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The Tradition of Wedding Garters
By Barbara Kelly

It is believed that the tradition of wedding garters is one of the oldest wedding traditions still in practice. There are a few theories as to how wedding garters came to be so popular and how they have stood the test of time.

Several centuries ago, it was believed that owning a piece of the wedding dress that the bride wore on her wedding day would bring the owner good luck. This would often end up with the wedding dress being ripped and ruined. Thus, the brides started wearing wedding garters so that the good luck could be thrown to a single guest.

These days, it is tradition for the groom to remove the garter from the bride and throw it to all eligible bachelors to ensure his good luck. The bride, in turn, throws her bouquet to eligible women and that woman will be the next to marry. This varies from the tradition of centuries ago. It used to be the bride who would throw the garter to the eligible men. It is said that sometimes the men at the wedding would become too drunk and try to forcefully remove the garter from the bride. The groom would intervene and remove the garter from the bride to protect her. Thus, the groom rather than the bride threw wedding garters to the crowd.

When to Follow the Tradition of Wedding Garters

As one of the longest standing wedding traditions, wedding garters are still very popular. However, many brides are choosing to forego the tradition of having the groom remove the garter to throw to the eligible men. Many brides do not like the idea of exposing their leg to all of the wedding guests and have chosen to take a different spin on the tradition of wedding garters. However, if a bride is comfortable with the longstanding tradition, then she should include it in her wedding day.

For those brides who are uncomfortable with the tossing of wedding garters, there are alternatives. Many brides still choose to wear the garter since it has been such a staple of the wedding attire. Some brides will incorporate the tradition of “something blue” into her garter. If she so chooses, she does not need to even acknowledge the garter. Luckily, guests will not notice or care if this tradition has been left out.

Some brides will wear two wedding garters on her wedding day. This is because wedding garters become a keepsake. Sometimes they are passed down within the family or have special meaning and the bride does not want the garter to be tossed at random. In this case, she would wear the keepsake garter higher on her thigh and the other garter slightly lower. This will ensure that the tradition is carried out without losing something precious. Nobody will notice that she was wearing two wedding garters to begin with!

Wedding garters are traditions that will carry on for centuries more because they are one of the longest standing wedding traditions. It is entirely up to the bride and groom whether they choose to carry on with this tradition. Whether or not it is tossed, it is nice for the bride to wear a wedding garter to keep as a memento from her special day!

Author Details:
Barbara Kelly writes for a number of sites about weddings and related. You may find the following links useful: Jewelry, watches & wedding photography

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