Why do the bride & groom throw flowers and a garter at single attendees of their wedding?
Today, single ladies at a reception may be excited to get some free flowers or hesitant to admit they want to be the next one married. The bachelors out there may find it awkward to leap in the air to catch a lacey garment that was just taken from the bride’s thigh, or they may find it hilarious to fight over such a prize (to hold over the head of their newly married friend). Either way, the origin of these awkward traditions are far worse and top all in shock factor.
These two traditions actually derived from attempts to protect the bride from the guests!
Wedding guests used to be crazy – beyond crazy. Even today’s tips on how to be a good wedding guest seem irrelevant and insignificant in comparison to what used to be the norm.
In medieval tradition, to the terror of the bride, guests would ensure the marriage had been consummated, and in France, guests would rush the bride at the alter. After the marriage was official, guests pushed and shoved in order to walk away with a piece of the bride’s gown, leaving her in tatters or with no wearable garment at all!
Through time, brides began to put their foot down and, in order to appease the ferocious wedding guests, began tossing their bouquets as a distraction to make a getaway. The groom also began removing his new wife’s garter and throwing it to further pacify the masses.
Sources include MentalFloss.com and People.HowStuffWorks.com.
