Ever wondered why brides throw the bouquet? Here's the 411 (2024)

So far we've discovered a fair few things about wedding traditions including; the reason bridesmaids wear the same dresses, what the meaning of a bridal veil is and now we're about to answer the question: why does the bride throw the bouquet?

These days, wedding guests can be seen leaping after falling flowers because it's believed that whoever catches the bouquet is the next person to get married - kind of like a good luck omen. Yep, it's superstitious alright but hey, the same can be said for plenty of traditions.

Anyway, the whole bouquet tossing practice is one we're used to seeing time and time again on screen - remember the iconic final scene in Clueless, where the girls all jostle against each other to catch Miss Geist's bouquet? Or, in Sex and the City, when Charlotte's bouquet knocked Miranda on the head and, whaddaya know, shortly after, she married Steve? Exactly. So where does it come from?

The tradition can be traced back to old school England, when guests used to believe that grabbing a piece of the bride would bring them luck. This meant guests would physically try to rip off pieces of the bride's dress (*gasp*) or try to grab at the flowers in her hands which, to be honest, sounds kind of terrifying.

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As a result, brides used to throw the bouquet to try to distract the flock of guests ripping at her wedding dress. So, in the words of Mark from Love Actually, "It's a... self-​preservation thing, you see."

Can you imagine if that happened today when wedding dresses can cost upwards of £2,000? Devastating. It's much better to toss the bouquet and make it out in one piece. Byeeeee!

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