The History Behind the Tradition of Tossing the Wedding Bouquet

Have you ever caught or tossed a bouquet at a wedding? You might be aware of the fact that catching the wedding bouquet is a symbol of good luck and whoever catches it will be the next to get married. But have you ever wondered where the tradition of tossing the wedding bouquet comes from? Delve deeper into this wonderful age-old tradition below.

History of Bouquet Toss

The tradition of wedding bouquet toss can be traced back to England, somewhere around the 1800s. However, the tradition is said to be even older, where prior to the 1800s, it was considered good fortune to even just touch the bride on her D-Day. All the single ladies would often rush towards the bride in the hope of rubbing off even the littlest of the bride’s wedding day fortune.

Fast forward to the 1800s, since it was believed that getting anything attached to the bride would be lucky, single women would even go as far as ripping the bride’s wedding dress. Naturally, weddings that took place in a church, viewed tradition as an infringement of privacy. Also, since wedding dresses tend to be expensive, many brides didn’t enjoy the idea of them getting destroyed. They even wished to keep them as heirlooms for their children.

The Modern Context

The act of ripping the wedding dress appeared to be rude and uncalled for. That’s when brides started to throw her other things such as bouquets and garters to avoid the stress of being physically grabbed. Also, since flowers represent fertility as well, the recipient of the bouquet is said to be blessed with romantic good luck and soon find someone to share her life with.