How to Have a Rice Bag Party for a Bride

Rice bag parties can involve the groomsmen.

Rice is traditionally cast upon the bride and groom from small bags created by the wedding party after the bride and groom leave the wedding ceremony. Modern practices include throwing bird seed because a rumor that white rice explodes a bird’s stomach after digestion put a kibosh on the old tradition. However, Heidi Hughes who is an ornithologist with the American Backyard Bird Society reported to New York Times Magazine that rice is not bad for birds but instead, presents a safety hazard for humans because wedding guests can slip on rice scattered over a paved walkway. Therefore, throwing a rice bag party for a bride still involves decorating small bags, but the bags should contain safflower seeds.

Things You'll Need

• ¼ cup safflower seeds for each wedding guest
• 1 small drawstring organza bag for each wedding guest
• Bride and groom initial stamps
• Ink pad
• Blank hole-punched card stock tag for each wedding guest

Instructions

1. Schedule the rice bag party a couple weeks before the bride’s wedding and send invitations to the bridal party and other friends and family. Unlike a bridal shower, guests are not expected to bring gifts.

2. Purchase safflower seeds from a home improvement store with a garden section. Buy enough seeds for each guest to have a ¼ cup. Safflower seeds are white and look similar to rice, but they are soft to step on, eliminating a potentially slippery surface. Safflower seeds also work well at weddings because most birds eat them but small, unwanted rodents do not.

3. Visit a craft supply store to buy small, drawstring organza bags, individual letter stamps, an ink pad and blank, hole-punched paper tags. Find these items in colors that match or complement the wedding colors. Look for a stamp font that also works well with the wedding theme. For instance, a cursive font works well with a formal affair and block letters suit a modern wedding. Choose letters for the bride and groom’s first name initials and a larger letter for the initial of their new shared last name.

4. Place the stamps, ink and paper tags at one chair and the safflower seeds and organza bags in the center of the table. Ask one person to stamp the couple’s initials in a monogram with either the bride or groom’s first name initial first, the larger last name initial stamp second and the other person’s first name initial last. Laying the tags flat to dry instead of stacking keeps ink from smearing.

5. Ask the other attendees to place about a ¼ cup of safflower seeds, which is approximately one handful, into each organza bag. Have guests pull the drawstrings tightly to prevent seeds from spilling.

6. Instruct guests to attach a tag to each organza bag when the ink is dry. Organza bag drawstrings have two ribbons tied in a knot on each end so have attendees untie the knot, string a monogram tag and retie the knot.

7. Place the filled rice bags in a box with the organza bag openings facing upward. Stacking the bags on top of one another until the wedding works well as long as each bag remains upright.

References

• New York Times: Science