Wedding garter toss songs are the songs played during one of the most debated moments of a wedding reception the garter toss, where the groom removes and tosses the bride’s garter to single male guests.
Few traditions divide couples quite like this one. Some see it as a fun, high-energy moment that brings the room together, while others feel unsure about it or are actively looking for a way to skip it without losing the energy of the reception.
This guide covers everything you actually need to know: what the garter toss is, where it comes from, whether it still makes sense today, the songs that work best for both the removal and the toss, and the modern alternatives couples are choosing instead.
What Is the Garter Toss?
The garter toss is a wedding reception tradition in which the groom removes a garter from the bride’s leg — usually from her thigh, while she sits in a chair — while guests watch. He then tosses the garter to a group of single male guests gathered on the dance floor, similar to how the bride throws her bouquet to single women. The man who catches the garter is said, by the tradition’s logic, to be the next among the group to get married.
In most modern American receptions, the garter toss follows the bouquet toss and comes during the middle-to-late portion of the reception, after dinner and toasts but while the dance floor is still active. The two traditions are usually paired: bouquet toss first for the women, garter toss immediately after for the men. Combined, they take about 5 to 8 minutes of reception time.
There is a version of the tradition that goes one step further: the man who caught the garter places it on the leg of the woman who caught the bouquet, sometimes while blindfolded, while the DJ plays increasingly suggestive music. This extended version is far less common at modern receptions and is the portion most couples who feel uncomfortable with the tradition cite as their reason for skipping it.
The Meaning and History Behind It
The garter toss originated in medieval Europe — specifically in France and England — from a superstition that owning a piece of the bride’s clothing on her wedding day brought luck to the holder. In early versions of the tradition, wedding guests would rush the bride after the ceremony and attempt to tear fabric from her dress or stockings. The chaos of this eventually led to the controlled version: a specific item (the garter) designated for removal and distribution, sparing the rest of the dress.
The “next to marry” symbolism came later, attached to the tradition as a way to make the garter toss feel participatory rather than merely theatrical. It mirrors the logic of the bouquet toss — both are fortune-telling games with matrimonial stakes, both date to eras when marriage timing was a more communal social concern, and neither has any actual predictive value.
By the 20th century, the tradition had been absorbed into the standard American wedding reception format — catalogued in etiquette guides, embraced by the wedding industry, and gradually softened from the chaotic medieval original into the DJ-scored moment most couples recognize today. Its decline in recent years reflects a broader shift in American wedding culture toward more personalized, less scripted receptions.
Is the Garter Toss Inappropriate?
This is the question that has made the garter toss one of the most Googled wedding topics of the past decade — and the answer is genuinely: it depends on who is in the room and what the removal looks like.
The tradition itself — tossing an item to single guests as a marriage-luck tradition — is not inherently inappropriate. The bouquet toss uses the exact same logic and generates almost no controversy. What makes the garter toss different is the removal portion: the groom reaching under the bride’s dress, often with theatrical buildup music, while guests watch and sometimes cheer.
At a reception with a certain energy and a certain crowd, this lands as fun and harmless. At a reception with grandparents in the front row, young children present, or a more formal family culture, the same moment can produce visible discomfort on both sides of the family. Many couples who want to preserve the tradition navigate this by having the bride wear a second garter — one placed above the knee, accessible without the theatrical reach — specifically to be tossed, while the sentimental garter stays on. Others skip the removal entirely and simply toss a pre-placed garter from the DJ table.
There is no rule that requires the garter toss at an American wedding. If you are asking whether you have to do it: you do not. If you are asking whether it is inherently wrong: it is not. The practical question is whether the version you are envisioning will feel right to the specific people in the room you are actually hosting.
Garter Toss Songs — Removal and Toss
The garter toss has two distinct musical moments that call for different songs — and treating them as one is the most common DJ brief mistake for this tradition.
The removal song plays while the groom retrieves the garter. It is typically slower, more theatrical, and more suggestive in tone — building anticipation and giving the moment a comedic or romantic character depending on which direction the couple wants. It usually plays for 60 to 90 seconds.
The toss song plays as the single male guests gather and the garter is thrown. It is upbeat, high-energy, and short — the toss itself takes about 15 seconds. The DJ typically transitions to the toss song as the groom stands and prepares to throw.
Brief your DJ with both songs explicitly and the cue for the transition. A single song for the whole moment works too — but it tends to either be too slow for the toss or too fast for the removal to land with any theatrical timing.
Removal songs — theatrical and slow
| Song | Artist | Character |
|---|---|---|
| You Can Leave Your Hat On | Joe Cocker | The most-used removal song in American wedding history; everyone knows what is happening the moment it starts |
| Pony | Ginuwine | Comedically on-theme; the crowd reacts immediately — works best when the couple has a good sense of humor |
| Legs | ZZ Top | Classic rock removal song; the guitar riff sets the scene before a word is sung |
| SexyBack | Justin Timberlake | Modern and high-energy; works for couples who want a contemporary feel without going too suggestive |
| Pour Some Sugar on Me | Def Leppard | Occasionally used for both cake cutting and garter removal; if you used it for cake cutting, pick something else here |
| Crazy in Love | Beyoncé | High energy from the first second; the horn intro is one of the strongest opening hooks in reception music |
| I’m a Slave 4 U | Britney Spears | Theatrical and recognizable; popular at receptions with a millennial crowd |
Toss songs — upbeat and high-energy
| Song | Artist | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderstruck | AC/DC | The most dramatic toss song possible; the intro builds perfectly for a reveal moment |
| We Will Rock You | Queen | Crowd participates immediately; the stomp-clap works while men are jostling for position |
| Jump Around | House of Pain | Does exactly what it says; high energy, immediate crowd response |
| Lose Yourself | Eminem | Competitive energy; for grooms who want the toss to feel like a sporting event |
| Welcome to the Jungle | Guns N’ Roses | Chaotic and theatrical; the opening riff signals exactly what kind of moment this is |
Funny Garter Toss Songs
Funny garter toss songs are the most commonly requested category — because the tradition itself is inherently a bit theatrical, and leaning into that with a comedic song produces a better crowd reaction than trying to play it straight. The best funny garter songs are the ones that make the groom’s task feel like a performance rather than a procedure.
- “Pony” — Ginuwine — The undisputed comedic king of garter removal songs; the crowd knows exactly what is happening from the first beat
- “I’m Too Sexy” — Right Said Fred — Absurdly self-serious; lands when the groom commits to the bit with full confidence
- “Hot in Herre” — Nelly — Upbeat, recognizable, and funny in context without being as suggestive as the top tier options
- “Let’s Talk About Sex” — Salt-N-Pepa — Works best when both sets of parents have a good sense of humor — confirm this in advance
- “Moves Like Jagger” — Maroon 5 — Crowd-friendly and only mildly suggestive; a safer funny choice for mixed-generation crowds
- “Peaches” — Jack Black — A rising choice in 2024–2025 among couples who want the garter moment to be absurd rather than suggestive
Country Garter Toss Songs
Country garter toss songs skew slightly less suggestive than the mainstream options — which can actually make them the better choice when the family dynamic calls for something fun but not provocative. These work especially well at outdoor, barn, or Southern receptions where the genre feels native to the room.
- “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” — Big & Rich — The definitive country garter song; works as both removal and toss
- “She’s Got Legs” — ZZ Top — Country-adjacent rock; the literal lyric works for the occasion
- “Wagon Wheel” — Darius Rucker — Crowd singalong energy; less suggestive, more celebratory — for couples who want fun without the edge
- “Body Like a Back Road” — Sam Hunt — Modern country with the right tempo for a removal moment
- “Chattahoochee” — Alan Jackson — Classic country; the crowd over 40 will react immediately
Classy Garter Toss Songs
Classy garter toss songs exist for couples who want to keep the tradition but give it a more elegant or romantic tone — removing the theatrical suggestiveness while keeping the participatory moment. These work best when the garter removal is minimal or skipped entirely, and the toss itself is the featured moment.
- “Crazy in Love” — Beyoncé — Powerful and upbeat without being explicitly suggestive; the horn intro is commanding
- “SexyBack” — Justin Timberlake — Tones down the traditional approach while maintaining the right energy
- “Don’t Stop Me Now” — Queen — Celebratory and fast; entirely appropriate for any crowd
- “Uptown Funk” — Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson — High energy with zero controversial content; works for any family
- “September” — Earth, Wind & Fire — For couples who want the garter toss to feel more like a fun game than a bedroom scene
Bouquet Toss Songs
The bouquet toss almost always comes immediately before the garter toss — and it deserves its own song. The energy in the room for the bouquet toss skews different from the garter toss: it is more joyful than theatrical, more communal than suggestive, and the crowd that participates (single women) responds to empowerment and fun rather than comedy.
The rule for bouquet toss songs is the same as for garter songs: choose something with a strong opening hook, a recognizable first few seconds, and a tempo that works for 30 seconds of women gathering on the dance floor and scrambling for a thrown bouquet.
| Song | Artist | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) | Beyoncé | The most-used bouquet toss song in the U.S. by a significant margin; the lyrics are specifically about unmarried women and the crowd knows it |
| Girls Just Want to Have Fun | Cyndi Lauper | Classic; works across all ages and always produces energy on the floor |
| Shake It Off | Taylor Swift | Modern; the crowd that has been waiting for a Taylor moment gets it here |
| Wannabe | Spice Girls | Millennial crowd anthem for the female-focused moment |
| Since U Been Gone | Kelly Clarkson | Empowerment energy; slightly unexpected and consistently well-received |
| 22 | Taylor Swift | Fun and young; works especially well when most single guests are in their twenties |
| Good as Hell | Lizzo | Empowering and upbeat; a modern alternative to Single Ladies |
| Hollaback Girl | Gwen Stefani | High energy, slightly chaotic — fits the scramble energy of the bouquet toss perfectly |
Garter Toss Alternatives
The garter toss is declining at American weddings — and the couples skipping it are not skipping the energy it was supposed to produce. They are replacing it with something that produces that energy without the portions they found uncomfortable. These are the alternatives that consistently work.
The Shoe Game. The couple sits back-to-back, each holding one of their own shoes and one of their partner’s. The MC asks a series of questions — “Who said ‘I love you’ first?” “Who is the better cook?” “Who takes longer to get ready?” — and each partner raises the shoe of whichever person they think the answer is. When they disagree, the crowd gets to weigh in. This runs 5 to 8 minutes, involves the couple rather than the single guests, and produces consistent laughter from every audience regardless of age. It is the most widely used garter toss alternative in American weddings right now.
Anniversary Dance. Instead of calling single guests to the floor, call all married couples. The DJ asks them to leave the floor progressively by years married — “If you’ve been married less than one year, please leave the floor” — until only the longest-married couple remains. They receive the bouquet (or a small gift) and often share brief advice with the newlyweds. This shifts the focus from single guests to the married couples in the room and tends to produce genuine emotional moments.
Open Dance Floor. Simply skip the traditions and go directly to open dancing. Some couples find that the garter and bouquet tosses interrupt the dance floor energy rather than building it — particularly when many guests do not participate. Moving directly from a high-energy reception moment to open dancing maintains the momentum without the awkward singles-gathering logistics.
Ring Toss Game. Guests toss rings onto bottles or pegs at a reception game station; the winners get a small prize. Keeps the competitive game energy without requiring single guests to be sorted or put on display.
Garter Toss Songs Playlist
Listen to the full playlist of garter toss songs below, including removal songs, high-energy toss tracks, and crowd favorites used at real American weddings. Use it to find what fits your reception style not just what’s expected.
Final thoughts
The garter toss is no longer something couples include just because it is tradition — it is a choice.
If you love the moment, commit to it. Choose the right songs, align with your DJ, and make it feel intentional rather than awkward. When done well, it can become one of the most entertaining and memorable parts of the night.
If you are unsure, you are not alone. Many modern weddings skip it entirely — and replace it with something that feels more natural, more comfortable, and more aligned with the people in the room.
The goal is not to follow every tradition. It is to create a reception that feels right from beginning to end.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is a garter toss at a wedding?
The garter toss is a reception tradition where the groom removes a garter from the bride and throws it to single male guests. The person who catches it is traditionally said to be the next to marry.
Is the garter toss still popular in modern weddings?
Not as much as before. Many couples today choose to skip the garter toss or modify it because they prefer a more modern or less traditional reception style.
Is the garter toss inappropriate?
It depends on the couple and the audience. The removal portion can feel uncomfortable in more formal or family-oriented weddings, which is why many couples either simplify it or skip it entirely.
What are the best garter toss songs?
Popular choices include “Pony,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” “Legs,” and “SexyBack.” These songs are commonly used because they match the playful or theatrical tone of the moment.
What are good alternatives to the garter toss?
Popular alternatives include the shoe game, an anniversary dance, or simply skipping the tradition and moving straight to dancing. These options keep the energy without the awkwardness.