Bridal garter or bridal garter belts (or both) are often worn by brides on their wedding day.
A garter is a band worn around the leg to keep up a stocking. Garters are articles of clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg.
- There is a Western wedding tradition for a bride to wear a garter
to her wedding, to be removed towards the end of the reception by the
groom. practice is often interpreted as symbolic of deflowering,
though some sources attribute its origin to a superstition that taking
an article of the bride's clothing will bring good luck. Today,
the practice of removing the bride's garter is traditionally reserved
to the groom, who will use either his hands or teeth, and then toss
the garter to the unmarried male guests. This is performed after the
tossing of the bouquet, in which the bride tosses her bouquet over her
shoulder to be caught by the unwed female guests. According to
superstition, the lady who catches the bouquet and the man who catches
the garter will be the next man and woman among those in attendance
to be married (though perhaps not to each other). The ceremony often
continues with the man who catches the garter obliged to place it on
the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet.
- In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking from slipping. The advent of elastic has made them less necessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion. Garters have been widely worn by men and women, depending on fashion trends.
A garter belt is a belt with attached garters or fasteners, worn as an undergarment to hold up stockings.
- Suspenders or suspender belts, also known as "garter belts" in the USA, are an undergarment consisting of an elasticated material strip usually at least 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) in width; it can be wider. Two or three elastic suspender slings are attached on each side, where the material is shaped to the contours of the body. The suspenders are typically clipped to stockings with metal clips into which a rubber disc is inserted through the stocking material effectively 'locking' the stocking in place. These are normally attached to a length of elastic allowing for adjustment. These clips, also known as suspender slings, are best attached to stockings with a simple welt that do not have lace, or 'hold-ups' with a silicone rubber lining. Suspender (garter) belts are usually worn at the waist or just slightly below to prevent the belt sliding down as it is pulled downward by the stockings. Some undergarments such as corselettes or girdles may come with suspender slings attached.
What ever you are wearing to your wedding is absolutely perfect because you are the perfect bride.
If you want to be even more stylish, you may want to learn about the following bridal fashion categories as well.
