Bridal garters date back to 14th century England, where it was believed that they would bring good luck to anyone who was able to obtain a piece of the bride’s attire on her wedding day. Guests would literally tear the bride’s dress, for a piece of the fabric, much to the dismay of the bride and groom. As history progressed, and in order to keep the bride’s attire intact, a garter was made for the groom to throw at the guests. This resulted in quite aggressive and rowdy behaviour as the male guests tried to remove the garter from the bride’s leg. The natural evolution of this ritual to the 21st century is that the groom removes the garter from the bride’s leg himself and then tosses it to the bachelors in the crowd.
Today, the bride wears two garters; one as a memento of the day, and one that is tossed at the reception. The man who captured the garter was supposed to be the next to marry and in some customs would slip it on the leg of the unmarried woman who caught the bridal bouquet.
The tossing of the garter is part of a wedding celebration but not always included by some couples. It is a matter of personal choice.
