Wedding accessories are derived from customs and traditions surrounding a wedding ceremony that evolved through centuries. Garters are accessories originally used to hold up stockings and still regarded by several brides as an important and essential wedding accessory.
You would have been to a wedding where a bridal bouquet and a garter are tossed? Did you ever try to catch them? May be you didn’t. Well Next you went for a wedding ceremony you try to catch it you will be the one to get married next!!
The message that a Garter Toss would give is that the groom has to remove his bride's garter and then toss it across to the bachelors sitting in the audience. The one who would catch it will be the one who would marry next. Garter Toss is a tradition that’s been coming along since 14th century.
Garter Toss is assumed to be out of a an idea which became popular during that time and getting a piece of a bride’s clothing during a wedding ceremony is considered as lucky for the person and the garter as a lucky charm.
There were also some who describe a bride’s garter as a symbol of her virginity and the groom removing the garter mean that his bride was surrendering her virginity to him.
These days, the tossing of the garter has become more of a part of celebration while some superstition being still attached to it that whoever gets the bride's garter is regarded as fortunate enough, and that his good luck will be carried through. There were occasions, where some real people who caught the tossed garter tore the fragment of cloth to many pieces and distributed them to many bachelors among the audience.
Today, too many wedding ceremonies hold fast to the tradition of the tossing of the garter and with time it evolved in what today we see. Groom removes and tosses the garter, exactly before the bride tosses her bouquet.
Noteworthy is that there are objections from brides’ side for Garter Toss tradition, as it would embarrass them. So an alternative to the garter and throwing of bouquet have evolved, throwing of dried floral petals, sequins, confetti, ribbons, or blowing bubbles and not inviting anyone to catch anything.
Remember, whatever version the new couple chose, the bouquet or the tossing of the garter, they are done right after cutting the cake giving some entertainment to the guests while the cake is being served to them.