Bouquet and Garter Belt Traditions
To Toss Or Not To Toss
The origins of these traditions, like most wedding traditions, come from many years ago. While fun for some, the bouquet  and garter toss are not considered classy by others. Thus, it is up to the bride and groom whether they choose to incorporate this into their wedding or not.
Here is how the tradition started. Guests would attempt to rip off pieces of the wedding gown, which in turn would pass on some of the bride's good fortune on to them. However, considering the cost of wedding gowns, leaving the bride in a torn wedding gown wasn't exactly acceptable. So, in lieu of making the bride look more like a Cinderella in rags than a fairy princess, she decided to throw items to the guests.
Tossing of the garter originated back when garters were worn to hold up women's stockings. Nowadays, the garter is usually purely ornamental and worn explicitly for the purpose of being removed. It is removed by the groom and thrown to the crowd of bachelors. He who catches the garter is supposed to have good luck in love. One thing to keep in mind though is that lifting the bride's dress in front of her guests and family is quite a spectacle, and even more so when the groom chooses to remove the garter with his teeth. Keep it tasteful and have the bride sit so that the man can just slightly lift the gown and remove the garter with his hands.
The bride is the one to throw her bouquet to the unmarried ladies. The lucky one who catches the flowers is suspected to be the next to marry. In some cases, the man with the garter and the woman with the bouquet are brought together for the man to slip the garter onto the woman's leg. However, this is completely optional and shouldn't be done if you find it distasteful.
As an alternative to the bouquet toss, try the bouquet dance. This is when the DJ or band leader invites all the married guests to the dance floor. At the end of the dance he requests for all guests who have been married for 1 year to remain on the floor. Anyone who has been married less time must leave. Then he requests 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. The last couple on the dance floor is awarded the bouquet.
One thing to note: a garter is not the same as a garter belt. Removing a garter belt (sometimes known, confusingly, as suspenders) would be a considerable feat, since women who wear one are actually using it to keep up their stockings! Not only that, some garter belts attach to the bride's corset. Make sure you know what you're looking for, and don't get a garter belt instead of a garter!
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