You (awkwardly) wore one to prom and you’ll pick one out for your big day – but what’s the deal with those little frilly thigh accessories?

ORIGIN

The little piece of lace dates back hundreds of years ago to those good ‘ol ancient superstitions (and pretty much any bride’s worst nightmare.) It was believed that owning a piece of the wedding gown was lucky and would bring wealth. This would incentivize guests to tackle the bride and rip off a piece of the dress! Brides wised up and began carrying a piece of their gowns to gift a lucky guest instead of waiting to be attacked at the reception. This turned into the delicate little accessory we see today.

Now, the groom is the only one who should remove the garter from the bride. When she tosses the bouquet, he throws the garter and the enthused recipients will be the next to marry (not necessarily each other, but hey…ya never know!)

HOW TO STYLE

The original reason for wearing a garter was to hold up stockings. Garters are usually sold in sets so that a bride can wear one on each leg and choose to keep one and allow the groom to throw one. There’s no set rule as to which leg gets to rock the garter, but brides usually choose to wear it on their dominate side. Place your garter just above the knee, not too high (avoid my naive prom-going self from 2010, I hiked it up to my hip not knowing what it was for then gawked at my friends taking photos with theirs since I had no idea what it was for..eek.)

Picking your Garter

Garters have become waaay more elegant over the past couple decades. Many designers make custom garters depending on what the bride wants. Do you want it to match your gown, show off your personality or be your “something blue?” While satin was once a popular design, lace, tulle and silver gemstones have taken over as the popular garter fabrics.

Keep in mind that you’ll be wearing this throughout your wedding day – for photos and the traditional take-off, so pick whatever you’ll feel most comfortable in!

MY FAVS

SIMPLE LACE – RAGGED DIAMOND $23.99

DELICATE DECOR – MELINDA ROSE $85

MONOGRAMMED DETAIL – SOUTHERN EVER AFTER $25

ENCRUSTED ELEGANCE – GARTER QUEEN $60

LIGHTLY LAYERED – DAVIE AND CHIYO $22

THE TOSS

Okay y’all – as an adolescent wedding guest (and even now) I cringe at the weird, mildly drunk “sexy dance” that grooms often engage in while taking off the garter. Imagine your new husband sulking underneath your gown in front of your family, friends and grandparents while Wild Thang plays in the background!?

*dry heaves*

 You can forgo the whole “removing” part and just hand your groom the garter to fling to a lucky groomsmen. After you toss the bouquet, award the winning recipients with their own custom bottles of wine or beer – SO much better than a pre-owned sweaty piece of lace. My absolute favorite garter toss idea?

Yeah I’m kind of biased, but send the garter off with a NFL football! A fun activity, a more accurate toss and a cool souvenir.

AS WITH ANY WEDDING FACET, CHOOSING YOUR GARTER IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFUSE YOUR PERSONALITY & STYLE INTO A FUN ACCESSORY! AWKWARD OR AWESOME, ENJOY YOUR GARTER TOSS AS ONE OF THE LIGHTER MOMENTS OF THE DAY.

{PHOTOGRAPHY: Caroline Lima, Thecablokkfotolab, Lauren Fair, Marissa Lambert, Amalie Orrange}