Why Do People Throw Rice at Weddings?

     Rice, Birdseed, Confetti: What Does it All Mean?

Throwing rice at the bride and groom or in the air over them as they depart the wedding ceremony and set off on their new life has been a long-standing American tradition. However, this tradition dates back so many years no one knows for sure when or where it started, and rice is by far not the only items traditionally thrown at the happy couple.

From researching the information found about wedding traditions available on the internet today, it seems that most agree that throwing foodstuff items at the bride and groom began as a fertility and prosperity wish. Seeds and grains are used for crops, and from the smallest seeds, large crops can grown. For some cultures, throwing rice or grains at the wedding was a blessing for the wish of a healthy and large crop so the couple could be prosperous. It might also have signified fertility, so the couple would have many children to help them work the crops.

The tradition has continued into modern times, with rice throwing the most common American tradition for closing a wedding ceremony. In other countries, the customs have included throwing dates and figs, for a fruitful union, and for the more romantic and scented send off, some couples have opted for throwing colorful rose petals instead.

Sometime in the early to mid '90s, a scare rumored the internet and wedding industry that throwing rice was hazardous to birds. The theory was that rice, once swallowed whole and uncooked by the birds, would then swell inside their stomachs and cause the stomach to expand, causing the birds to become very ill or even die.

In fact, this urban legend became so popularly known that many television sitcoms made jokes about throwing rice at weddings and that this practice would cause birds to explode. Even Ann Landers stepped into the mix and the popular column encouraged newlyweds to use birdseed at their weddings instead of rice in order to save our feathered friends.

While the theory is an interesting one, the US Rice Federation and educated ornithologists both have repeatedly assured the public that throwing rice at weddings is not unsafe for birds. In fact, in the wild, birds eat rice from the fields all the time, and we don't see them dropping dead.

However, the bridal industry has definitely taken advantage of the rice throwing urban legend by marketing 'bird friendly' rice for weddings, which you can rest assured will cost much more than a bag of rice at the supermarket. Additionally, you will find bird seed baggies and dried rose petals and other items marketed as 'environmentally safe/friendly' to throw at weddings now.

The irony about the rice throwing urban legend being harmful for birds is that, while no reported incidences of bird deaths have been documented, throwing rice at weddings is actually dangerous to humans. Yes, that's right. Throwing rice at a wedding on a hard walking surface while most people in attendance are wearing dress shoes has resulted in many tumbles, falls and spills that have resulted in injury. Because of this and resultant lawsuits, along with the mess that throwing rice can make, many churches and wedding halls have now banned the practice of throwing rice or other items after a wedding altogether. This doesn't even mention the pelting rice hitting the bride or groom in the eye either!

One popular alternative to throwing rice at weddings has been to blow bubbles instead. While the significance of blowing bubbles may not be steeped in tradition for blessing the couple for fertility or prosperity, they can be beautiful, playful and fun as a way to send off the happy couple.

Lastly, if you really want to bless the happy couple with prosperity, one option might be to throw dollar bills at the couple as they are leaving, but this would likely delay their departure while the bride scrambles around in her wedding dress on her hands and knees picking up all the money. While this can make for some interesting memories in the photo album, it's probably not the best new tradition to start in lieu of throwing rice at weddings.