaning, and various beliefs behind the bride’s bouquet toss? Today, Love You Flower would like to uncover the story behind this tradition.

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The origin of tossing the wedding bouquet

In the past, brides carried wedding bouquets purely for decoration. Most of the time, however, they actually carried bundles of herbs, such as garlic or strongly scented spices. People believed that weddings often attracted jealous demons or evil spirits that wanted to destroy the happiness of the bride and groom. Carrying or tossing pungent herbs and spices was thought to help drive away evil spirits, demons, and illnesses, preventing them from disturbing the couple on their wedding day. In addition, a couple about to be married symbolized a new life or a new beginning. Later, during the Greek and Roman periods, these bouquets were replaced by crowns, though they were still made from herbs or strongly scented spices.

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By the 14th century, during the European Middle Ages, the custom changed into throwing the wedding dress instead. At first, brides felt there was no need to wear the dress again after the ceremony, so they would give it away. There was also a belief that the wedding dress symbolized happiness and served as a lucky charm for other women hoping to start a family in the future. Receiving a piece of the bride’s dress as a keepsake was believed to help someone find their soulmate and get married soon.

As a result, many single women wanted to obtain a part of the wedding dress, and they would chase after the bride and tear the dress apart, causing chaos at the wedding. Later, as wedding dresses became more expensive, brides began keeping them as keepsakes or saving them for their daughters to wear in the future. To prevent guests from tearing the dress, the custom changed to throwing something else instead: the garter.

The garter was considered close to the bride’s intimate area and therefore came to symbolize purity. However, tossing the garter was eventually discontinued for similar reasons as the wedding dress tradition, and it was not especially popular. It was then replaced by the tradition of tossing the wedding bouquet. People believed that whoever caught the bouquet would be lucky in love and become the next bride. In this way, the bouquet toss came to represent passing on the love and happiness of the bride and groom to the wedding guests, which is why the tradition remains popular today.

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Did you know? Japan has discontinued the wedding bouquet toss tradition

A few years ago, Japan began moving away from the tradition of tossing the wedding bouquet. Japanese society has long placed value on women in roles such as homemakers or mothers. As a result, being a single woman without a husband or children has often been seen in a negative light, especially for older single women or those in their thirties, who may be unfairly judged or looked down upon.

Because of this, some single women felt that the bouquet toss tradition was embarrassing or even humiliating, since it required them to publicly identify themselves as single in the middle of a wedding ceremony surrounded by other guests. For some, this was simply too painful. As a result, many Japanese couples have chosen to toss other items instead, such as a broccoli bouquet, which symbolizes continuation of the family line, or soft toys for the guests.

Now you probably understand more about the meaning and beliefs behind the wedding bouquet toss tradition, right? For anyone who is currently looking for a wedding bouquet, you are welcome to visit Love You Flower. In addition to beautiful bouquet designs, we also offer free delivery throughout Bangkok and in some nearby areas.

Flower bouquets and heartfelt gifts after the bouquet toss ceremony

For some brides, once the bouquet toss ceremony is over, they may still want to keep a beautiful bouquet as a keepsake, or prepare another bouquet to surprise the groom, family members, or close friends. In addition, sweet and romantic bouquet designs can also be used as gifts for Valentine’s Day or anniversaries. If you are looking for bouquets and gifts that photograph beautifully at weddings and can also be used to express love on other special occasions, below are some Valentine’s product ideas specially selected to match the romantic atmosphere of a wedding.