DIY Wedding

How to Make a Beautiful Bridal Garter

Erika Kern, contributor

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A beautiful garter adds a whimsical and personal touch to any bridal ensemble.

Erika Kern

Make a pair: one to throw and one to keep!

Erika Kern

Ribbon and elastic form the base of this beautiful garter. Add a unique button and you have the perfect gift for any bride-to-be.

Erika Kern

A beautiful garter adds a whimsical and personal touch to any bridal ensemble.

Photo: Erika Kern

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Call me a glutton for punishment, but I love the idea of a DIY wedding. One of my dear friends is getting married in the fall, and every example she has sent me has be met by a resounding, "Oh! We can make that for so much less!" Because she's doing this wedding on a super-tight budget and because she indulges my vicarious thrills, she's let me get my craft on big time for her coming day. This project is quick and easy and a beautiful way to add a personal touch to your favorite bride's ensemble.

Want to make it?

Get more wedding projects: • Extraordinary Thank-You Notes • How to Make a Clothespin Cake Topper • Pretty Up a Party with Paper • How to Make a Floral Fascinator • How to Make an Embroidered Garter

Here's what you'll need:

• Ribbon (I used grosgrain): 3-1/2 yards of 1-1/2-inch-wide ribbon for a medium-sized garter, and 1 yard of 5/8-inch-wide ribbon
• Scissors
• Fray Check
• Needle and thread
• Quick-drying fabric glue (I used Fabri-Tac)
• Sewing machine
• 3/4-inch-wide elastic
• Accent, button, or decoration (I embroidered a button following the steps from this post)

Before you begin, you'll have to figure out what size to make your garter. Since you're working with elastic, there's a bit of wiggle room, but if your bride is a different size than you are, you might want to ask for her thigh measurement to make sure it fits. Once you have your measurements, cut your ribbon.

Add 4 inches to 5 inches to the circumference of your bride's leg so that you get a nice gather in the fabric even when it's being worn. My bride's leg measures 20 inches, so I cut my ribbon at 25 inches. Cut two lengths of the base ribbon and one of the accent ribbon.

Cut the ribbon for the rosettes. Cut a 12-inch length of the base ribbon and the accent ribbon.

Use Fray Check on all the ribbon to prevent the fabric from fraying. Let dry.

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Comments (2)

luve2sew writes: Perfect timing! My niece is getting married in September and I will make a special garter for her wedding using these instructions. Thanks!
Posted: 11:16 am on May 13th

Fwani writes: Man, oh, man I wish I'd had this pattern when I made garters a couple of years ago for my niece's wedding! The fabric I used frayed like a son-of-a-gun--I didn't think of using ribbons. Duh!! They turned out fine but I was inventing cuss words as I went because the internal fraying was messing with inserting the elastic. I swore "Never again" (or at least I figured I'd only embellish commercial garters) but having seen this project I have renewed hope. My matching ring pillow went without a hitch though and turned out super!
Posted: 9:11 am on May 13th

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