Planning a wedding ceremony toss? You’ve come to the right place! A ceremony toss is where guests toss something at the newlyweds in celebration as they exit the space (immediately after the ceremony). It is sometimes referred to as a ceremony exit. If you like posts like these, be sure to keep ’em coming right to your inbox!
Are you planning a wedding ceremony toss after recess down the aisle? Don’t miss this post! Emma here and today we’ve rounded up seven wedding toss mistakes to avoid so your exciting ceremony toss goes off without a hitch. We’ve also included some suggestions for what to toss, what to avoid, and we’ll even tie an unlikely connection between the B-52’s and your ceremony exit. Enjoy!
Wedding Ceremony Toss Tips
Mistake #1: Not asking permission first.
Always ask your venue before planning a wedding ceremony toss. Don’t assume it’s accepted, because many venues won’t let you toss anything anymore. This is especially true indoors because it’s a pain to clean up. So, ask first — and don’t assume anything.
Mistake #2: Using rice, glitter, or anything that’s impossible to clean.
In case you haven’t heard yet, rice is terrible for tossing. Why? There was a big hubbub caused by Ann Landers that basically told brides that rice will cause birds to, you know, explode if they ingested rice. (In case you were wondering, this is a myth.) Rice is still frowned upon, though; it can be more of a tripping hazard than anything. Plus, it’s a waste of perfectly good food.
Now, as far as glitter is concerned, that’s a tough one: we would pretty much advise against it, especially if the ceremony is not on your own property. I mean, the B-52’s wouldn’t have elaborated so much about glitter on the highway, on the front porch, or on the hallway just because it’s festive. They were trying to tell us how glitter is THE WORST to clean up. And does it even really go away? Also, glitter would be a nightmare to get on your beautiful dress, not to mention in your hair or eyes.
Now, we still love glitter so I did some serious digging. We found these biodegradable gold glitter confetti that work perfectly! They’re elegant, festive, and safe for the environment. By Flowerfetti.
Also available in silver!
Now, colorful sprinkle tosses look amazing in photos. However, I’ve heard conflicting things that the dyed sugar can stain your dress, and we think you’d need a decent size tub of sprinkles and still, that’s a lot of perfectly delicious sprinkles to go to waste. But, hey, to each her own.
What to toss instead?
There are several things you can toss instead of rice for a ceremony exit. Here are some ideas for inspiration:
Ribbon Wands
You technically don’t toss a ribbon wand, but you twirl it which looks really pretty and leaves zero cleanup.
Wildflowers
Toss an eco-friendly option like dried flower petals or herbs. You can get a bunch of beautiful, fragrant flower confetti from places like Flowerfetti, who offer a ton of lovely eco-friendly tossing ideas, like these.
Here is some Autumn tossing wildflowers:
Lavender
I love lavender: it’s calming, smells amazing, is eco-friendly, and fits in small favor bags for tossing.
And I love these lavender toss bags from Lavenderfetti:
Birdseed
Another favorite for outdoor confetti tosses? Birdseed. Those birds will love you for it. These cute birdseed toss wands are perfect! By Mavora.
Here’s an example of the birdseed toss in action! (Via Mavora).
Poms
Poms are so much easier to clean up! No small particles, just fluffy, fuzzy poms that guests can toss in a big basket afterward. Plus, it’s super cheap and colorful, too.
Bubbles
Blowing bubbles is fun for all ages — especially kids at your wedding! Plus, you can get easy bubble favors, like these.
Mistake #3: No confetti containers.
To make sure your confetti toss is perfect, a little preparation is key: place confetti in paper cones (like these) or small glassine bags and pre-pack them for guests to grab after the ceremony.
Make sure the toss bags are easily accessible, too. One suggestion is to have a ribbon strung through a petal cone to attach to ceremony chair backs. This way, guests are prepared for the tossing portion before you recite your vows.
Mistake #4: Leaving a mess.
Clean up after yourself. This one’s obvious, but worth noting. It’s also a great idea to have a waste basket somewhere on the premises (obviously not in view, but accessible for after the ceremony) and one of these for easy cleanup.
Mistake #5: Not establishing a tossing space.
If you want to have a wedding toss after the ceremony, make sure you have a specific space in mind. Usually it happens outside of your ceremony venue, but the location is really up to you. Pick your space and coordinate with your photographer to ensure that’s where it happens. Besides, this way you can work together to ensure there’s enough light and room to really capture the perfect moment.
Mistake #6: Forgetting to inform guests what to do.
Guests won’t necessarily know your toss request unless you ask. Include a line in your program that says something like, “Please take a bag of confetti as you exit the ceremony & toss as the newlyweds exit.” Also, make sure the bags are in plain view, and easy to grab as guests exit. You can even give to guests with their programs as they enter the ceremony space, which works well, too.
Mistake #7: Not assigning someone in charge.
If you don’t have a wedding coordinator, ask a friend to do a huge favor and help you with the toss. This friend can be responsible for getting the toss bags passed out to guests, or having them placed in a basket after the ceremony, or having your guests form two lines so you have an aisle way to walk through.
This friend can also make sure stuff gets cleaned up, so you’re not in trouble with your venue. This friend should also be given a nice gift and a big thank you and you should totally owe them one giant favor for helping you out in this way.
♥
So, are you planning a wedding ceremony toss? If so, what are you going to offer to guests for tossing?
Happy Planning!
xo
Emma
