How Did the Bouquet Toss Began?

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

Like many of today's wedding traditions, the bouquet toss also originated in Europe during medieval times. Surprisingly to many people, this custom is more closely related to the “Garter Throw” than many would believe. Back in those times, most brides would not wear their dress again, and the dress was considered to be good luck for other women to wear as a sort of fertility charm.

After the wedding, single women would chase the bride and rip pieces of her dress off, leaving her in tatters. Wedding dresses became far more expensive over time and it became traditional for women to keep them as a memento or to pass on to a daughter for her wedding day.

To prevent guests from ripping the wedding dress, brides began throwing other objects as a distraction; one of which was the garter. Later, the bouquet became the most traditionally thrown object. The wedding bouquet is particularly suited to this use, as flowers symbolize fertility; and as perishable items, they are not something the bride would wish to keep. The bouquet is also a safer item to toss than the garter, as unruly and impatient wedding guests were sometimes known to try to take the garter from the bride while she was still wearing it.

Today, some brides and grooms do not like the tradition of throwing the bouquet and either modify it or do away with it completely. Tossing the bouquet can be uncomfortable for unmarried female guests who do not wish to marry or who feel "put on the spot" by the custom. Also, competition to catch the bouquet can become a violent stampede. Some brides stage the event so that their maid of honor or a friend who is engaged catches the bouquet. Others choose to give a small bouquet to each of their bridesmaids, or to give each woman at the reception a flower from the bridal bouquet.

The Megasound staff works with each bridal couple ahead of time to determine if the bouquet toss is a tradition that they want to incorporate in their wedding reception. We offer many tasteful song suggestions as well. Give us a call for your complimentary consultation so you can find out firsthand how Megasound will assist you with your wedding.

Day #8 Girls, Get Ready to Toss...Your Bouquet

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

Calling all single ladies as it is time to catch that bridal bouquet. The following are eight song suggestions for the tradtional bouquet toss. Brides; remember to take a couple of minutes to enjoy the excitement. Hold on to the bouquet until the MC (or disc jockey) counts to three. This will also give your photographer ample time to line up the best shot for the photos.

Enjoy!

8 bouquet toss song suggestions:

1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyonce
2. "Evacuate The Dancefloor" by Cascada
3. "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
4. "Chapel of Love" by The Dixiecups
5. "Barbie Girl" by Aqua
6. "Ladies Night" by Kool and the Gang
7. "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
8. "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls

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).