All the single ladies (all the single ladies)

All the single ladies (all the single ladies)

All the single ladies (all the single ladies)

All the single ladies, put yo hands up!

Beyonce’s Single Ladies hit has quickly overcome Cindi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun as the newest musical backdrop to the long standing Western wedding tradition of the bouquet toss. And it has found it’s way into many fusion weddings along the way as well.

The origins of the garter toss reside in 14th century France when guests believed it would bring good luck to retain part of the wedding dress. In many cases the dress was destroyed and not surprisingly, the bride was left highly unamused. Therefore the tradition of the bride throwing gifts and items to the crowds came into being so that impetuous hands were kept at bay. However this did not provide enough relief from desperate guests who would do anything to reach the lucky garter, so there evolved a further alternative, where the groom would remove the garter and toss it to the excited male friends and family. Soon after, the custom of the bride throwing a bridal bouquet to the assembled female guests shortly before the garter tossing, came into being. The chap who caught the garter would then fasten it to the leg of the lady who had caught the bouquet.

For many of today’s couples, this tradition is dying. There are still girls who rush to the dance floor in hopes to be the next one to marry, as soon as the DJ makes the first announcement. Yet others, especially the guys for the garter toss, seem to shy away from center stage and the mortifying tradition of putting the garter onto to strange girl.

The bride and groom often make the decision to exclude the traditions altogether, besides the idea of having your new husband removing a garter from your thigh, under layers and layers of fabric and dress can be embarrassing to say the least.

We’ve talked about alternatives to the bouquet toss, to appease the masses and keep your sanity here. So here are some soon to be Western Cultural traditions and a few adaptations of the old ones.

Anniversary Dance – This is probably the most popular bouquet toss alternative, and involves some emcee work from your wedding DJ.  Bringing all of the married couples in attendance to the dance floor, the DJ eliminates them based on the number of years they’ve been married.  At the end of the dance, the longest-married couple receives the bride’s bouquet (and garter, if you’d like).  I’ve also seen this done with a different “gift” at the end, either a bottle of wine or another sentimental gesture.

Throw the Bouquet to All Women – Most of the bouquet tosses that I see now include both unmarried and married women, without the garter toss.  Tossing it to all of the women eliminates the “stigma” issue, and still allows you to include the tradition at your wedding.

Breakaway Bouquet – You’ll have to work with a florist that can make one, but it’s possible to create a bouquet that can be separated into several smaller bouquets, which are a surprise when the bride throws it.

Bouquet Presentation – Instead of throwing the bouquet, some brides opt to present their flowers to their mother or another special person as a token of their appreciation.  This can be a really sweet moment, and a very nice touch.

Skip the Garter Removal – Most couples that object to the garter toss do so because they don’t think it’s particularly tasteful.  By removing the garter in private, as opposed to doing it in front of your guests, you can eliminate the objectionable part and still toss it.

Skip the Garter Toss –That’s not to say that the bride no longer wears a garter, quite the contrary – new, personalized garters are available from special artists like “Garter Girl” Julianne Smith.  In most cases this special garter is saved as a keepsake for the groom and not tossed.