October 8, 2009

How To Choose A Wedding Garter For Your Friend

Believe it or not, the pickiest custom wedding garter clients that I have are friends of the bride. I don’t mean this in a bad way; it is rather endearing, actually. Friends want to get the best, most perfect present for their bride, ensuring that every detail is just right.

It is tough to pick out a wedding garter that your friend will wear on one of the biggest days of her life that she will have forever, maybe passing down to her daughter. It is a lot of pressure. here are some questions to ask yourself when selecting a wedding garter (or any present, really) for your soon-to-be-wed friend…
Does she already have a wedding garter?
The wedding garter really isn’t something that you need more than one of. So, first and foremost, get your Nancy Drew on and find out if she already has one before you go through the trouble of picking one out for her.

What does she like?
Forget what you like or what you would want. Think about what your friend would want and most importantly, what she would wear. If you are leopard print, and she is more classic, then stick with a style that fits her personality, not yours. If she doesn’t love wearing her wedding garter style then you’ve defeated the purpose.

What are the other details of her wedding?
A great wedding garter is one designed to match the bride’s wedding colors. This is an easy choice because you know that she already likes this color combination. Is it a beach wedding? Go with something fresh and simple. Is it a holiday wedding? Go with something in that theme.

What are the bridesmaids wearing?
I’ve made a few wedding garters from the hem of the bridesmaid dress. She clearly likes the dress and the fabric already, so it makes for a really great gift from the entire wedding party. If you can’t get the actual fabric, try matching the colors (most bridal shops will give you a fabric swatch). This is a fun way for her to have a little something special from her best girls.

What is she wearing?
Is her dress white or ivory? The color of her dress is a great starting point. also, i recently had a maid of honor snag some fabric from the hem of her friend’s wedding dress and give it to me to make a garter. She called up the bridal salon and asked that they save the hem. When she went with her friend for a fitting, she popped in the back and picked it up. Needless to say, this garter was the hit of the bridal shower and the bride was in tears over the thoughtful sneakiness of her friend.

What does the groom like?
If the groom is big into a certain sports team or loves his college colors, then consider picking something out that will be exciting for him too.

Does she have her something blue?
Casually ask around and see if the bride has the something blue part of the tradition completed. If not, the wedding garter is the perfect spot because it is hidden under the dress. And, you’ve helped her with not one, but two things: the wedding garter and her something blue. (You get extra bonus friend points!)

Is she the type to do the toss?
If she is down with the wedding garter toss then consider getting her a tossing garter. Get a plain tossing  garter or maybe have one custom designed to match her regular garter. If you get the tossing wedding garter now, then it will be one less thing she has to think about and it will be greatly appreciated.

Do you trust your instincts?
You know your friend. You know what she will like. So, don’t stress too much, just pick something out and go with it. The most important thing is that you are taking the time and energy to get your friend such a personal gift. She will appreciate the effort not for the wedding garter itself, but because it came from you.

For more helpful tips, check out my garter 101 blog series!

Happy gift giving!

Julianne Smith on 10/8/09

C o m m e n t s

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• great ideas garter girl

  Posted by: linda lignelli · October 8, 2009 at 4:55 pm