Wedding traditions and the history of the Bridal Garter

The word wedding comes from the Old English wed, to pledge. Prior to 1100AD most marriages did not include a religious ceremony. A public announcement, kiss and consummation were all that was required. The legal coming of ages for marriage was 12 for a girl and 14 for a boy, although many peasant women did not marry but stayed with her parents or worked for her older brothers in return for food and shelter. Marriage ceremonies and the celebrations that accompanied them largely depended on the social class and wealth of the bride and groom.

The language of love stated that green was the colour of young love and blue was the traditional symbol of purity, making these two colours a popular choice with brides. Dresses of white, a colour associated with mourning, were almost never worn. Traditionally, a band of blue ribbon would be worn by the bride and groom, giving us the origins of something blue. Garters were worn by every woman as part of her daily clothing to keep her hose fastened securely just under the knee. These became an important part of a bride's outfit as at the end of the evening when the couple departed for the bedchamber, guests would try to take the garter for good luck. A man who gave his beloved the garter of a bride was said to have assured her ongoing faithfulness.

Bridal garters date back to England in the 14th Century it was believed to bring good luck to anyone who could obtain a piece of the bridal attire worn by the bride on her wedding day. The brides dress was literally torn away to the displeasure of both the bride and groom. To keep themselves and their garments intact garters, which were used to hold up women's stockings, were made using the same piece of lace as her bridal gown. The bride would then throw the bridal garter at the guests. When this tradition became popular the male guests would become quite aggressive and roudy, they would attempt to remove the garter themselves. This is when it became customary for the groom to remove the garter from the bride's leg himself and then toss it to the bachelors.

Today brides can choose from a wide variety of different bridal garter styles.

Pompadour Lingerie create luxury silk and chantilly lace garters aswell as much more modern styles using a soft nappa leather which is laser cut.