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Tossing The Garter At Weddings

Tossing the garter at weddings

I wasn't aware of the tradition of tossing the garter at weddings. I thought that seemed to be such a personal item to give away - do you think that is a bit over the top?

Weddings Garter Tossing

The garter thing goes back a few centuries to France. I think it was the 15th or 14th century. The wedding guest believed it was good luck (primarily single guest wishing to get married themselves) to have a piece of the brides clothing on the wedding day. So after the wedding, many would grab and rip off pieces of the wedding dress. Needless to say, after time, the brides just didnt appreciate this practice and needed a substitute...the garter and various other items...the garter has remained.

Originally, there were 2 garters worn. One was a keepsake garter and the other was to be thrown to the eligible men of the wedding party. Both were worn just above the right knee. Originally, the groom removed the one to be thrown to one of the male guests with his teeth. That isnt done much anymore. The keepsake garter was to be removed by the groom later on the wedding night.

What I have always seen now is that the bride only has the one garter. If we kept with the older tradition, it makes more sense.

Tossing The Garter At Weddings Reviews Consumer & Travel Family Culture

Quite interesting. I've seen the throwing of the bride's bouquet but never the groom throwing the garter. The reason I brought it up is for two reasons:

1. Unlike the bride's bouquet which is just an assembled bunch of flowers put together with a bow the garter is something personal, related with sexuality and intimate actually worn by the bride.

2. In this sick perverted world we live in I'm not sure I would want some sicko random male 'treasuring' something my wife just wore on her legs.

Weddings Garter Tossing

Although I could Google it, my off-the-cuff guess would be that it has pagan, or at the absolute very least, medieval chivalric roots.

The Order of the Garter was the highest ranking and perhaps the most renowned and respected order of European Knights, arguably so named because they wore their lady's garter (or just one for symbolism) about an ankle or knee or something, to remind them of their chivalrous duties, status and respect and need to be victorious.

I stand corrected by Vincenzo but I still like being able to post about knights.

I've been best man at two friends' weddings (and could have been at a third if I hadn't gotten lost), and the first time, I didn't realize what was going on and the rest of the guys that were all gathered around to catch the garter, all broke and stepped back from me when it was thrown, but I still missed catching it. Always a... Groomsman, never a groom, apparently.

Edited: jpatt on 2nd Dec, 2009 - 3:10am

Weddings Garter Tossing

Actually, the bouquette and the garter stem from the same issue. People tearing up the brides gown for a piece of luck to help them get married. They both were thrown to the crowd to prevent the damaging of the gown. The garter is risque for sure, but I am sure that is why it was only placed just above the knee.

Tossing The Garter At Weddings

Back in Argentina, the bride has several garters. The groom takes each garter out of the bride's leg and place it in the legs of every single lady present. Of course depending on the amount of guests, most of the time the bride chooses a few friends beforehand otherwise they will be all night doing this.

Tossing Garter Weddings

I know in my first Marriage my wife wanted a garter to throw to single guys. At the time that was the first I had heard about it. I guess it was something in her family. SO We had the throwing of the bouquet and the garter. I guess as long as everyone was happy that is all that mattered.