caught the bouquet
/kɔːt ðə buːˈkeɪ/
UncommonUnexpectedly ended up in a relationship or getting married after previously avoiding it.
Almost always used with irony or humor about the person's previous strong anti-marriage stance. The funnier the contrast with what they used to say, the better.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | she literally said marriage was a scam in 2022. caught the bouquet in 2024. | The person's views completely reversed in a short time. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | i caught the bouquet and i will NOT be taking questions | The person knows they contradicted themselves and is refusing to discuss it. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 03 | the way my anti-marriage era lasted 3 years and then i just... caught the bouquet | The speaker is surprised at their own change of heart. | tiktok, 2025 |
| 04 | bro spent 4 years in his 'marriage is for boomers' arc and caught the bouquet last month | The person's anti-marriage phase is over and they are now committed. | reddit, 2025 |
Use it when
- Someone gets engaged after saying they never wanted to get married.
- A self-proclaimed anti-relationship person is now in a serious long-term relationship.
- Joking about your own change of heart on marriage.
- Teasing a friend who said love was a scam and is now planning a wedding.
Do not use it when
- Someone was always open to marriage and got engaged normally.
- You just mean someone attended a wedding.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
Derived from the wedding bouquet toss tradition where single guests compete to catch the bouquet, supposedly predicting who marries next. Used ironically online to describe people who resisted marriage and then committed anyway.
- First seen
- 2023
- Confidence
- low
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/caught-the-bouquetUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0