What Is the Origin of the Garter Toss at Weddings?

The garter toss is a wedding tradition that dates back for centuries. The bride wears an elastic garter, usually lace, around one of her thighs. The groom reaches under her dress and removes the garter during the reception. He tosses it over his shoulder to the waiting single men. The man who catches it takes the garter and slides it up the leg of the woman who caught the bride's bouquet. It is said that the wedded couple will receive one year of good luck for each inch above the knee.

Why the Garter?

The garter toss became common at weddings in 1500s. It was originally related to the concept of consummation of the marriage. The bridesmaids and groomsman would sneak up to the bride and groom's bedroom for proof that the deed was accomplished, so to speak. Then they would take an item of the bride's clothing for good luck. This was often the garter used to hold up the bride's stockings.

Stocking Toss

The tossing tradition that went along with the garter evolved from another similar tradition involving stockings. Wedding guests would sit with their backs to the bride and groom and throw the couple's stockings over their shoulders as the couple slept in their marital bed. They believed that if the stockings hit the bride or the groom, the person who threw them, if of the opposite gender, would be the next person to get married.

The Nineteenth Century

Brides and grooms soon decided that they didn't want extra company in their chambers, so the tradition evolved in the nineteenth century to that of the bride tossing her garter to the gentlemen in the wedding party before the end of the reception. The gentlemen could get quite violent competing for the garter and would sometimes tear at the bride's dress or even flip her upside down to take the garter off themselves before she had a chance.

Modern Garter Toss

Finally, it was decided that the groom should get full rights to garter removal. This saved the bride potential injury and got the groom involved in the game. It was also a way of the groom expressing the idea that the bride was all his.

Other Customs

A toss is just one way for the lucky guy to acquire the garter. In some cultures, the single men actually race, either on foot or on horses, to win the luck the garter is said to bring. The winner of the race gets the honor of pinning the garter to his hat.

Considerations

The garter toss has fallen out of favor with many modern brides, especially in the United States. Some see it as a sexist custom or as too risqué for a wedding where the whole extended family is present. Many couples have taken to instead tossing a spare garter the bride is not wearing or eliminating the toss from the reception altogether.