Hold on to your garters, girls, the history of this practice stems from interesting origins

By Kim von Keller

It’s one of the most familiar wedding reception traditions: First, the bride gathers her single friends and tosses her bouquet. The one to catch it is the next one to marry. Next, the groom removes the bride’s garter, gathers his single friends, and tosses it. Again, the one to catch it is the next one to marry. What a quaint, old-fashioned practice ... that absolutely did not start out that way.

To learn more about the origins of the tossing of the bouquet and garter, I talked to Columbia wedding planner

Amber Watson of À Moi Weddings. It turns out that in the past, the newlyweds’ community was far more “invested” in the couple than one often finds today.

“In ancient times, after the newly married couple had retired to their bed chambers, guests would wait outside the door for proof that the marriage had been consummated,” she explains. “The groom would sometimes offer his bride’s garters to the crowd to indicate that the act had taken place.”

Over time, the bride and groom were afforded more privacy in the bedroom, but the crowd continued to be an issue.

“Eventually, the bride’s clothing came to be known as good luck, offering love and happiness to anyone who could grab a piece of her attire,” Amber says. “Not wanting to have her gown completely torn from her body, the bride would throw her flowers or garter to distract the guests, allowing her to escape.”

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