The Steamy Origin of the Garter Toss Tradition at Weddings

It's wedding season and no doubt you'll be a guest at a few this summer. My favorite two words at these affairs are open bar, but there's a good chance you'll also hear garter toss. In case you're unfamiliar, it's when the groom reaches under the bride's dress to remove the garter and throws it to the male wedding guests. In some instances, the man who catches it then puts it on the woman who catches the bride's bouquet.

But where did this odd tradition of throwing the bride's garter begin? Honestly, it's got a pretty sexy and odd backstory.

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Like all good traditions, it began in the olden days. Back then, the guests expected the newly hitched bride and groom to consummate the wedding immediately after the vows. How uncomfortable would that be? I'm not sure I could "perform" with 300 friends and family - grandma too - waiting outside the door.

When the deed was done the groom would open the door and everyone cheered. With a grin he'd hold up the bride's garter and throw it to them to prove it.

Today, less couples incorporate the tradition of the garter toss into the wedding party. In a recent survey by The Knot, about a third of soon to be married couples will have a garter toss.

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