Your Cart is Empty
Everyone at the wedding reception lines up. The newly married partner goes for that garter and find it on his new partner's leg! The garter is tossed. And, lucky you. You caught the wedding garter! But, now what?
As a custom garter designer, I can honestly say that this has never happened to me! But, don't worry, I'm here to give you some advice for what to do with that garter that you got at a wedding.
Up next in my wedding garter 101 advice blog series, is some advice for what to do if you catch the garter at a wedding reception. In my blog series, I go through lots of wedding planning questions, so I hope that you'll take some time to check it out. There are so many questions about a garter – believe it or not!
Shop this wedding garter:
'Shimmer & Shine' Something Blue Lace Bridal Garter
Made by: The Garter Girl
******
Catching the wedding garter after it is tossed at the reception can be a confusing situation. Should I keep it? Wear it? Put it on my head and dance around?
Traditionally, the person who catches the wedding garter at the reception is supposed to be the next person to be married. It is typically all of the singles that get together to catch the garter and then whoever catches it is supposed to pass it onto their future partner. This is why sometimes you'll see "you're next" embroidered on the garter.
(Read my post about wedding garter history here.)
Although, in these modern and progress times, I think we can all agree that this part of the wedding garter tradition has seen better times. Most people aren't naive enough to think that if they catch the garter they will the next in line to the alter.
In addition, most brides want their own stylish wedding garter, unless, of course the caught garter was once a family member's garter. Nor do I think that only the single men should be the ones available to catch the garter (or the bouquet). I think the garter toss should be open to anyone who wants to participate - men, women, kids, singles, non-singles, whoever! It is your wedding and you do do you above all!
This still leaves the question: what should you do with the caught garter? Well, this all depends on who you are and what you personally want to do with it. Here are a list of possible options...
Give It Back
Many brides want to keep their wedding garter after their wedding. It is a small little wedding keepsake. The nice thing to do if you catch the garter is ask the bride if she wants it back. If the bride is busy, give the garter to one of her bridesmaids or the maid of honor to pass it on. (She might not because she planned on loosing it as a tossing garter.) Do this after you take lots of funny and super proud pictures with the bridal garter, of course!
Keep It
You won the garter fair and square, so it is technically your right to keep the it after you catch it. You can try your luck as the next person to get married!
You could give the garter to a friend or family member, which is a nice gesture if the bride was a family member, herself, making the garter a little family heirloom.
Get Silly & Loose It
From the weddings that I've been to, this option is generally what happens. Someone catches the wedding garter, they have a little fun with it and then they have no idea what happens to the garter by the end of the night!
As a bride once told me, the last time she saw her wedding garter it was around the head of one of the groomsmen. As the garter-catcher, get silly and have some fun! Who knows where the night will take you!
When it comes to shopping wedding garters there are a range of styles and colors to choose from within our 'Couture Collection' and 'Just Say Yes' Collection. Both feature handmade bridal garters made by yours truly. Our custom wedding garter designs are handmade for you with your custom design or using your materials, often a Mother's wedding gown or a Grandmother's bridal veil, etc.
Here, we'll share some of our top designs from our collections. They're easy to personalize with hand embroidery and ship easily straight to you.
But remember, your wedding garter heirloom is Too Pretty To Toss! So, if you'll be doing the garter toss at your wedding I highly recommend purchasing a tossing garter to use. Because we all know, they often get lost after the toss and your bridal garter is too precious to be the one that gets lost!
********
As the modern garter designer that I am, I'm going to advise on the option where you give it back to the bride, but all of the other suggestions have their place too!
Remember, you can shop for blue, vintage, classic and modern garter heirlooms anytime in my garter shop or get in touch with me at info@thegartergirl.com for information on custom designing a garter just for you!
If you have any more garter questions, check out my garter 101 blog series or find all of my wedding planning advice here on my blog.
