The origins of the bouquet and garter toss are surprisingly raunchy
On her wedding day, a bride was considered to be especially lucky, and guests would sometimes tear at her bridal attire in the hopes of obtaining some of that luck for themselves. Clever brides would toss their bouquet as a distraction, hoping the guests would claw at the gathered herbs and flowers instead of her gown, according to Seaquins Ballroom. At least modern wedding guests are content to wait for the bouquet toss while bopping to "Single Ladies." Tearing at a bride's gown today would be unthinkable.
The garter toss likely originated from the medieval bedding ceremony, a tradition that would make most modern people blush. Old-school couples didn't wait long to consummate their marriage: they were expected to do the deed soon after exchanging vows. In some cases, witnesses were required to witness . . . things. The whole process was a likely a bawdy, loud, and chaotic affair. In time, the groom was allowed to remove his wife's underthings and fling them to the waiting crowd as evidence of their successful consummation, according to Mental Floss. The whole event was pretty creepy, to be honest.
[Photo via @whittingtonbridal]
.jpg "How Comms Guru & Founder Of The PR Net Lisa Smith Put Her Stylish Stamp On The Industry")
.jpg "Who Are The Assoulines? Meet The Chic First Family Of Luxury Publishing")
