Wedding garter tradition: what you need to know

If you’re considering performing the wedding garter toss, but are still not quite sure what it’s all about – rest assured! Here’s everything you need to know about the wedding garter tradition.

The history of the garter

Many moons ago, it was believed that owning a piece of the bride’s dress brought the receiver good luck. Because this resulted in guests ripping and ruining wedding dresses, brides instead opted to wear a garter and toss that into the crowd to pass on the good luck.

The Groom’s role

Nowadays, tradition has the groom remove his bride’s garter himself and throw it into a crowd of eligible bachelors, to pass on his good luck. Similarly, the bride throws her bouquet to eligible bachelorettes to decide who’ll (hopefully) be the next to marry.

Which leg?

Traditionally, the garter is worn on the right leg. However, as we live in a free society, wear the garter on whichever leg you choose!

Comedic twist

Some couples pretend to engage in the tradition, but instead of pulling off the garter, the groom emerges from beneath the bride’s dress with (typically) giant granny panties.

Something blue?

Wearing a blue garter is a great way to kill two birds with one stone – the garter tradition, and the ‘something blue’ tradition. However, remember this is YOUR day, and if you so wish, you do not have to wear a garter at all. You do you!

Find out about more wedding traditions here!