Superstition

What does it mean when the woman who catches the bride’s bouquet is married?

The tradition of brides tossing a bouquet to a crowd of single women is supposed to predict which single woman will be married next according to who catches it.

The practice was originally started in Medievel times when it was considered good luck to “steal” a piece of the bride’s gown after the wedding by tearing it off her dress. Supposedly, brides threw flowers at the crowds to distract them long enough for her to run to the bridal chamber with her husband who would then throw her garter out the door to signify he was about to make things official, according to the website “The Pink Bride.” This developed into the superstition that the man who caught the garter would be the next to get married.

In modern times, the superstition says the single woman who catches the bouquet at a wedding will be the next to get married; but not necessarily to the man who catches the garter.

I was at my cousin’s daughter’s wedding last night. I was on the dance floor when the band asked all of the single women to assemble and get ready to catch the bouquet.

I am only borderline single. I’m legally married and legally and permanently separated from my husband who lives in another state.

Because I know the bouquet catching doesn’t really count, I stood in the crowd of single women. I did a lot of posturing about catching the flowers in front of all the much younger women out there.

The band counted down from three. The bouquet flew fast through the air and hit me hard in the face. I had to catch it. The crowd cheered and the photographer took my picture.

I felt like I had won an important prize. Part of me felt like I was being dishonest. After a few minutes, I realized some of the young women there might have felt bad it wasn’t them. I knew no one was going to verify I was single and take the flowers back. Friends and family encouraged me to enjoy the moment. The flowers were quite beautiful.

I put them on the table and sat down. The father of the bride came over and leaned into my ear to ask me what I was going to do about catching that bouquet. He’d attended my wedding in 1986. He knows all about my marital status. “I don’t know, Rob.” I said. “I’ll think of something.” We had a good laugh as if about an inside joke. Most of the room didn’t know my story.

I chalked the whole thing up to fun. I took the flowers home and put them in water. I don’t know, there could be something to the old superstition. Personally, I haven’t seen weddings happen to women who caught bouquets in the past. Stranger things have happened. I will let you know if I mysteriously find myself in a new marriage.