# Throwing rice at weddings. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789 "2012-02-24T01:34:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/1 "2012-02-24T01:34:51Z")
I was told not to throw rice as it aint good for the pigeons. Does anyone care about rock doves? Fuck them and the seagull they flew in on. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/2 "2012-02-24T01:40:22Z")
It’s an urban legend anyway: [Is Throwing Rice at Weddings Bad for Birds? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/3 "2012-02-24T02:32:20Z")
I told the local seagulls about what you said. Boy, is your car’s windshield in for the treatment! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/4 "2012-02-24T06:17:21Z")
A real reason not to throw rice is so you don’t hurt the bride and groom. The founder of Girl Scouts ([Juliette Gordon Low](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Gordon_Low#Marriage)) went deaf in one ear after her wedding, because a piece of rice went into her ear: > [@](#): > > A grain of rice thrown at the wedding became lodged in Juliette’s good ear. When it was removed, her ear drum was punctured and became infected, causing her to become mostly deaf in that ear. Her hearing was limited for the rest of her life. She used a variety of hearing horns and hearing aids. Maybe not as big of a concern with modern medicine, but bubbles are more fun anyway. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/5 "2012-02-24T06:19:14Z")
I thought the women were supposed to throw their panties. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/6 "2012-02-24T09:50:32Z")
I thought you were meant to do a [scramble](http://www.ichscotlandwiki.org/index.php?title=Scramble)? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/7 "2012-02-24T13:54:06Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > Does anyone care about rock doves? > Fuck them and the seagull they flew in on. First they came for the rock doves, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a rock dove. Then they came for the seagulls, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a seagull. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/8 "2012-02-24T15:16:07Z")
I’ve heard people shouldn’t throw rice because it’s messy to clean up. Some people blow bubbles instead. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/9 "2012-02-24T15:55:40Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > First they came for the rock doves, > and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a rock dove. > > Then they came for the seagulls, > and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a seagull. Then I realized how clean my car was, and said screw the rock doves and seagulls. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/10 "2012-02-24T17:30:57Z")
The Great and All Powerful Cecil discussed this [here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1096/should-you-not-throw-rice-at-weddings-because-birds-swallow-it-and-explode). ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/11 "2012-02-24T18:12:03Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I’ve heard people shouldn’t throw rice because it’s messy to clean up. Some people blow bubbles instead. What if [Bubbles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubbles_%28chimpanzee%29) isn’t available? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/12 "2012-02-24T18:37:39Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > The founder of Girl Scouts ([Juliette Gordon Low](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Gordon_Low#Marriage)) went deaf in one ear after her wedding, because a piece of rice went into her ear I usually do not laugh at the misfortune of others, but that’s freaking funny. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/13 "2012-02-24T18:41:57Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I’ve heard people shouldn’t throw rice because it’s messy to clean up. This was the most common answer I’ve heard. Wedding parties and guests have their 5 seconds of fun and then the church staff is left with trying to clean up the mess. What ever can’t be swept up ends up in sidewalk cracks and other nooks and crannies. It’s rains, the stuff turns to mush, and you’ve got a nasty mess. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/14 "2012-02-24T19:23:42Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > This was the most common answer I’ve heard. Wedding parties and guests have their 5 seconds of fun and then the church staff is left with trying to clean up the mess. What ever can’t be swept up ends up in sidewalk cracks and other nooks and crannies. It’s rains, the stuff turns to mush, and you’ve got a nasty mess. The birds will come along and eat the rice. Then explode, spraying pretty white feathers into the air. Perfect for a wedding. I have to paraphrase this, couldn’t find the exact quote: > [@Ellie Mae](#): > > Granny, why do people throw rice at weddin’s? > [@Granny](#): > > I reckon people might git hurt if you chucked taters at 'em. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-rice-at-weddings/613789/15 "2012-02-24T20:32:46Z")
For our wedding we gave out little containers of bubble soap and bubble wands. Now it seems to be common, and you can buy little soap bubble favors for it, but when we did it, there was no such thing. I had to go out and round up large collections of plastic film canisters, locate a place that could sell me bubble wands to fit in themm (in quantity), and buy industrisal-sized bottles of bubble soap. It was worth it, though, since it was a pretty original thing. I’m almost sad the “exploding birds” thing is a myth. we had our wedding on a beach, and a few less seagulls would have been a good thing.