Thursday, August 7, 2008

Should Children Participate in the Bouquet and Garter Toss?

We know that it’s your wedding and your choice, but it’s not always a good idea, and here’s why: The tradition behind the bouquet or garter is that the lucky catcher is the next to get married. Obviously a child won’t get married anytime soon, so why would they participate in this tradition? Secondly, children get easily hurt when grown adults who tower over them, are jumping in the air, diving for a prize. We’ve seen kids get hurt when they were accidentally knocked down onto the hard dance floor. We’ve seen an adult, caught up in the excitement, land on top of a child. And, we’ve seen small children cry when they didn’t understand why they didn’t get a prize like the lucky winner.

There are a few other points to remember. If you have a real floral toss bouquet, it costs money. Wouldn’t you rather that it went to a woman who appreciated it and couldn’t wait to put it a vase on her table, rather than a small child who would probably end up hitting her little brother over the head with it? lol And, it’s unlikely that a small boy will treasure a garter, but the lucky guy that catches it will probably hang it on his vehicle’s rear view mirror with pride (or his girlfriend will – hint hint)..

So, of course, allowing children to participate in the bouquet and garter tosses is a choice that’s up to you. We’ve worked with plenty of families who couldn’t imagine including children in every aspect of their wedding, and they had no problems. It just comes down to what is best for you and your guests. Happy planning!

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