Friday, April 24, 2009

To Toss or Not to Toss… the Bridal Bouquet?


by June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound


Reception planning is in full swing for most Fort Wayne brides. One question on traditions that comes up with most wedding itineraries is: “Are you holding a bouquet toss for all single ladies?” Some brides would rather not put their girlfriends through the anxiety of reminding them that they are still single.

As the MC (Master of Ceremonies), here are a couple of recommendations as options to the bouquet toss.

"Candy Toss" - this is where instead of throwing the bouquet, multiple kinds of candy are used instead so that more than one person can enjoy their "catch".

“Award” the bouquet to the longest married couple during an Anniversary Dance, to your grandmother, or to your Maid or Matron of Honor. This is a wonderful way to celebrate marriage and/or friendship.

“Ribbon Pull” for your bridesmaids is an interesting alternative to a bouquet toss. Specialty charms and long colored ribbons can be purchased prior to the wedding and given to your cake baker. They tie each charm to a ribbon and then charms are placed between the frosted cake layers. Before the cake is cut, each bridesmaids select a ribbon and pulls out an individual charm. Charm meanings include luck, next to be married, baby, money, and more.

“Break Apart Bouquets” are an easy way to “share” the bouquet with all of the female guests (single or married). Ask your florist to create several smaller bouquets and have these bouquets tied together. Invite all the ladies to the dance floor and untie the ribbon holding together the smaller bouquets. It is a surprise to the ladies when several bouquets fly through the air. This is an option so more guests can enjoy the flowers.

For those brides who want to include the bouquet toss, here are a few songs other Fort Wayne brides have used at their wedding. These songs are appropriate for the bouquet toss wedding tradition.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
“Chapel of Love” by the Dixiecups
“Single Ladies” by Beyonce

Whether you decide to toss your bouquet or not, enjoy the moment and take your time so that the photographer can get the best shots. Oh, and IF you decide to do the bouquet toss, communicate with your MC to make sure that they are going to count to three for you to throw the bouquet. Your MC is working with your photographer so that they know the photographer is ready to get the shot (at least here at Megasound, this is important to us).


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