What is a Garter?
A garter is - at a functional level - a band of fabric worn around a person’s leg to ensure a sock or stocking is kept up. Despite this, they are often more of a fashion statement - and are seen as a seductive fashion accessory.
Whilst garters might generally be thought of a a women’s accessory, in the past they were popular for men in Elizabethan England, with several Shakespearean characters sporting colourful garters. Nowadays, garters are primarily seen in women’s fashion to provide an extra level of seduction for their outfit, they are also a strong wedding tradition (which is where we come in!).
Wedding Garters
There are many purposes for a wedding garter. The first one being the most obvious- it is a traditional garment worn by a bride on her wedding day and can be just as important as choosing the right jewellery, hairpiece and shoes.
You can read more about the traditions of bridal garters in our blog post,what is the tradition behind the wedding garter.
A bridal garter can also be a secret something to wear for your groom which he might not be expecting. A bride sometimes has to wear plain lingerie under her dress so a wedding garter might be the perfect way of adding a little sensuality to your outfit.
I’ve heard that it’s a tradition to throw it at a wedding?
Here at Wedding Garter Co. we make wedding garters as precious items of clothing for the bride, often passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation.
However, it is customary, particularly in the US, for the groom to ceremonially remove the garter from the bride and toss it into a crowd of male guests at the wedding.
Similarly to the tossing of the bouquet, the man who catches the garter is thought to be the next to marry and would then place the garter around the female guest who caught the bouquet!
In the UK and Europe, however, the practice is not so common, although some brides-to-be may take a toss garter on their hen do.
You can read more about the traditions of a toss garter here.
Where to start?
If you would like a handmade luxury wedding garter to bring a touch of seduction and elegance to your bridal outfit, we are here to help. The Wedding Garter Co. team carefully handcraft all our wedding garters in our ancient studio in the picturesque market town of Bradford-on-Avon in the South West of England.
The choice of your wedding garter really depends on your preferred material and how it matches with your wedding dress. Our range are made up of the following materials:
Lace - Our beautiful lace bridal garters wonderfully complement a classical wedding dress.
Silk - Our luxurious silk bridal garters feel wonderful against the skin and work well with slim-fit wedding dresses.
Tulle - Made from traditional wedding veil material, our Tulle fabric bridal garters are a seductive choice.
For those who need to add ‘something blue’ to their wedding outfit, we have a selection of garters with a hint of blue to make sure you’ll have good luck on your wedding day.
We understand that choosing your bridal outfit is a new experience for most of us, so please feel free to contact our team with any questions you may have!