The bouquet toss tradition has been around for hundreds of years, so naturally as time and tastes move on, it's going to evolve and mdoernise. As with any wedding tradition, these days you can opt in our out, or even better, make it your own, which is what a lot of brides are doing when it comes to the bouquet toss. Some brides are looking for ways to share their bouquets in a more sentimental way, or others just aren't quite down with the idea of gathering a gaggle of single women and chucking a bunch of flowers at them to scramble for. Fair enough - even though it's all in good fun, and always a bit of a laugh! If you're a bride who wants to ditch the traditional wedding bouquet toss, here, we've compiled seven alternative and more inclusive ideas to keep your guests entertained, while also making use of that beautiful bouquet of yours!

Where Does the Bouquet Toss Originate?

Apparently, back in the day, women used to rip pieces off a bride's dress for good luck. In turn, brides took to tossing their bouquet, so they could escape the ladies and save their dress. Nowadays, brides toss it to their unmarried friends with the idea that the lucky lady who catches it will be next to get wed. If singling out your single female friends jars with your feminist leanings, then you'll love our post on how to have a feminist wedding here and our fun ideas below.

Invite Everyone

Instead of focusing on just the single women in the crowd, why not invite everyone who is unattached onto the floor to participate in a more gender inclusive bouquet toss. You never know, the singletons might like the chance to mingle!

Make it Co-Ed

Along the same thinking, why not make it co-ed by bringing your new spouse up and throwing your bouquet and buttonhole alongside each other for all the single guests to catch.

Anniversary Dance

A sweet custom that has been steadily growing in popularity is the Anniversary Dance. This is where couples invite their married guests onto the dancefloor. The DJ calls out wedding anniversary milestones from 1 year to 80 years and when couples hear their anniversary they sit down. As a prize, the last couple left dancing is awarded the bouquet!

Friendly Competition

To really get the party started at your wedding there is nothing better than sparking up a bit of friendly competition out on the dancefloor. Get your guests to bust out their best moves in a dance-off or set up limbo to see how low your guests can go. Alongside providing a great bit of entertainment, the winner is presented with the couple's bouquet!

Pass the Torch

A great way to make use of your prized wedding bouquet, during the speeches, why not show some love for the next couple in the room to get married by giving them your blooms. This way you get to wish your engaged guests good luck on their exciting new adventure and send them home with a lovely memento from your day.

Split the Bouquet

Instead of having one bouquet to give out, divide your bouquet into several mini bouquets, or single flowers, and hand them out to your guests, especially anyone you want to thank.

Unsung Hero

A lovely tradition at weddings is when the couple present their mothers with a bouquet to thank them for their help, usually during the reception. The Unsung Hero move is another one for during the speeches, as you could gift your bouquet to shine a light on a very special guest in the crowd who went to huge effort. Perhaps they travelled far to be by your side on your wedding day, or they went that extra mile during your wedding preparations to give a helping hand.

Check out our ideas on how to have a feminist wedding here and our 10 beautiful ways to preserve your wedding bouquet here.