Bridal Garters - tradition, trends, how to wear

The tradition of throwing the bridal garter dates right back to the 1300s, when wedding guests believed that having a piece of the bride’s outfit would bring them luck, and often tore pieces off the bridal gown to take home with them. This slightly uncivilized ritual gradually evolved into the bride taking off her garter and throwing it to the wedding guests so that somebody would have a lucky item to take home, and eventually to the groom removing the bride’s garter and throwing it to the single males in the wedding party.

Do we need to do it?

Throwing the garter is losing popularity as part of the wedding reception, with many couples choosing to ignore it altogether, or just to pose for a photo of the groom removing the garter instead. It can be a fun part of your reception, however, so don’t rule it out altogether. One great way to use it is to combine it with the bouquet toss, and then have the single girl that caught the bouquet dance with the single guy that caught the garter to a light-hearted song.

Current trends in wedding garters

A modern bridal garter is not necessarily a simple satin band. Wedding designers have started putting as much thought into bridal garters as into the bridal gown itself. Take some time to think about the type of garter you want, and how it ties in with the overall look and feel of your wedding. After all, unlike the rest of your wedding lingerie it will be seen by all of your guests and will probably feature in several photos.

Having a blue garter is still a popular option, and is a great way to introduce the traditional ‘something blue’ into your wedding outfit. This works particularly well if blue doesn’t fit in with your colour scheme, as the garter won’t be seen until the actual garter throwing part of the reception.

If you have a theme to your wedding, you may be able to find a garter that ties into it, or have one specially made for the occasion. Your garter could match your colour scheme or be decorated with satin flowers similar to those in your bouquet. It could be adorned with pearls or diamante to match your wedding jewellery, or could incorporate your wedding motif.

If you have been a little conservative with your bridal outfit you might want to have a bit of fun with your bridal garter. Choose something that you love and it will really reflect your personality. Don’t worry about sticking with tradition, or matching your garter to your dress; it can stand as an item in its own right.

Wearing a garter

Wearing the garter may feel a little odd if you aren’t used to it so maybe practise wearing a garter with a skirt beforehand so you have the confidence to know it won’t fall down in the middle of your ceremony. Your fianc?e might also want to practise taking it off so he doesn’t get it wrong on the big day. If you are wearing stockings with your dress make sure you have a spare pair in case they get laddered during the removal of the garter.