The Surprising Origin of the Wedding Garter Tradition
There’s a picture in my official wedding album of my husband taking off my garter at our reception … with his teeth . At the time, it felt like the wedding garter tradition was something we had to do. You know, check the box: “ something old, something new , something borrowed, someone rooting around under your skirt in front of your entire extended family.” I still cringe thinking about it. Is the best way to say “true love” really a room full of drunk co-workers cheering as your partner flings your lingerie into a crowd of single dudes like it’s a free T-shirt at a basketball game?
That said, my husband remembers it as a hilarious highlight of our reception—proof, I guess, that everyone processes trauma differently.
But just because something is a wedding tradition doesn’t mean you have to do it. “The garter toss is one of those optional wedding extras that should feel meaningful or fun for the person wearing it,” says Genevieve Dreizen, an ordained minister, wedding etiquette expert, officiant on Married at First Sight and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry. “But weddings are all about authenticity and intention now, so if the garter toss feels forced, overly performative or just not your thing, you’re absolutely allowed to skip it without guilt.”
Where was she before I got married?
I’m not the only one with mixed feelings about this. According to The Knot ‘s 2023 Real Weddings Study, only 31% of newlyweds did the bouquet toss, and the garter toss is even less popular. Clearly, couples are rethinking which rituals to keep, which to remix and which to quietly leave in the past with matching satin bridesmaid dresses and choreographed entrance dances.
But before you banish the garter to the land of disappearing wedding traditions and weird wedding rituals—right next to the cha-cha slide and the cake-face smash—let’s unravel the lacy mystery. Read on as Dreizen and pop culture historian Marie Nicola explain what a wedding garter even is, where the tradition came from and what you can do instead if you’re just not feeling the whole “lingerie slingshot” event.
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What is a wedding garter?
A wedding garter is a piece of decorative lingerie—basically, a fancy elastic band that the bride wears on her thigh under her dress. Often lacy, sometimes monogrammed and occasionally decked out with a tiny rhinestone horseshoe (for luck, not horseback riding), it’s part of the optional-but-cute bridal accessories lineup. It used to be more common for it to be part of a “bridal trousseau,” but nowadays, it’s often a fun or symbolic accessory.
“There’s no official rule about which leg it goes on—left or right, your call,” Dreizen says. “And no etiquette law about who buys it either. Often the bride chooses it herself, but it can also be a sweet gift from a bridesmaid or mother figure.”
These days, it’s less about tradition and more about “Does this spark joy … or just thigh chafing?”
What’s the origin of the wedding garter tradition?
Hold onto your bloomers because the origin of the wedding garter tradition is basically medieval chaos.
“In medieval Europe, wedding guests would literally try to grab pieces of the bride’s clothing as a kind of good-luck charm—yes, even tearing the dress,” Dreizen says. “To prevent that (and maintain some dignity), brides began wearing a garter that could be handed over instead.”
And if that historical tidbit isn’t weird enough, there’s also evidence that the garter may have been used to prove the marriage was consummated. In some traditions, the groom would remove the undergarment and hand it over to family members waiting outside the bedchamber on the wedding night. Nothing says “romantic honeymoon” like your new in-laws demanding physical proof of your wedding night activities. (Ew.)
Nicola adds some historical context: While there’s no single medieval author who recorded activities using wedding garters, the tradition has been reconstructed through folklore, oral histories and communal memory. Many believe the tradition originated in England, traveled to France and eventually spread to places like Canada, the U.S. and Australia through colonization. “But I’d argue it was postwar culture and Western media, not empire, that popularized the version we know today,” Dreizen says.
Let’s pause here: Imagine fighting your cousin over a sweaty piece of fabric from someone else’s leg as a party favor. We’ve come a long way … or have we?
How did the garter toss evolve over time?
The garter toss as we now know it—with the groom removing the silky band and lobbing it into a testosterone pit of groomsmen—was likely born not in a dusty castle but in the 1950s, heavily influenced by burlesque and USO shows. Nicola notes that performers like Gypsy Rose Lee made the garter a prop of tease and seduction, and during World War II, it became a keepsake tossed to fans at shows.
“By the postwar era, it had become culturally fashionable to turn formerly private rituals into public entertainment, and the garter toss became a perfect example of that,” she says. “The garter went from function to fetish, a prop for seduction rather than something practical.”
Suddenly, my grandma’s side-eye at the reception makes a lot more sense.
What does the wedding garter symbolize?
If you asked five different brides what the garter meant to them, you’d probably get five different answers and at least one polite shrug. This is exactly what makes the garter, as a cultural symbol, so fascinating, Nicola says, “precisely because 90% of people who include the garter toss in their wedding don’t really know why it’s a tradition or what it means.”
I sure didn’t! Let’s find out together, shall we?
Traditionally, the garter symbolized fertility, luck and the oh-so-subtle transition from the ceremony to the wedding night ( wink, wink ). But now? “It’s often more about playfulness or spectacle than deep tradition,” Dreizen says. “Some brides wear one for the tradition, some do it for fun photos and others skip it altogether. And all of that is perfectly OK.”
Nicola agrees. “Today, it represents camp, tradition and staged sexuality more than anything else,” she says. “It’s part burlesque, part Pinterest-core.” (Honestly, I want that last line embroidered on a pillow.)
What are some alternatives to the garter-toss tradition?
Want some replacement traditions that have the same communal vibe—and don’t involve stripping in front of Nana? Good news: You can absolutely switch to other rituals. “I’ve seen couples skip the garter but still do a bouquet toss or swap it for a ‘good luck charm’ toss that’s not gendered or romantic,” Dreizen says. “Some people keep the garter as a keepsake or incorporate it into a shadow box or wedding album later.”
Other ideas? Toss another item, like a custom wedding T-shirt or wedding favors. You could hand a small piece of jewelry or a mini bouquet to a loved one. Or throw handwritten scrolls with wedding wishes .
Nicola adds that while the bouquet toss has similar roots—it also comes from the “grab-a-piece-of-the-bride” tradition—it’s still mostly seen as fun and romantic. The garter toss, meanwhile, is increasingly iffy and skipped altogether.
“The most important thing,” Dreizen says, “is that the traditions feel personal and aligned with your values.”
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At Reader’s Digest , we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the wedding garter tradition, Charlotte Hilton Andersen tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who specializes in etiquette and communication for Reader’s Digest . We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team , our contributors and our editorial policies .
Sources:
- Marie Nicola, pop culture historian, journalist and co-host of the Alt.Pop.Repeat podcast; phone interview, June 14, 2025
- Genevieve Dreizen, wedding etiquette expert, ordained minister, officiant on Married at First Sight and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry; email interview, June 13, 2025
- The Knot : “14 Bouquet and Garter Toss Alternatives That Aren’t Cringe-Worthy”
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