In recent weddings over the last few months, I’ve noticed a trend – many brides and grooms are “tossing out” the idea of having bouquet and garter tosses (you see what I did there??) in lieu of just having some extra time on the dance floor during the reception. Traditionally, brides will wear two garters – one to keep on, and one to “toss” to their husband’s single friends; they will also have their nice bouquet, and then a small toss-able one to their single girlfriends. It’s supposed to represent good luck to whoever catches it, to signify they are next to get married. This tradition goes back hundreds of years, and only in the last year or so have we noticed that brides and grooms are doing away with this time-honored part of the wedding.
But really … is it necessary?
Personally – I say NO. That’s right – I say no to tosses. Why? For three reasons.
It’s a bit antiquated, and it can be downright embarrassing!
Most brides we’ve seen have their garter removed with their husband’s teeth, right in front of their friends and family. Can you imagine having your new husband all up under your dress with your dad watching? Yeah, me either. There’s just no way to remove a garter in a classy, non-embarressing way. Not saying it isn’t fun to do, but you have to admit, it’s a little blush- (and sometimes cringe-) worthy.
Leave those poor single people alone.
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen the small army of young teenage girls line up … and then that one 20-something friend who hasn’t found Mr. Right quite yet. The look on her face always makes me cringe a little whenever Beyoncé comes blaring over the loudspeakers. But, not going to lie -the panicked look of “OMG, my girlfriend just caught the bouquet” on the unmarried guys’ expressions is pretty hysterical, though.
It’s Just Added Cost
And for the most practical reason – it just costs extra money to just toss it away – money that you could be devoting to decor or even your honeymoon!
Sound off in the blog – did you have a garter and/or bouquet toss? Are you skipping it? Let’s talk about it!
Joie – yours was probably the tamest garter and bouquet toss we’ve ever photographed and you’re right – it was a LOT of fun! And yes, I totally agree – it’s going to really vary from family to family on how game they are for the event!
We had one! We avoided the embarrassment of the diving with me handing my husband the garter before hand and him just having it bunched in his hand. No teeth and no getting caught. Just a sweet squeeze of my knee. Oh, and NO BEYONCE. We went with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and the tone of the whole thing was a LOT more chill.
We got some great photos out of it (including my brother, which was a SHOCK)! I think it really has more to do with whether or not you feel like your family/friends would be game. Mine were an exceptionally game bunch. If that’s not something that would be fun for everyone, I see no reason to do it.