The Bouquet Toss History

The first bouquet toss occurred years ago when two customs presided. The first custom being large families, where children were plentiful and enjoyed. The second custom was to have the eldest daughter wed first, and so on down the line of possibly many daughters. While these customs were embraced by all, there were often times of frustration for young suitors of the day. Often when the daughters began to reach the age of marriage it was difficult to tell who was eldest and thus most beneficial to court.

To remedy the problem for these young suitors the eldest daughter upon reaching marrying age would begin to carry a bouquet of flowers with her to social functions like town fairs, local dances, and to church. This proved a great help to the perplexed young men. The young lady would continue to carry this bouquet until the day she accepted a proposal for marriage. On that day the rest of the family, giddy with excitement, began to build the most beautiful bouquet they could muster. They searched for and sometimes even grew the most vibrant and fragrant flowers to be found. This bouquet often became a centerpiece of the wedding décor, second only in beauty to the bride herself. As the bride carried her exquisite homemade bouquet down the aisle it no longer symbolized availability or desire for marriage, one could say that it no longer symbolized anything, but embodied joy. The great joy that can be seen in the eyes of a young bride as she gazes deeply into the eyes of her new husband.

Toward the end of the ceremony the tradition became to pass that bouquet down the next daughter. While it did now symbolize this next daughter’s availability for marriage, this bouquet did much more. This passing of the bouquet passed on a hope that the next daughter would find such joy as the previous. That one day she would carry her own homemade bouquet down the aisle to look deeply into the eyes of her soon to be husband.

Down through the years large families have become unfamiliar and allowing a younger daughter to marry first is of no consequence, but joy lives on. And the hope of joy passed on from the bride continues in what we now know as the bouquet toss.

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