Bridal Bouquets
A wedding bouquet is the ultimate expression of femininity for a bride. It lets her express her personality with vibrant colours and strong floral fragrances or more sensual colours with subtle scents. Little wonder that the practice of tossing the bridal bouquet has such significance for ladies in the wedding party with marriage in mind! Usually the bride turns her back on the wedding party and tosses the bouquet over her head. Custom has it that the unmarried girl who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. Similarly, the unmarried man who catches the bride’s garter, this time tossed by the groom, will also be the next to tie the knot. But not necessarily to the girl who caught the bouquet! Although many brides and grooms still hold fast to tradition, there has been a shift away from these two customs. The garter is less used today and many consider that women scrambling to catch a bouquet is somewhat old-fashioned and undignified. Some brides simply throw ribbons, confetti, dried rose petals or suchlike without the need for anything to be caught. Others arrange to have their bouquet made in such a way that it can be separated into smaller sprays and given to the bridesmaids as thanks for their contribution to the special day. Old traditions die hard but there is no reason not to move on and create fashions more in keeping with the modern day — perhaps even generating new customs which will last a very long time.
