Traditions and symbols: Throwing the bouquet

The most beautiful aspect of your wedding is loaded with many rituals such as that of throwing the bouquet. This tradition, reserved for girls who are still single, predicts that the lucky one who manages to catch the bouquet launched by the bride will be the next single person to marry. If we do not know with certainty the exact origin of the habit of throwing the bouquet (some attributing it to France, others giving it an Anglo-Saxon origin), we can move forward without making too much error that this almost rite essential beyond the Channel becomes an increasingly popular practice in France, and constitutes for many weddings a real animation planned by the professionals during the evening.

If, like many couples, you like this ritual but you do not want to get rid of your bridal bouquet for sentimental reasons, here are some original alternatives to the traditional throwing of the bouquet to create an unexpected and appreciated animation, all the more if you stage it with the host of your evening:

• Have a small bouquet of fresh, artificial or stabilized flowers made or made yourself, around which you will tie as many ribbons of different lengths as the number of young singles. Each of them will grab a ribbon and unroll it by turning around you. The last remaining attached to the bouquet will be the lucky one who is supposed to get married just in the year.
• You may prefer a variant of the previous set of ribbons which consists of cutting the ribbons instead of unrolling them. In this case, tie all the ribbons to the bouquet you wish to offer and rotate these young ladies around you after having given each other the other end of a ribbon. Ask your husband to cut the ribbons one by one with scissors. The winner is the person who has the last ribbon attached to the bouquet.
• Make a large bouquet using artificial flowers or origami, containing as many small bouquets not attached to each other as the number of your single friends. Thus the large bouquet will burst into many bouquets during the launch and each will be able to catch and keep a small souvenir bouquet. You can also plan to throw it from a balcony or a window in your reception area, this will allow everyone to see you and will give these ladies more time to catch their bouquet.
• Put yourself blindfolded in the center of a round of single ladies who are circling around in music. Catch a young girl and give her a small bouquet or if you want to show more originality a beautiful floral accessory (comb, bracelet, crown ...).
• Ask all these young singles to take off one of their shoes and slip it under your dress. The young groom will take them out one by one, the last bachelor retrieving his shoe will be the happy future bride who will win a small bouquet or other flowery present.
• And for an even more preposterous idea, ask the groom to gather all the young male singles and to throw their buttonhole at them, the one who catches up with her is then supposed to give up celibacy in the coming year.