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Skipping the wedding garter toss does not mean you have to skip wearing a wedding garter. Many brides choose to wear a wedding garter as a sentimental bridal accessory or wedding heirloom without ever tossing it or throwing it at their wedding reception. The wedding garter and the wedding garter toss are separate traditions.
If you’re looking for wedding planning advice and wondering whether you should wear a wedding garter even if you’re skipping the wedding garter toss, the answer is simple: Yes. Brides absolutely wear a wedding garter without ever participating in the wedding garter toss.
In fact, more and more brides are choosing to wear a wedding garter without ever tossing it. After more than 20 years in the wedding industry designing and hand making custom wedding garter heirlooms at The Garter Girl, I can confidently say this: the wedding garter tradition has evolved.
It’s no longer about the toss. It’s about the meaning. In my experience, more than half of the brides I work with choose to wear a wedding garter without doing the wedding garter toss.
I love giving wedding planning advice and so today I’ll explain why brides still wear a wedding garter even if they aren’t doing the toss, what the tradition really means, and how to think about your bridal garter in a modern way.
Don't get stressed - get The Garter Girl’s FREE bridal fashion timeline packed full of everything brides need to order and when so they don’t miss out from wedding dress to undergarments and every outfit in between!
You do not have to participate in the wedding garter toss in order to wear a wedding garter. The wedding garter toss is just one wedding tradition. Wearing a wedding garter is another. They are connected historically, but they are not dependent on each other.
Many modern brides choose to skip the wedding garter toss entirely for personal, cultural, or comfort reasons. But that does not mean they skip wearing a bridal garter.
The wedding garter can be a private detail, a sentimental accessory, or a meaningful heirloom that only you (and maybe your partner) know about.
It does not require a spotlight moment to be important.
Brides wear a wedding garter without tossing it because the meaning of the garter has shifted from performance to sentiment.
For many brides, a wedding garter is:
A personal bridal accessory
A romantic detail
A family heirloom
A custom piece made from a mother’s wedding dress or grandmother’s veil
When you remove the pressure of the toss, the wedding garter becomes intimate instead of performative. It becomes part of your bridal fashion, not a staged moment.
And that shift has been one of the biggest changes I’ve seen over the years.
You can absolutely wear a wedding garter just for yourself. Not every part of your wedding day needs to be shared with all of your wedding guests.
Some bridal details are meant to feel personal and private. A wedding garter can be one of those details. It can be something that makes you feel beautiful, confident, and intentional, even if no one else ever sees it.
Bridal fashion is about how you feel, not just how you look in photos.
If wearing a wedding garter makes you feel like a bride, that is reason enough.
If you skip the wedding garter toss, your wedding garter becomes what it was always meant to be: a keepsake.
Instead of being removed and tossed into a crowd, your bridal garter can be a wedding memento to cherish, including saved in your wedding keepsake box, preserved with your wedding dress, passed down to your daughter, your sister, your cousin or someone else in your family, or repurposed into another heirloom
The original wedding garter tradition dates back centuries and symbolized luck and celebration. But today, the meaning is personal.
You get to define it.
When deciding whether to wear a wedding garter, many brides also wonder if the wedding garter toss is still a common reception tradition.
The wedding garter toss is far less common than it once was. Reception timelines today are tighter, more personalized, and less focused on traditional spotlight moments.
Many couples now skip it in favor of other things including a more streamlined reception timeline, a dance floor-focused evening, or a more private approach to wedding traditions.
But the decline of the wedding garter toss has not eliminated the wedding garter itself.
If anything, it has allowed the wedding garter to return to its roots as a meaningful bridal accessory rather than a public spectacle.
Don't get stressed - get The Garter Girl’s FREE bridal fashion timeline packed full of everything brides need to order and when so they don’t miss out from wedding dress to undergarments and every outfit in between!
If you’re deciding whether to wear a wedding garter without doing the wedding garter toss, here are a few common questions brides ask.
Is wearing a wedding garter outdated?
No. Wearing a wedding garter is not outdated. The public toss may be less common, but the bridal garter itself has evolved into a meaningful and personal heirloom piece.
Do brides still wear a wedding garter if they don’t toss it?
Yes. Many brides wear a wedding garter purely as a sentimental or personal bridal accessory and skip the toss entirely.
Is it strange to wear a wedding garter without doing the toss?
Not at all. Modern weddings are about intentional choices. Wearing a wedding garter without tossing it is very common.
Can I skip the wedding garter toss but still buy a bridal garter?
Absolutely. The bridal garter and the wedding garter toss are separate decisions. You can choose one without the other.
If you’re trying to decide whether to wear a wedding garter without doing the wedding garter toss, the answer comes down to this:
Do you want to?
There are no rules that say you must toss it. There are no rules that say you must skip it.
Your wedding day is about intentional choices and your priorities, not obligation.
If you love the idea of a beautiful, expertly crafted wedding garter that feels meaningful and personal, then wear one.
If the toss doesn’t feel like you, skip it.
You can keep the heirloom and leave the spotlight.
While some wedding traditions evolve or disappear, meaningful bridal details never go out of style.
If you’re working to make thoughtful, stylish decisions for your wedding day without overspending or second guessing yourself, planning your bridal fashion intentionally makes all the difference.
And if you’re ready to shop for something meaningful, whether that’s a handcrafted wedding garter heirloom from my ready-to-ship online shop, I would be honored to create something beautiful just for you. You can find a bridal garter keepsake from my Couture Collection or a ready-to-love style from my Just Say Yes Collection.
I specialize in custom wedding heirlooms that are meaningful, expertly crafted, and designed to last long after the wedding day is over.
Because trends will come and go.
But intentional, expertly crafted heirlooms? Those last forever.
If you’re still deciding whether to include a wedding garter in your bridal fashion plan, I share more about wedding garter traditions and modern bridal styling tips throughout my blog, or you can browse in my online wedding garter heirloom shop anytime.
