It’s probably either the most exciting or most dreaded part of the wedding reception program for the single female guests. It can be exciting, for according to tradition, it is believed that the single lady who catches the bouquet will be the next person to get married… and, of course, who wouldn’t like to take home a nice bouquet of flowers for free?

But then, to some ladies, it can the dreaded event, as some tend to be embarrassed by being presented to the rest of the guests as having such civil status, or possibly some ladies also feel that to jump and, possibly dive, with a crowd of other females, just to be the lucky one to grab the bouquet in mid-air or as it lands on the floor, may make them look not too ladylike and somewhat desperate to get married next.

If you are a bride who is concerned with the ladies’ reasons for dreading such activity, you might be glad to know that the traditional way of tossing the bouquet over your shoulder is not the only way of giving away your luck and bunch of flowers at weddings nowadays.  You may want to consider the more creative ways of giving away your bouquet, if you wish to maintain excitement, enjoyment and participation at the reception, and not run the risk of tossing your bouquet over your shoulder and find it lying on the flower, untouched by the shy maidens who are uncomfortably standing as far from you as possible.  Here are some of your possible options:

Musical Bouquet
This is like the musical chairs games, but instead, the ladies can just stand around in a circle, facing outward so they don’t see where the bouquet is. Then music can be played, while the ladies pass the bridal bouquet around among them. The lady who is holding the bouquet when the music stops is the lucky winner.
(Hint: You might also like to try the Finnish version, wherein the bride stands blindfolded in the middle of the circle, and slowly turns around while the music plays, pointing her bouquet outward. The bouquet goes to the lady who is directly in front of her when the music stops.)

Scatter the Luck
This is especially suited for bouquets composed of flowers of just one kind. Untie the ribbon that ties the flower together, so that when you toss it over your shoulder, the flowers scatter in the air and many of the ladies, if not all, would be able to get a flower.
(Hint: You might also want to attach fortunes in small pieces of paper to each flower, so each lady who catches a flower gets an additional treat.)

Add Some More Luck
For the more generous brides, you can perhaps add some rolled dollar bills of an enticing amount to the bouquet, to get them to “fly and dive” just to get the reward.
(Hint: Aside from the cash, you might opt to attach vouchers instead, or tickets to Beyonce’s concert or the premiere night of Taylor Lautner’s next movie.)

Honor the Mothers
You can also use the bridal bouquet to give honor to your own mother and your new mother-in-law.  Simply divide the bouquet into two parts and hand each half to each mother. It can be a very sweet gesture.

Truly The Next To Wed
There might be someone among your female guests who has recently been engaged.  As a way of congratulations, you might wish to present your bouquet to her as a present, too.  In this case, it would not only be a traditional belief, but a reality that’s coming true pretty soon.

Married The Longest
Instead of gathering the single ladies, how about gathering the married ladies for a change?  Then you can try to find out who among them has been married (and has stayed married to the same person) for the longest time.  That is one accomplishment that’s truly worth recognizing and emulating too.

In Loving Memory
Perhaps, there is a loved one who recently passed away.  It would also be a loving gesture to exchange the excitement and fun of a bouquet toss to the sweeter and more touching option of dedicating the bouquet to that dearest one.  Then, maybe after the reception, or the next day, you can lay the flowers on that beloved one’s grave.

Traditional Toss, Then The Twist
If you wish to stick closer to the traditional way of tossing the bouquet, you may do so.  But you can add a little twist: the lady who catches the bouquet gets the privilege of choosing whether to keep it for herself or to give it to any other lady in the reception, as she wishes. This is fantastic for those ladies who are more concerned about their friends’ love life than their own.

Of course these are just a few of the many creative ways of giving away your bouquet.  You might wish to invent one yourself or try one of the options mentioned above.