Can I throw rice at my wedding?

My friend says if I throw rice at my wedding, the birds eat it and explode? I don’t think that’s true! Should I throw birdseed instead? E.B.

Rice and other grains, such as wheat, have played a prominent role in marriage ceremonies for centuries. Guests wish the bride and groom symbolically a lifetime full of fertility and of prosperity by throwing rice.

There are no documented cases of birds suffering from eating rice probably because it’s a natural food grown all around the world. It's really no different than the birds eating any other grain like millet or wheat. So to be clear, no wild birds will be harmed if they choose to eat rice thrown at a wedding ceremony.

The only thing you have to worry about when you throw rice is not slipping on the hard little rolling seeds and young relatives that think it’s funny pelting your face as hard as they can.