I was recently on a live com-cast interview www.JoeLive.TV (click on green arrow and scroll down to April

4, 2007.)  During the interview, I received a text message asking if I knew the history behind tossing

the bride’s bouquet and garter.  I honestly didn’t know , but I’ve done some research. 

Tossing the bride’s garter started in the 13th and 14th centuries in France.  At that time, it was

considered lucky to receive a piece of the bride’s clothing.  Quite often, brides had their wedding gowns

torn by their guests, who were trying to capture a piece of her clothing.  To protect herself, the bride

began the custom of tossing pieces of her personal attire to the guests, including her garter.  That

tradition has changed, and today it is a way of the groom saying that this is “his woman!” and you other

men can’t have her! 

The bridal bouquet is traditionally tossed only to single women.  The lucky fellow who catches the garter

places it on the leg of the woman who catches the bouquet.  Both the man and the woman are by tradition

said to be the next to get married, but not necessarily to each other.

Today, though, the traditions of tossing the garter and the bouquet have become so rowdy, dangerous, and

(for the garter toss) embarrassing to the bride, that many couples choose not to do either.  In fact,

many bandleaders that I work with include a hold harmless clause in their contract if the couple wants to

include a garter or bouquet toss.  They do not want to be responsible in case a guest is seriously

injured.

If a bride wants to toss her bouquet, I recommend that she prepare a dozen or so small bouquets that she

tosses all at once.  This way, many women receive a small bouquet, and there is less risk of young girls

(and some older women, too!) being trampled. 

I suggest to couples that, before including either a garter or bouquet toss, they consider the size of

their wedding, the average age of their guests, and whether or not this activity would be appropriate.