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Wedding Traditions Explained: Bouquet

The iconic wedding bouquet, brides have been seen for centuries with one in their hands on their wedding day. Most brides today still keep this tradition alive, whether with a floral, jeweled or greenery arrangement. As one of the longest lasting wedding traditions, where did the wedding bouquet stem from?

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The original theory behind this tradition was to mask the odor of the bride on her wedding day. Since people bathed very infrequently in past centuries, sometimes only once every few months or year, a bride’s bouquet helped her smell pretty on her big day. Arrangements back then were made of strong smelling herbs and greenery, such as dill, garlic and ivy. Herbs were also believed to ward off evil spirits. Flower girls and bridesmaids would carry wheat, which was a symbol of fertility and growth.

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A bride’s bouquet was also used to form part of the wreaths and garlands that both the bride and groom would wear on their wedding day. When the couple wore these, it was considered a symbol of happiness. A wedding bouquet could also go as far to include ingredients that would be used to make the wedding dinner. Garlic and dill for the wedding day soup? That sounds delicious!

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In ancient times, brides were considered lucky on their wedding day. To have a piece of her good luck, guests would tear off pieces of the bride’s wedding dress. Since many brides wanted to keep their wedding dress in one piece, the tradition of the bouquet toss was born. Brides would throw their wedding bouquet to guests to share their good luck with them. You can read more about the wedding toss tradition here.

We’ve done research on the history behind many other wedding traditions. Take a look at our other blog posts here!