Wedding Reception Tradition: 4 Popular Ways Brides Break Them!

Wedding Reception Traditions

We are not our parents. Wedding reception traditions from the past come from places foreign to us, and do not define our futures. We don’t even know where most originated from! Many brides and grooms are taking a stand by either doing a way with some, or introducing their own cultural twists showing pride in their own heritage. Like jumping the broom at african-american weddings.

But there are always the old American standards that we’re all used to seeing to the point that we expect them! Some of these you may do, a few you may remix. Some couples prefer to eliminate them completely and just party. Today is the day to declare your own path and plan your special day your way!

Throwing The Bouquet Wedding Tradition

As legend has it, throwing a bouquet is a wedding reception tradition dating back to the early 1800’s in England. Being married was a chance for social class advancement and family support. Young women and girls believed it to be good luck to tear off pieces of the brides dress as she walked by. To fend off the attacks of some eagerly desperate single women, the bride would throw her bouquet and make a run for it!

Fast forward to our new millennium, where marriage is a choice. The bride blindly throws the bouquet to a waiting crowd of her single friends to hopefully, politely, fight over it. Believing that the holder will be the next to marry. Ladies, as a side note, if you do this PLEASE make an age requirement for the catcher. So your DJ may avoid and awkward moment of awarding a 12 year old!

An alternative would be to give the bouquet as a surprise to an upcoming or hopeful future bride. Breaking the bouquet apart for multiple gifts is a consideration as well. You may also give the bouquet to the longest married couple. But today is a new time. Some opt out of dealing with the pressure of including this tradition. Especially if aware of how low your single friend count may be, or if they even want to get married!

The Garter Toss Tradition

The garter toss is a wedding reception tradition that shares a story similar to the bouquet, but perhaps a tad darker. Back in the 1800’s in England, as soon as one was married, it local custom was to consummate the relationship immediately with their partner. Some guests would wait outside, or even watch to make sure that it happened. The garter would be thrown out instead to satisfy those with a strange fascination of being a witness. Otherwise, much like the bouquet, guests would be clamoring for a piece of the brides dress for good luck in their future.

In our present day, the bride wears the garter band on either leg while sitting in a chair. The groom then removes the garter with his hands, and often teeth. Then throwing it to single men in attendance to see who would like to be next to marry. Now in some cringe worthy instances, the person who catches it dances with the winner of the brides bouquet, or they take an awkward picture together, or worse he is to put the garter on the bouquet winner. But a picture is always the simplest answer, if anything at all. Hence a reason to place an age on participants!

We now live in a gender fluid society that there may be two brides, or two grooms. These are only traditions to you if they mean something of sentimental value. These are still great photo and video moments. Plus substitutions can always be used for the garter

Parent Dance Wedding Tradition

The wedding reception tradition of the Father dancing with the bride stems from older times when marriage was social, economical, political. Marriages lacked love and were about position in the community. The Father would dance with his daughter as a last demand of being the patriarch of the family, before releasing her to her recently met new groom. The Mother dancing with the groom being similar, but more about spending a moment with his mother to show adoring love while waltzing during their whirlwind day.

Families do not have quite the same dynamics as in the past. Now the dances are sometimes combined into one, or often substituted with other important family members. Especially if the parents are deceased, incarcerated, or unavailable for any reason. Siblings, grandparents, and offspring are the usual substitutes for people who carried the parental torch nowadays. People step into different roles often in life. This is a time to celebrate what those transitions meant to the bride and groom.

The Anniversary Dance

The Anniversary Dance is a wedding reception tradition that celebrates all married couples that are in attendance. The DJ calls all married couples to the floor. Once the floor is filled, the number of years of marriage are called out in increments of five. Once the number close to their married years is called, they must leave the dance floor, or you may have them dance around the edge to form a ring to represent the unity of marraige. The couple married the longest will be left standing in the middle. They then give advice on how they successfully remained married for those many years, and take a picture with the bride and groom.

This works well with a room full of married couples of course. But every wedding is different, if you anticipate a mostly newlywed, young, or single crowd, it may not work the same for you. You will always want to spice up your wedding, and intrigue your guests by doing family research. Some old traditions from your families culture will always be new to someone else!