Tradition meets wonderfully happy imagery in these 19 alternative pictures of ecstatic brides tossing their bouquets, from the photographers at the 20Collective
Image gallery
Image gallery
It’s a classic photo at every wedding. The bunch of flowers, that’s so eagerly awaited by bridesmaids, family and friends, is tossed high into the air while guests lose their composed formal wedding manner and make a mad scramble to catch it.
Competitiveness aside, what makes a brilliant bouquet tossing shot? Fun, a little chaos and a photographer who knows where to be at the opportune moment. Here are 19 playful cases of bouquet tossing tactics that are sure to inspire.
1. A Buckinghamshire Golf Club Wedding by F5 Photography –Rahul Khona
“I wanted to capture the bouquet toss from a totally different perspective, so instead of the usual showing the bride throwing the bouquet, I wanted to see the flowers coming towards all the single ladies ready to catch it. I think it’s a pretty cool shot,” says Rahul.
2. An Inverness Achnagairn Castle Wedding by ARJ Photography
“I don’t see that many bouquet tosses these days,” says Adam Johnson. “Often people are spending so much on a bouquet that the last thing they want to do is throw it across the room. Also I think like a lot of traditional wedding rituals it’s dying out as people concentrate on just doing whatever they want instead. This was the moment Katie decided, totally off the cuff, to throw her bouquet before her first dance with Rog at their Achnagairn Castle wedding in Inverness. I love the bouquet in mid-air and Katie’s expression as she looks back to see who the lucky catcher is.”
3. A Cheshire Sandhole Oak Barn Wedding by Adam Riley Photography
“The bouquet toss is often a fun moment, as some of the guests at the wedding show their competitive side, determined to be the one to be married next,” explains Adam. “I like this shot at Sandhole Oak Barn in Cheshire as you can see the bride in the foreground, and the rugby scrum of girls jumping for the bouquet.”
4. An Oxfordshire Tythe Barn Wedding by Albert Palmer Photography
“Why these don’t happen at every wedding I don’t know,” says Albert Palmer. “Well, I do, bouquets can cost a lot, but it’s fun when they get tossed through the air. This shot at Tythe Barn sees the bouquet (luckily) positioned above the skyline and the ladies in the background readily waiting.”
5. A Wales Penybanc Farm Wedding by Andy Gaines
“Penybanc Farm in Wales is an amazing, rustic venue that is even better on a glorious summer’s evening – like it was when Zoe and Scott got married,” Andy Gaines says. “Sometimes the bridesmaids just want to try and catch flower.”
6. A London Horniman Museum Wedding by Ben Joseph Photography
“Quite a simple image this one, taken at the Horniman Museum in south London,” explains Ben. “The first dance had taken place and the bride had realised she hadn’t thrown her bouquet. Everyone was in good spirits by this stage of the day and guests enjoyed the countdown to the moment the flowers were released into the air. I like the perspective in this shot and all the hands clambering to make the catch –you can tell the hands belong to females even though you can’t see the faces.”
7. An Argentina Wedding by Kristian Leven Photography
“My first destination wedding happened to be in Argentina, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding,” Kristian remembers. “A beautiful couple, a ceremony that took place in a vineyard, and just a brilliant vibe to the whole day. By the time we got to the bouquet toss, the light had faded away, so the only option was to head to this side bit, but it illuminated the moment perfectly.”
8. A Manchester Rosylee Tea Rooms Wedding by CG Weddings by the Crawleys 
“This frame was created on the streets outside Rosylee Tea Rooms in Manchester city centre,”explains Liam of CG Weddings by the Crawleys. “The bouquet toss shot is one of those ‘must-have’shots all brides will read about when they thumb their way through endless variations of the traditional bridal magazine. As wedding photographers, it’s our responsibility to record these events week in, week out –the challenge is to sustain creativity whilst doing so.”
9. A Buckinghamshire Notley Abbey Wedding by Lorenzo Photography
“Here’s a delightful wedding bouquet toss at Notley Abbey in Buckinghamshire, once the home of British actors Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh,” says Lorenzo. “Since most of the ladies were already married the bride and her bridesmaids decided to toss the bouquet themselves. It’s a tradition with its roots in Anglo Saxon times but still very much enjoyed today.”
10. A Warwickshire Shustoke Farm Barn Wedding by Lyndsey Goddard Photography
“This wedding at Warwickshire venue Shustoke Farm Barn took place on one of the hottest days of the year, and everyone was still outside drinking as the sun was setting,” explains Lyndsey Goddard. “The bride, Fran, decided on the spur of the moment to toss her bouquet, and both her and her groom ran to the top of some steps for her to chuck it. It was caught by the seven-year-old flowergirl and had to be thrown again so the 'right' person could catch it… and very pleased about it she was too.”
11. A St Michael’s Manor, St Albans Wedding by Matt Tyler Photography
“This is another frame from Katy and Chris’ wedding at St Michael’s Manor in St Albans,” Matt Tyler says. “The bouquet toss was particularly aggressive as a number of the ladies wanted to get their hands on it. I love the expression on Katy’s face and the fact you can see some of the ladies in the background already fighting for space.”
12. A London Chiswick House Wedding by Miki Photography
“This was from Lily and Robin’s wedding at Chiswick House in London,” Miki says. “It’s always hard to light these, especially as they happen so quickly and this case as a surprise. It always feels like the first time I hear about these things is as the DJ announces it. I love the range of ages waiting to catch the bouquet and also Lily’s expression.”
13. A Lancashire West Tower Wedding by Neil Redfern Photography
“This isn’t strictly a bouquet toss but I couldn’t resist including it as I really like this photograph,” says Neil. “It was taken at sunset at Lisa and Raman’s wedding at West Tower in Lancashire. We had a lot of fun taking this one and if I remember rightly, all the flowers survived.”
14. A Cotswold Cripps Barn Wedding by Rik Pennington Photography
“Perhaps not a conventional bouquet toss picture as Penny's dress came up and covered her face at the crucial moment,” Rik says. “I like it for its slightly surreal quality which would have been perfect if shot against a pure blue sky, but sadly we can't control everything when we shoot.”
15. A Somerset Clavelshay Barn Wedding by Sam Gibson Photography
“This is Kate throwing her bouquet on the lower lawn of Clavelshay Barn in Somerset,” Sam Gibson explains. “Kate chose to go outside after the meal to throw her bouquet and it was a great idea –it was a really lovely summer’s evening and it definitely made the most of the weather.”
16. A Newquay Lusty Glaze Wedding by Samuel Docker Photography
“Since I’ve been a wedding photographer, I’ve always tried to execute traditional shots in a unique and different way to how most other photographers would document it,” Samuel Docker says. “For Caroline and Danny’s wedding at Lusty Glaze in Newquay, shooting the bouquet toss side on proved to be a winner as one of the young male guests was held aloft, almost as though he was trying to catch a rugby ball from a line-out.”
17. A Somerset Babington House Wedding by Stephen Bunn Photography
“This image was taken at Faye and James’s Babington House wedding,” says photographer Stephen Bunn. “It was late in the evening and Boy George (the surprise evening entertainment) had everyone on the dance floor going crazy. On the spur of the moment, Faye decided to throw her bouquet. There wasn’t room to swing a cat, or throw a bouquet, and no time to compose a shot, but that just adds to the image for me –a moment of total spontaneity.”
18. A Lancashire Mitton Hall Wedding by Lawson Photography
“You don't see so many bouquet tosses these days, but while the frequency is lower, the level of professionalism and guile that is brought to bear has risen considerably,” say Pete and Laura of Lawson Photography. “Here, at Mitton Hall in Lancashire, it's all become too much for one contestant, who walks away from the crowd as the instigator of the jostling protests her innocence.”
19. A NottinghamKelham House Wedding by York Place Studios
“The bouquet toss is always a fun moment, particularly when the ladies are ready to fight for it,” say Dominique and Liam of York Place Studios. “Christine’s bouquet toss at Nottinghamshire’s Kelham House was definitely a memorable one, with the elegantly-dressed maidens forming nothing short of a scrum to get their hands on the bouquet before moments later, the garter toss was met with a hilarious reaction from the boys too.”
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