George Stoll, the garter meeting
George is part of the furniture at a certain neighborhood outdoor cafe, so R&B, Tif and I met him at his home away from home where they serve coffee’s as big as your head. Our discussion’s springboard was our mutual facination of the ritual of the groom taking the garter off of the bride's leg (sometimes with teeth). George brought up an interesting way of thinking of the approach, that to point out a ritual's ridiculousness could be most powerful if you were to exaggerate the content of the ritual. He suggests making it bolder, obvious and more sexual - to amp it up. Zippers, ribbons and pearls were materials discussed. His ideas will brew and the conversation will be an interesting road to the eventual piece.
With her characteristic playfullness, Bec volunteered to stand right up on the bar so that everyone would be able to see the garter being thrown clearly, after it was taken from her leg. R&B encouraged George to go in any direction that made sense for him/inspired him. They were open to celebrate the bawdy history of the object. So, he will make two pieces - one to be thrown to the single men (lucky guy who catches it), and one for the couple to keep.
www.georgestoll.net
To remind you, Here are a few slightly varying tellings of the ritual's origin:
Wikipedia:
A garter is often worn by newlywed brides. It is the groom's privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous. Historically, this tradition also relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride's clothing would bring good luck. As this often resulted in the destruction of the bride's dress, the tradition arose for the bride to toss articles of clothing to the guests, including the garter. Another superstition that has circulated is the male equivalent of the bride throwing her bouquet to the unmarried ladies, i.e., the unmarried male wedding guest who successfully caught the garter was believed to be the next man to be headed to the altar from the group of single men at that wedding.
and from thegartergirl.com:
The wedding garter is said to be one of the oldest wedding traditions, dating back to the Dark Ages. After the wedding festivities, guests would accompany the bride and groom up to their bedroom to ensure that they arrived safely and to wish them well. It was considered good luck for a guest to take home a little piece of the bride’s clothing. Over time, this ritual evolved into a wild wedding night romp where guests would tackle the bride, ripping her clothes off hoping for a piece of her attire. (It is also said that wedding guests did this to “help” the new couple along.) In the melee, the garter, which at that time was used to hold up a woman’s stockings, would get tossed and it was considered good luck for whoever caught it. Whoever caught the garter was the next to be married.
Wynn Austin Fine Weddings and Events:
The garter toss is one of the oldest customs surviving wedding rituals. The garter toss became common at weddings in the 1500s in France. Originally, it was related to the concept of consummation of the marriage. The bridal party would approach the bride and groom’s bedroom for proof that the deed was accomplished. They would then take an item of the bride’s clothing for good luck. This was often the garter used to hold up the bride’s stockings. The groomsman who retrieved the garter would then wear it in his hat for the remainder of the wedding celebration. During
the nineteenth century, as brides and grooms became uncomfortable with visitors in their chambers, the tradition evolved to that of the bride tossing her garter to the groomsmen before the end of the reception. However, the men would often become violent competing for the garter and would sometimes tear at the bride’s dress or even flip her upside down to take the garter off before she had a chance. Finally, the ritual changed to include the groom gaining full rights to the garter removal. This protected the bride from potential injury and put the onus on the groom to declare consummation of the marriage.
the history of the garter
The GARTER toss is one of the oldest surviving wedding rituals. It became common in 1500s France, its origins relating to the consummation of the marriage. Other sources describe the garter as representational the virginal girdle.
What is now construed as the sexiest part of a wedding, was at one time downright bestial. When the groom removed the garter, he was in essence publicly demonstrating relinquishment of the bride's virginal status. The bridal party would accompany, or converge in the bride and groom’s bedroom for proof that consummation was indeed accomplished, and even to help or goad the deed to be done.
Historically, this tradition also relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride's clothing would bring good luck. As this often resulted from this wild wedding night romp, the bride would be tackled, disrobed by force, her dress destroyed just to claim a piece of her attire, and hence, luck, in spite of her liberty.
In order to keep the other men at bay, the groom would toss the bride's garter as a means of distraction. The tradition morphed and watered down into the bride tossing articles of clothing to the guests.
It is customary for the unmarried man who catches the garter to then place it on the leg of the unmarried woman who catches the bouquet. It is said that they two will be the next to marry (not necessarily each other). Rituals converge.