Just Toss It Here

I was at a beautiful wedding this past weekend. The bride was glamorous in her gorgeous white dress complete with a fur-trimmed cape, and the groom gazed at her with a radiant intensity. They were just adorable.

I was enjoying the day, catching up with old friends, eating carrot cake and savoring each rich bite, playing with my niece and nephew, snapping photos, etc. It was a really perfect day.

And then along came that dreaded moment that I always agonize over – the bouquet toss. The panic hit me. Where can I hide? Maybe they won’t see me? Will they notice if I head nonchalantly for the exit? WAIT! What did I do with my coat?

Then along came Angie (the bride’s sister-in-law), “Mel, you better get out there. Nick is looking for you.” Nick is the bride’s brother, whom I have known forever, and he was seriously going through the church trying to find me. I begged Angie to keep quiet about my whereabouts, and she honored my request, for which I am grateful. The bouquet was tossed, and the day went on without further opportunity for humiliation. Of course, Nick caught up with me later and gave me a hard time about it, but I was all right with that.

So why does this single girl hate the bouquet toss?

Maybe it’s the fact that I prefer to be at the back of a crowd and not in front of everyone. I’m kind of a wallflower unless I have to be otherwise. I like blending in and not being put on the spot or on display.

Maybe it’s the fact that I get to stand there in a huddle with girls half my age and younger. One time the bride turned to me and said, “It’s coming your way, Mel,” because she probably felt sorry for me battling it out for a bouquet with 10 year-olds.

Maybe because it’s just a stupid superstition thing anyway. If I believed in it desperately enough, I would just walk forward, force the bride to hand over the bouquet, and march off triumphantly. Hee hee! YEAH! I don’t think that’s gonna happen.