Bouquet Toss Meaning

Who participates in the bouquet toss?
According to tradition, all unmarried women can participate in the bouquet toss. However, if your single friends don’t want to participate in the tradition, don’t force them. They might be freshly single or feeling especially lonely at that moment, so let them sit this one out. This is a frivolous tradition, not meant to shame or guilt anyone into participating!

Whether you’re tossing your actual wedding bouquet or ordering a second bouquet just for the bouquet toss, you should order your wedding flowers six to nine months before the wedding.

This depends on your total floral budget, but if you’re ordering a second bouquet, it should be less than your normal wedding bouquet. Ask your florist if they have a package deal for the two.

There’s no strict rule for when the bouquet toss should occur, but it usually happens during the reception once the toasts, dinner, and dances have come to a close. Oftentimes, the bride will choose to toss the bouquet after the cake has been cut.

The bouquet toss should be about the length of a song. Plan what song will play ahead of time with your DJ and make sure your most excited friends aren’t taking a bathroom break when the DJ calls for all the ladies to head down to the dance floor!

The bouquet toss is one of the last things to happen during a wedding reception, as it’s more of a playful tradition, The remainder of the reception and dancing will resume until it comes time for the couple to make their exit from the wedding.

If you know early on that this is a tradition that you want to incorporate into your wedding, then you might want to consider opting for a second, smaller bouquet. Most couples today will choose to keep the original bouquet as a keepsake, so we do receive requests to craft a special arrangement that’s designated specifically for tossing. Smaller bouquets also ensure that they can be caught with ease!

Some brides fear that the bouquet toss unfairly singles out their unmarried friends. Being single at a wedding is hard enough without broadcasting your relationship status by participating in the bouquet toss. It can also be quite dangerous, with a horde of women jumping up and down in their heels and wrestling on the floor to get the bouquet.

Brides who want to avoid hurt feelings and potential injury on behalf of their single friends might want to consider “tossing” the bouquet toss tradition and trading it in for something more modern and unexpected, like an anniversary dance. With this, you invite all married couples to the dance floor and then have the MC start asking couples to leave the dance floor if they’ve been married one year, then five, then ten, until the last couple remaining wins the bouquet. This typically delights the last couple many of whom have not had the chance to “win” a bouquet in 50 or 60 years.”

The bouquet toss tradition has been around for centuries, which is great for brides who want to incorporate these classic traditions into their wedding. Brides who want their wedding to be more modern can still incorporate this tradition into their reception with a fun twist. Tailor this tradition to you and your guests. If you know your single girlfriends are looking forward to the bouquet toss and are excited about the potential friendly competition, do it! Wedding traditions are only as traditional as you make them!