Bride and Groom Traditions
There are many traditions that U.S. brides and grooms are expected to follow at their wedding. One of the most well-known traditions is for a bride to toss her bridal bouquet to the unmarried female guests attending her reception. According to the tradition, the single woman who catches the bouquet will be the next woman to be married. The flowers thrown may not be actually the same flowers the bride carries down the aisle during the wedding ceremony. An identical bouquet is created for the bride to toss. This is because many times the bride wants to keep her original bouquet as a remembrance. Many women take the flower toss very seriously. There have been videos documenting how women will sometimes even fight each other for the bridal bouquet.
The groom has something to toss at the wedding reception, too. One tradition is the groom takes a garter from his new wife’s leg and toss the garter to the unmarried men attending the reception. According to the tradition, the single man who catches the garter will be the next man to get married. Sometimes the groom will remove the garter from his wife’s leg with his teeth. At some wedding receptions, the man who catches the garter has to place it on the leg of the woman who catches the bridal bouquet. Some people think this is too sexual, and just skip this part. It is the decision of the bride and groom.
The bride and groom often toast each other with champagne before the end of the reception. Sometimes a bride and groom will leave the reception before it is over. They go right to the airport to begin their honeymoon, a special vacation celebrating their new life together.
