Garters - the 411

Yes, garters are still a thing. Some bridal and wedding traditions hold up and wearing a garter and having your groom toss the garter is often still a part of the day and the reception. 
​But Why??

What's the Story?

In medieval times, (this is true! look it up!) wedding guests would tear the bride's clothes off (we hope in preparation for the bridal bed, because that's a bit weird), as part of the bride and groom send off. After that became a bit much, brides began wearing garter so that she could just throw a single item into the crowd to keep rowdies at bay while escaping with the groom. Today, the garter toss mostly symbolizes the passage from a single life to married life for the bride and groom. 

At BT, we carry an array of garters to keep and to toss. It's your call.

The Garter Choice

A garter can be worn on either leg, but if you toss one (or your husband does to the crowd), then you'll need to wear two and let him take the first and leave one for you to keep. The man who catches the garter is considered the same as the girl who catches the bouquet: he'll be the next to get married.

What to Consider

Brides and grooms decide the order of their reception "duties" but the garter toss, like the bouquet, is still a loved custom. If you have a slim fitted gown, but want to send a frilly garter into the crowd, brides will wear one for themselves (and their husbands) and sneak away before the toss to don the more frilly one. The last thing you want (besides rain, and missing rings, and unhappy guests, a food poisoning, etc) is to have a poofy lump in your skirt caused by your garter. Keep it in a bag and put it on at the last second to be hurled into the crowd.

Where to Wear

As mentioned, you can wear the garter on either leg, but it should be worn just above the knee. Garters can cost between $15 and $125 of more if they are ornate. The garters we carry are typically under $50, and we have them available in singles and sets, so choose one you love to keep and if you're tossing one, you can scale back. A little side note; our garters are handcrafted in Salisbury, NC!

As summer weddings approach, we are restocking not only gowns but accessories and we'll be featuring more and reminding you of why each item in a bride's look has an origin story.