July 2010 Archives

The traditional tossing of the bridal bouquet goes all the way back to medieval Europe and stems (please excuse the pun) from the fact that the bride was said to be especially lucky on her wedding day. After the wedding ceremony was over, the bride was essentially attacked by guests who attempted to rip off pieces of her dress to take home for good luck. In order to avoid the post-ceremony riots, brides began tossing their stockings (hence the garter custom) to the ravenous crowds. Finally the tradition settled on the tossing of the bouquet which was a more lady-like option for brides.