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Why Brides Now Throw Flower Bouquets To Avoid Being Assaulted By Wedding Guests

A common wedding practice has its origins in keeping the bridge and groom in one piece

Andrew Martin
3 min readOct 2, 2022

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Weddings are not just about commitment and celebration. They are also steeped in a series of traditions that endure with each passing year. One of the most recognizable rites is the act of the bride tossing their floral bouquet over their shoulder to those in attendance before they depart the festivities with their new spouse. It may come as a surprise to learn that instead of a lighthearted practice it actually began many years ago as a way for the bride to avoid being manhandled by guests after the nuptials.

Brides.com explains that the current practice as we currently know it of a bride tossing a bouquet (to single people in the audience) dates back to the 1800s in England. It’s considered good luck for the person who catches it, with an associated belief that the catcher will find for themselves in matrimony soon.

Prior to throwing flowers into the crowd, wedding guests considered brides to be good luck. After all, they were culminating a major life event and hopefully headed into their happiest days. Unfortunately, those seeking a piece of the luck could go a little over the top and brides had to endure being…

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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