Wedding bouquets can be expensive! Why do we spend so much money for something we only use once? Think about it with me. We spend all that money, walk down the aisle, and then just throw our beautiful bouquet over our shoulders, not knowing if it will stay just as beautiful or even in one piece. Why not have the chance to keep it and show it off for years to come? It’s not crazy or lavish to have two bouquets for your wedding day! Wait, we just mentioned how bouquets can be expensive. I know what you’re thinking, “You want me to buy what? Why should I spend the money to buy two when I can just forget the toss and keep the bouquet myself? Why do we even toss the bouquet anyway?” I’m about to share just how much it actually makes sense! Let’s talk about it.
The Tradition
Let’s take it back a few hundred years. It has been said that good luck can be brought on by touching the bride simply because she just got married. Imagine all of the people swarming around her on her special day. As a person in the crowd, your first thought might be about grabbing that luck at any possible chance (the dress, the flowers, etc.). From the bride’s standpoint, you’ve got a crowd of people coming at you, so what do you do? As history shows, most brides threw their flowers over their shoulder and ran without so much as a glance backward. Over the years, the tradition evolved to be what it is now, single ladies taking a chance at catching romantic love.
Toss & Keep, It’s Possible?
Whatever you do, I suggest not having a bouquet toss just to ask for your flowers back. How would you feel as the guest who fought to catch those beautiful flowers (because we all know it can get crazy out there) and then was immediately asked for them back? Those beautiful flowers you just wrestled Karen for? Yeah, can I have them back now? Not really the best scenario. How can we solve this? How can you have a traditional toss and preserve your wedding bouquet at the same time? It’s possible, here’s how!
In order to have both the traditional bouquet toss and keep your own bouquet, you have to have two. It doesn’t matter what size or form the second “bouquet” has as long as there is one. Don’t be afraid to use artificial flowers for the toss bouquet even if your own bridal bouquet is made with real flowers. Let’s talk about the different ways you can have both a toss bouquet and a bridal bouquet to keep no matter your budget. (Make sure you preserve your flowers if you plan to keep them! Keeping their beauty and glory [by preservation] is the only way to enjoy them for years to come!)
Toss with Artificial Flowers: Maybe your bridal bouquet isn’t made with real flowers. Maybe you want to do the bouquet toss but don’t want to pay for real flowers. Hobby Lobby or Michaels (or really any craft store) has artificial flowers that look real enough to do the trick. Grab some that match your colors or theme and make a bouquet out of them (or let a crafty friend help). Some people aren’t inclined to spend the time on making a bouquet, real or fake. If that’s you, the easiest route is artificial bouquets at craft stores (they’re usually small & perfect for tossing). If you watch for floral sales, the prearranged bouquets can be extremely economical!
Toss with Real Flowers: You love flowers and you budgeted for your bouquet flowers to be fresh and real. When you talk to the florist about your flowers, ask about a toss bouquet. Some florists have started including free toss bouquets in their wedding packages. Other florists have started including them for a small fee. If it’s too expensive for your budget, you still have options. See what an extra wrist corsage would cost. If it fits your budget, toss it in place of your bouquet at the reception. Yes, a corsage would be small, but sometimes small can be good. Small here means harder to catch, which invites more fun for those watching! Another option: flowers from the grocery store. Grocery store flowers probably aren’t the easiest or prettiest option for the whole wedding, but they are perfect for a toss bouquet. Grab some roses (or other natural colored flowers) and arrange them in a bouquet, wrapping the stems in ribbon from the craft store.
Want to forgo the toss but still have a “toss” ceremony to acknowledge a special woman in your life? Buy a bouquet of her favorite flowers (or stick with roses) and give it to her. Make an announcement telling why she is so special to you. You may be blessed enough to have more than one special woman. Why not spread the love? You can give single roses (or any flower of your choosing) to those women.
Don’t want to embarrass any single ladies? If you are wondering how you can still have the “toss” ceremony without hurting anyone, physically or emotionally, here is your chance. Give your traditional bouquet “toss” equal opportunity for all of the women at your wedding. Equal opportunity (through a game such as the example below or a simple drawing of a name from a “hat”) takes away the pressure.
Example: Invite any participating women to join you on the dance floor. Have them form a circle around you. You, as the bride, spin blindfolded in the center of the circle (until the music stops, *but don’t make yourself dizzy*). Have the women rotate the circle in the opposite direction of your spin (slowly is okay). When the music stops, open your eyes. The woman directly in front of you is the lucky person who gets to take beautiful flowers home.
How to Handle Preservation
Now let’s talk about bouquet preservation mentioned throughout these tips and ideas. You want the inevitable death of your flowers to stop? Do you want an ornament for the Christmas tree? Do you want a conversation-starting keepsake about your big day? Desna’s Designs is the best option for you! Floral preservation is the perfect choice for brides who want to make their bouquet last forever. We specialize in floral preservation at the top level. What makes us top-level? We use the patented Suspended in Time® process of flower preservation. For a lifetime, your wedding flowers can keep the glory they had on your special day. After our preservation, you will get your wedding flowers back in the same vibrant state they were in as you walked down the aisle!
View our wedding flower gallery and contact us to get started on your keepsake bouquet from your special day! We look forward to hearing from you!
