The tradition of a bride wearing a garter is age old and is still followed in most of the American weddings. This gives a very traditional feel, to the overall ceremony. The garter is a small piece of clothing, which is worn by the bride just above her knees.

In olden days, the guests would throw the stockings of the bride and the groom, back to them. This was because, a piece of bride’s clothing was considered to bring good luck and the male who would first toss the stocking back to the bride or the groom was considered as the next to marry. However, this tradition was later altered a bit as the male guests were often drunk and would create a fuss, making the bride uncomfortable.

Therefore, today the groom himself removes the garter from the bride’s leg and tosses it off towards all the bachelors present at the wedding ceremony. The man who catches this garter is said to be next to wed and is the first to dance with the female guest, who catches the bouquet.

Apart from these traditions, the tossing and the catching of the wedding garter is a lot of fun and is still an interesting part of a wedding ceremony. In addition to this, the garter ceremony is where the bride can successfully incorporate the age-old legacy of including “something old and something blue” in her overall dressing. Lately, many brides wear two garters on their right leg, one as a keepsake and the other for tossing.

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