How Much Do You Know about The Garter Toss?
The wedding garter is an old tradition that goes back to the middle ages where it was reported that groomsmen would rush to touch the garter for good luck. Today, it is only the newly wedded husband that has the permission to first touch the garter and throw it to the single men at the reception.
Six hundred years ago, yes the garter has been around that long, the guests at the wedding considered the bride’s wedding dress to be good luck. Those at the wedding would often try to tear pieces of fabric from the dress and keep them for good fortune. One of these pieces, the garter, was considered especially favorable. This is how it all began.
Traditionally the garter was a more functional piece of attire for the bride. It was used to hold up the stockings and socks of both men and women. In this case, there was no preference as to what leg the wedding garter was placed. This remains true today. Whatever is more comfortable for the bride is the leg where the garter is most often placed.
Typically, the chance of pregnancy was felt to be affected by the garter as it was a symbol of completion of the wedding night and the prospect of future children for the wedded couple. As such, the garter was highly prized. The luck of the wedding couple was thought to be passed on to the guest procuring the wedding garter.
In the past, the member of the wedding party who caught the garter in the garter toss was thought to wear the garter on his hat until he met the women he would marry. He then would gift her the garter he had for good luck. Today, the fellow who catches the garter is just as likely to wear it on his head at the reception, depending upon how inebriated he gets.
It was also tradition to have a bystander go with the bride and groom to the honeymoon suite to testify that the marriage was culminated. The wedding garter given by the bride was considered proof the wedding deed was fulfilled and the garter was then tossed into the crowd.
Different versions of the garter toss have manifested over the years. In the ages where historians are a bit in the dark as to the history of the times, it was reported that members of the wedding party would wait until the bride removed the garter and then toss it at the new husband’s nose. The guest who hit his nose was thought to be the next to marry.
In any case, it seems tossing the garter, in one form or another, has always been popular. Now days, as a DJ, I am seeing a decline n the number of brides wanting to do a garter toss. I am not sure why this is but perhaps it is time to take a fresh look at the garter toss. I have a number of ideas, tips and tricks to help the wedding couple still have a fun garter toss with a lot less pressure and /or embarrassment for the bride. Give us a call or an email to see if some of our ideas might painlessly spice up your garter toss tradition.