Garter Toss WTH??

peyton.ballew

Okay i was looking through old family pictures.. and i saw one where my grampa was putting the garter on my aunts leg. Supposedly the father puts in on and the groom takes it off????

that sounds a little creepy to me! i dont want my dad touching my legs! lol.

what are your takes on the garter thing? traditions-what you did-etc.

aerinpegadrak

I've never heard of that.  I'd also never heard of the guy who catches the garter putting it on the girl who catches the bouquet before the Knot.  That just sounds all kinds of awkward.

We're not doing any of the tosses.  Even if we had many single guests (we hardly have any), I've never liked them and don't see the point.  I might use my MOH's garter as my something borrowed, but I'll leave it on all night.

On_Cloud_Nine

The way I've always seen it done is a close friend of the bride, or a BM, would put the garter on while the bride is getting ready (makes for a photo op).

Then the groom takes it off and tosses it to the guys, and then puts it on the girl who caught the bouquet. I've also seen it done where they couple who catches it does a short dance together instead of the guy putting it on the girl.

nhelene

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_garter-toss-wth?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:b289a960-e848-499e-a39f-c26c3edf1b4cPost:5efe6051-f08c-4d29-92a7-5dfa36d81c48">Re: Garter Toss WTH??</a>:
[QUOTE]What if it was like Fi's 12 year old cousin and my 24 year old sister??? Posted by peyton.ballew[/QUOTE]

At my BIL's wedding a late 20's friend of the family caught the bouquet and a 14-year old caught the garter.  It was actually pretty cute.  If one of the catchers is VERY young you can use your discretion.  Or put the garter around the ankle instead of the thigh.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I don't like tosses, and I see them as vaguely sexist, so we won't be doing them. I've also never enjoyed them as a single guest.

At FI's cousins's wedding, the flower girl and one of the ring bearers caught the bouquet and garter. The RB was running around with the garter on his head. The groom was really embarassed and kind of mad.

noodle_oo

I hate the garter toss.  I've seen it at a few weddings and I always find it horribly inappropriate.  Like the groom removing the garter with his teeth, seen it, wanted to barf.  Also saw at a wedding a couple ended up catching the bouquet/garter.  He then put it on his GF in the most slimy, disgusting way possible in front of a crowd of strangers.  I just find it to be in such poor taste (or maybe my friends friends are just nasty?).

I always liked the bouquet toss alone (cute!) but since we're older now (30) I don't want to single out my single friends, who would hate it.  So no tossing for us!

The dad thing?  That's even grosser.  Who comes up with this stuff?!?

AutumnEnchantment

My personal take on the garter thing is ...ick! Save it for the honeymoon!  I don't know why its supposed to be fun and enjoyable to watch a groom go down underneath the bride's dress like that, especially when children are around.

bbyckes

Gross.  Never ever EVER. 

NikkiFyve

Not everyone has the guy who caught the garter put it on the girl who caught the bouquet.  I would say I've seen it about 10% of the time.  And when it is done, the DJ, if he's any good, checks to make sure they're not related or anything creepy like that.  

2dBride

In some circles, apparently the guy who catches the garter puts it on the woman who catches the bouquet.  However, this has the potential for real creepiness, e.g., when the old uncle puts it on the 14-year-old girl.

I'm not a fan of the garter toss to begin with, but all these embellishments make it even worse.

Of course, in my case, the two single men at the ceremony were my ex-husband (age 60) and my son.  The single women were my former sister-in-law (in her 60s), two single women in their late 30s, and my daughter (age 26), who has told me that she doesn't see the point in getting married.  I just couldn't imagine any combination of these that wouldn't be really creepy.

heidilein13

My initial thought was "NO WAY JOSE!" b/c I also think its gross and uncomfortable, BUT the more pressure I get from my peanut gallery (my MOH and BMs) I recall a wedding where they reversed the roles and it was cute.  The girl who caught the bouquet put the garter on the leg of the guy who caught it.  Granted everybody was kinda tipsy at that wedding so they could have done just about anything and we would have laughed.  I still just want to toss a bouquet (initially wasn't gonna do that either) and that'll prolly be it.

key721

I was reading in several of my bride books that the maid of honor puts it on, my maid of honor is my best friend but we only hug when she gets off the plane or I'm leaving.(We live long distance.) Our friendship is very open talk wise(total TMI lots of the time) but the idea of her putting the garter on me seems like a kinky burdan. We are most likely going to skip it. As for the garter toss, I am most likely doing it, but it does seem embarrassing. The worst part is when you see a shy conservative bride in real life going through with it, talk about blushing!

I love my Dad, but if he put a garter on me I would barf and then have a heart attack.=) Love him anyway but putting underwear on me stopped when I was potty trained!=)

ladybirda

OMG I would never want some strange guy putting anything on my leg just because he happened to catch the garter and I caught the bouquet.  Having a stranger graze my thigh? That's the kind of thing that gets you slapped on the subway.  We're doing a bouquet toss and skipping the garter toss entirely. I may invite both guys and gals to catch the bouquet.  

MyNameIsNot

We did tosses.  I didn't really want to, but DH did, and I didn't care that much.  My sister put on my garter in the morning when she was helping me get ready.  Right before the toss, I pulled it down to half way below my calf, so that it wouldn't be a huge thing.  Then we took picture with the guy who caught it and the girl that caught the bouquet.

I find a guy (of any age) putting the garter on a girl (of any age) disgusting.  I would never dream of doing that.  Even if it isn't a 12 year old girl, it's still a guy touching the legs of a woman he may or may not know and is most likely not a couple with.  That's just wrong and gross.  

Amymarie_MILLER

Im doing both tosses & looking forward to them! I think they are fun, and we have a lot of single friends that can participate... but I've never heard of anyone putting the garter on the girl who caught the bouquet? That seems very strange to me....and the father putting the garter on his daughter? YUCK!  I thought the girl & guy just keep the garter & bouquet and thats it? Thats what were doing anyways.

felicia220

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_garter-toss-wth?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:b289a960-e848-499e-a39f-c26c3edf1b4cPost:dd9a187e-ca0a-4579-8e98-2f20122fc21b">Re: Garter Toss WTH??</a>:
[QUOTE]Eh, I figure I can put on my own garter in the morning. I'm not a fan of the guy catching the garter putting it on the leg of the woman who catches the bouquet though.  I think it's really creepy.
Posted by lalap69[/QUOTE]

<div>I agree, totally creepy.  </div><div>
</div><div>I am not wearing one and avoiding the whole thing.</div>

libra44423

I think the idea of the girl who catches the bouquet putting the garter on the guy who catches it sounds kinda cute lol.  I think I would cater what happens depending on who catches them though.  Like I wouldnt force 2 shy ppl to do anything besides catch them but for outgoing ppl who are near the same age i think its fine.  The dad thing is uber creepy though :-/

meag448

I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and saw a new kind of garter/bouqet "toss" that I had never seen.  They had all the married couples come dance on the dance floor and as the song went on the dj would say "if you've been married less than an hour please leave the dance floor" then a few minutes later "if you've been married less than a year please leave the dance floor"  and so on...the ultimate goal was to celebrate love and marriage and the couple that had been married the longest and was the last on the dance floor got the bouquet and garter.  I thought it was very sweet!

Lasairiona

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_garter-toss-wth?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:b289a960-e848-499e-a39f-c26c3edf1b4cPost:87554dcc-908d-4672-a2e2-9c681fb1a0e2">Garter Toss WTH??</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay i was looking through old family pictures.. and i saw one where my grampa was putting the garter on my aunts leg. Supposedly the father puts in on and the groom takes it off???? that sounds a little creepy to me! i dont want my dad touching my legs! lol. what are your takes on the garter thing? traditions-what you did-etc.
Posted by peyton.ballew[/QUOTE]
That is beyond creepy. No one does that or even suggests it unless they are a lecherous pervert. The bride puts her own garter (which is entirely optional to begin with) on when she gets dressed and the groom takes it off during the garter toss, if the couple chooses to follow that tradition. Also, in most circles, it is not customary at all, and again considered very perverted, to have the garter placed on any other female at the reception.