Garter Toss Alternatives

...
Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

Like your unique love, you want your wedding to be unlike any other. Set yours apart by creating an exciting alternative to the garter toss. There are plenty of other ways to celebrate this tradition while keeping your guests entertained and the wedding exciting.

Other Items

Instead of tossing away your wife's garter, throw another object out into the crowd of bachelors. This can be anything you can imagine, including the groom's boutonniere, his little black book of phone numbers (which he won't be needing anymore) or even just a wad of cash. Add some fun to the event by grabbing the item seemingly from under the wife's dress but actually from under the chair she's sitting on.

Garter Drop

Spare your wife a trip up her dress by hosting a garter balloon drop instead. Decorate the ceiling with a series of large, dark-colored balloons. Before they're attached, hide the garter inside one of these balloons. When it's time for the festivities, give each bachelor a pole with a pin or nail attached to the end and ask them to pop one balloon at a time until the garter falls down. An alternative to this event would be to drop all the balloons from the ceiling at once and require the bachelors to pop each one by hand until one of them finds the prize.

Elimination

Put all the single men on the dance floor for a little game. Ask them a question, such as, "Who went on a date in the last month?" All the men who haven't been on a date must step off the dance floor. Continue asking elimination questions until only one man remains. Give him the garter as a prize.

Auction

Host a garter auction. Before the wedding, choose a charity or organization you and your wife would like to support, such as a local animal shelter or food bank. At the wedding, briefly tell your guests about why its work is important, then auction off the garter to raise money for that cause. Ask your emcee to get involved and conduct a live auction format, with each guest raising a paddle, hand or drink to place a bid.