Weddings

Wedding Garter

Garters are articles of clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg, formerly used to keep stockings up. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons. In the 18th to 20th centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg was skinniest, to keep the stocking from slipping. The advent of elastic has made them unnecessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion.

A garter is often worn by newlywed brides.  It is the groom’s privilege to remove the wedding garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous. Historically, this tradition also relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride’s clothing would bring good luck.  As this often resulted in the destruction of the bride’s dress, the tradition arose for the bride to toss articles of clothing to the guests, including the garter. Another superstition that has circulated is the male equivalent of the bride throwing her bouquet to the unmarried ladies, i.e., the unmarried male wedding guest who successfully caught the garter was believed to be the next man to be headed to the altar from the group of single men at that wedding.  Traditionally, the man who caught the garter and the lady who caught the bouquet will share the next dance.