A wedding is often followed or accompanied by a wedding reception,
at which an elaborate wedding cake is served. Western traditions
include toasting the bride and groom, the newlyweds having the
first dance, and cutting the cake. The bride throws her bouquet
to the assembled group of all unmarried women in attendance, and
the woman who catches it is supposedly going to be the next to
wed. A fairly recent egalitarian equivalent has the groom throwing
the bride's garter to the assembled unmarried men; the man who
catches it is supposedly the next to wed.
A long-standing modern tradition is for brides to wear or
carry "something old, something new, something borrowed,
something blue" during the service. It is considered good
luck to do so. Often times the bride attempts to have one item
that meets all of these qualifications, such as a borrowed blue
handerchief which is "new to her" but loaned by her
grandmother (thus making it old.)
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