Tartan Wedding Inspiration - 5 of the Best Wedding Garters

There are some traditions we follow that seem to have always been in existence and we never question. The wedding garter is one of these and given the number of tartan garters we sell each year it is definitely a popular tradition. We decided to explore the theories behind the origins of this age old practice.

Hundreds of years ago superstition was that owning a piece of the wedding dress would bring good luck, so instead of guests attacking the bride to rip off a piece of the dress, the bride would wear something to give out and this was the garter. Although the bride wears the wedding garter it is the groom's job to remove it and throw it to all the eligible bachelors to bring them good luck. The bride then tosses her bouquet to the eligible women and the lucky lady who catches it will be the next to marry. Apparently several centuries ago it used to be the bride who threw the garter but rowdy, drunken male guests sometimes intervened and the groom had to step in to protect his bride, and as a result tradition changed and it became the grooms job. The man who caught the garter can then place this on the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet and they would share the next dance, however this tradition is rarely followed these days.

Many brides are not very keen on showing so much leg to allow the groom to remove their garter so feel free to ignore this element of the tradition or wear your garter just above your knee to save flashing the photographer! Some of our brides order two garters so they have one to throw and one to keep as a keepsake of their special day. You can wear your garter on either leg but if you wear two then they are normally both worn on the same leg with one just a little higher than the other.

Your garter is hidden beneath your dress so you can choose the style that suits you. We often receive requests for blue tartans so brides can incorporate the "something blue" tradition into their garter. The Pride of Scotland is our best seller as it is not linked to any particular clan and has a gorgeous royal blue as its base. Some families have a garter they pass down from generation to generation fulfilling the "something borrowed" tradition. We have designed a new garter that has a little removable tartan broochon it so even if you throw your garter you can keep the little brooch as a keepsake and pin it to coats, dresses and bags after the big day.

Below we have chosen 5 of our favourite wedding garters to help you with your research for your perfect one.