Hive, I hate the bouquet toss. At every wedding I’ve been to I have avoided it like the plague. As an introverted person, the idea of having everyone’s eyes on me while I hold a bouquet is terrifying. (Oh wait, that’s what it’s like to be a bride? Dang it.)
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It actually got worse when I was dating/soon-to-be engaged. Then there was all this (self-perceived) pressure to catch the bouquet and then act cute and playful, like I was just waiting around for Mr. Lemur to pop the question. (We had talked about it. I knew when it was coming. It wasn’t then—and catching the bouquet had nothing to do with it!)
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Mr. Lemur’s brother’s wedding was the worst. The wedding was done in a cowboy style, since both the bride and groom loved horses and the bride lived on a ranch. For the send-off/exit, Mr. Lemur’s brother and his new wife rode a horse out of the corral. Halfway through the bride was to pause and throw her bouquet.
I knew it was coming all day. I was dreading it. The time came and I hid myself behind family members—who then betrayed me and pushed me in front just in time for Mr. Lemur’s now sister-in-law to chuck the bouquet at my head. (No hard feelings toward them—they were just following tradition!) I took a step back and the bouquet literally fell at my feet. Thank goodness for the eight-year-old girl who swooped in to triumphantly grab it. She was thrilled to have a bouquet of beautiful flowers and be the center of attention. I was hiding in the back of the line again.
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I think you can tell by my attitude in this post that I’m not planning on doing a bouquet toss without me even saying it. Unless the unmarried girls at the wedding ask me to—which they might, but I kind of doubt it knowing who will be there! I do plan on handing off my bouquet to one of my close friends (if she is engaged at the time of the wedding) with a few words of thanks and appreciation for her love and support. (She doesn’t read this blog, so I think I’m safe!)
Anyone else out there who avoids bouquet tosses? I have to have some sympathizers (introverted or not), right? Anyone not doing the bouquet toss either?
I ordered a toss bouquet from my florist but don’t think I’ll do the actual toss. I’m with you, I always hated being dragged out with the other single girls to try to catch it, so I see no need to subject my friends and family to it.
I’ll probably just hand it to someone special. I’m thinking my parents 90 year old neighbor that has been like a grandmother to me and whose husband of 60+ years passed away not long ago.
I never really minded going up there, but also didn’t make the slightest attempt to catch the thing. I’m making a scatter bouquet to toss, so it will split up into 10-15 little bundles. My hope is that everyone can have one. I’m completely uncoordinated, though, so I’ll probably bounce it off of the ceiling and embarrass myself. 
i got wine in my eye bc some genius couldn’t put their drink down! ugh so frustrating. i think they are fun, but i plan on making an announcement for the ladies to put their drinks down. 
I am not a fan of bouquet tosses either. At my friend’s wedding she threw the bouquet and all the girls stepped back to avoid catching it (including me.) It landed on the floor and laid there for several awkward seconds before one of the girls decided to suck it up and go get it. That sealed my decision on not having one!
We aren’t doing the bouquet toss, mainly because I personally don’t want my fiancé going up my dress for a garder…that is just not us! Also, we are in our late twenties and we really don’t have very many single friends or family members. I am glad to hear we are not the only ones axing that “tradition”
I feel the exact. same. way. No bouquet or garter toss here. AWKWARD!
Plus, every single person in our bridal party is already married.
i like the boquet toss but i don’t like how they drag all the “single” ladies up to catch it. so after me and FI run through a tunnel of arms Im gonna spontaneously toss it! I think its nicer this way!
We probably aren’t doing it either. For one, it’s always been super awkward for me as well! (For the record, Cam’s ex-girlfriend once had a meltdown that I STILL hear about.. apparently he didn’t “try hard enough to catch the garter” so she posted up in a bathroom stall for the rest of the reception.. HA!)
For two, we have like 3 single friends. If they want me to, I might, but it feels weird to throw a bouquet to 2 girls. Although Cam really wants to do the garter around a football thing. Time will tell.
I got your back girl!
We aren’t doing a bouquet toss or garter toss .. I just don’t get it.
No toss for us! We will actually have very few single women at our wedding, and I would hate to single anyone out. I think, for the right crowd, it is a fun tradition — just not for us.
I didn’t do one. We did an anniversary dance where the DJ gradually had couples leave the floor depending on how long they were married. I gave my toss bouquet to the woman from the longest-married couple. It worked really well and everyone had fun with it. I hate the bouquet/garter thing!
Do people actually like the bouquet toss? Does anyone like it? I’m on the fence about it.
I am on the fence about it as well… The only reason I am considering it is because my grandma keeps pushing it and is all about tradition.. Now, personally, I am like you. Every wedding I have been to, I go out of my way to avoid it because of the awkwardness that follows when you actually do catch it.. However, the majority of our friends are not as introverted as I am, so I am sure they will be fine with it. Another reason I consider not is because we don’t really have that many single ladies attending out wedding. We were only able to invite our closest friends in order to stay under our 150 guest max. We probably only have about 12 single females (including 3-4 who are already engaged) and some of these 12 are much older friends of my parents who I doubt would be comfortable standing with a bunch of 20 somethings reaching for a bouquet.
skipping it! I, as well, am the girl that stands in the back of that group desperately hoping the bouquet doesn’t come near me.
Bouquet Tossing is an old tradition. And it depends to the bride if she wants to toss the bouquet or not, but it is still good to see in a wedding, such an exiting moment for the crowd.
bouquet is creative…while it also depends on your dress style! now, bright color multi bouquet is really amazing!
I don’t like the bouquet toss either and don’t like to single out the “single” ladies. I did the toss but I called all ladies, not just single ones to the floor and we gave the winner a gift basket full of stuff pertinent to us including some gift cards. I dislike the garter thing more so we skipped that part all together and my DH threw a softball instead (we met playing softball) also to all men, not just single men, and that person also got a gift basket.
I never liked the bouquet toss when I was single and all my friends were getting married. There will only be one single female friend at our wedding and I don’t think she would appreciate it. Plus we are having a very small wedding so we aren’t doing a lot of the “traditional” reception things.
We have a lot of unmarried friends who are on the verge of getting engaged, and while we didn’t plan on doing a bouquet or garter toss, the night of the wedding we got a lot of requests…it was as if everyone was expecting it. So we went along with it and went ahead and tossed my bouquet and garter. I don’t think it’s for every crowd, and we definitely didn’t plan on doing it, but in the end it wasn’t that bad and it was over before I knew it.
I never liked the bouquet/garter toss traditions. I never liked being called out as a single person to stand there and be embarrassed. The garter toss would embarrass me, as well. There’s nothing more embarrassing than have your family, friends, Pastor, etc. stand around and watch your husband fish around for something up your dress.
Mrs. Lemur, Greenville, South Carolina Age and Occupation: 22, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Security Officer Engagement Date: October 9, 2012 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Pleasant Ridge Camp & Retreat Center About Me: I may fancy myself a doctor after too many episodes of House—but in reality I'm finally almost done with my degree in business administration (less than three months left!). My fiance and I met at school in undergrad hundreds of miles away from either of our hometowns and have been happily running and hiking together ever since. We're undertaking a long distance relationship as I finish school and we plan our casual wedding for a day after graduation—needless to say, it will be the busiest and most exciting weekend of our lives so far!
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