The bride did not always toss her bouquet. In fact, years ago she tossed her garter as a way to ward off the jealous guests who wanted pieces of her clothing. Marriage was an important event for women, and the single women at the wedding highly envied the bride. Wanting her luck as their own, they would rip off pieces of the bride’s clothing in hopes that marriage would soon come their way. Although the bride did not plan to wear her dress again, she did not enjoy having it ripped to shreds. So, she removed less central parts of her attire and tossed it to the women to ward them off. This later evolved into tossing the bouquet. In other parts of the world, the men would chase the bride for similar reasons. As brides did not enjoy this group of drunken men pursuing her, she would remove the garter herself and toss it to them.
As we all know, these traditions have changed over the years. By tossing the bouquet and garter, the bride and groom still pass on their luck to other single women and men, but these traditions are not for everyone. They are often altered or omitted as desired by the couple. The couple may choose to turn these events into a game and include all men and women at the reception, both singled and married. This way, their unwed guests are not singled out. This is also a good option for receptions in which many guests are already married. A more modern way of “tossing” the bouquet is for the bride to dedicate it to a special someone, often her maid of honor. A touching speech can accompany this moment, in which the bride thanks her for her support and friendship.
As for the garter toss, the couple may feel uncomfortable removing it in front of friends and relatives. This tradition does not have to be x-rated. No strip-tease music is required, nor must the groom emerge from under the bride’s dress with the garter in his teeth. The couple can enjoy this version from home as they practice a less seductive method to use for the rehearsal. The general rule of thumb: the bride and groom should only include traditions that they see fit, and in the manner in which they wish to incorporate them!
