Tradition of the Bridal Garter

There is a vast history when it comes to the origin of bridal garters, their significance and purpose. Many wedding traditions stem from superstition - such as the bridal veil, having bridesmaids and throwing the bouquet.

Photography by Jenna Petersen - Jennaphoto.com

The use of a bridal garter can be traced back to the 13th century in Europe. It was considered having a piece of the brides clothing lucky - guests would literally rip at the brides dress to obtain a piece. In other similar practices, the guests would rush the bride down the aisle and try to catch and grab ahold and tear off pieces of the dress as well. In relation to this, in the Middle ages, the groomsmen would only rush at the bride and try to take her garter as a prize. To prevent this, the bride would begin throwing items (such as the garter) to the guests.

Nowadays, the practice of the removal of the garter is reserved for the groom alone and he will throw the garter to any bachelors at the wedding reception. This is done after the bride tosses the bouquet to any single women at the wedding reception. It is rooted in superstition that these two people will be next to marry! Many women will wear two garters on the right leg; one as a keepsake and the other will be the 'toss' garter.

The age old rhyme of 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, a silver sixpence in her shoe' still is used nowadays. Blue is still a colour associated with purity and has religious roots. Christians believe it to be a colour of fidelity and purity - it can be traced back to biblical times. In relation to this, in Ancient Rome, brides would have their bridal dress trimmed in a blue material.

The bridal garter is still a tradition still maintained by many brides today. Local lingerie designer Mary Murphy who owns Sioda Lingerie can be found at Sioda Lingerie. Mary's items are all handmade and can be bespoke 'made-to-order' as well. The word 'Sioda' is 'silk' in Irish and encompasses the brand itself perfectly - simple, feminine with a twist.

'Audrey' garter from Sioda Lingerie, available at 'The Vault', Spires Mall

The Vault in Spires Mall (Fisherwick Place, Belfast) is a stockist of Mary's Bridal garters. There are many various bridal garters - from plain and simple to extravagantly frill trimmed, with exquisite Swarovski pearls . The garters themselves are based upon names and each have their own distinctive design and there is a range to suit everyone - garters can be picked to fit in with the theme of your wedding, or the wedding dress itself. For example, the 'Daisy' garter is based upon Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. This essence has been encapsulated in the materials which are used for this garter. Silk satin (in either ivory, white or champagne) is gathered within a chiffon band and is decorated with a 'chandelier' of crystals.

Instagram: Shimmerandfade

In terms of price, garters can start at from £15 and can range from upto £100; so there is a price to suit everyone. There are a variety of materials that some of the garter collections are made from Nottingham Leavers lace, silk satin and chiffon. Garters can also be made bespokely for that extra special something. If a garter is to be bespokely made, it is noted that at least 2 weeks waiting time is required and to contact Mary herself directly.


Pop down to Spires Mall today to have a look at the garters we have in stock!

December 2015 Gym Log

21st December 2015: Somehow ended up in the gym after dragging myself out of the house this evening. Been roughly a 3 month break at the very least from the gym and was quite apprehensive about going back. The session itself was ok - concentrating mostly on back, arms and core as I think these are the areas in which I can notice myself were I've unfortunately put on weight. I did not lift as heavy as weights as I usually did and settled for 30kg and 25kg on machine weights. I'm also pathetic at doing sit ups again - back to the start again for me!

 I can fairly notice the 'gym burn' today with general soreness and stiffness in my shoulders, arms and thighs. My stomach area is the worst, with every laugh or cough being agony. Bad decision made late last night as I got a takeaway when home - I was simply starving later in  the night; ordered a 12 inch pizza which I pretty much demolished. I didn't sleep great due to this and was up roughly 4 hours in the early morning. I should really know better at this stage not to eat late at night...

Well at least it wasn't the standard 18 inch I guess...

13th January 2016: First proper gym session back of 2016. Dragged myself there due to bitter weather, but once there no issue in training. I started with back weights machine and worked from 30kg to 35kg. Could definitely feel the difference in weight but pushed myself well. Moved onto the leg press machine afterwards and worked on weights of 150kg but didn't go any further as I could feel the stretch and want to work on bringing the weights fully down, as my flexibility can be shocking on that machine at times. Next, I worked on the dreaded core. I did sit-ups. Boy, did I feel it right away - it felt as though something in my stomach muscles did physically rip. Still two days later I can feel the after-effects all too well. I did some rowing as well, for 8 minutes to help my body to cool down; but I probably should have stretched as well.

The next day I felt very stiff; it was like tin woman walking. Bloody awful for bending in work or laughing, but it's starting to die down.

I weighed myself and it appears I have thankfully lost my Christmas weight - I have not weighed myself for awhile and I was quite well over 11st. Now I am 10 st 13lbs, which I am happy with in the context I have only been dieting roughly 2 weeks sofar. I would say I've roughly lost half a stone which is mostly gained via my torso. I still have a good deal more I wish to lose.

My diet has consisted strictly of no carbs of any sort, with more eggs included in my diet. I've cut out the majority of my daily standard hot chocolate drinks and replaced with fresh orange juice or green tea. I include much more vegetables in my diet, yet still struggle to with fruit. Anything processed or in a sauce has been strictly forbidden. My diet has consisted mostly of fish - either ribber cobbler, haddock or salmon and has been a great dinner staple. Overall cravings are not existant, I just feel generally empty and alot less bloated than I was (swear I'm allergic to something still).

Fashion Vault: Jennifer Rothwell

In Grainne Mahers' Fashion Vault we have a selection of scarves by Irish-based designer, Jennifer Rothwell. They range from £65 to £135 respectively.

Jennifer, herself has an extensive background in the fashion industry. She graduated with honours in 1995 from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland. For her achievements, she was awarded with the 'Brown Thomas Designer Award' at Dublin Fashion week in 2007.

''New York born Dublin resident Jennifer Rothwell’s superb tailoring, innovative designs and beautifully cut feminine dresses caught the eye of Brown Thomas Buying Director Stephen Sealey and Head of Fashion Direction Shelly Corkery.”

— Brown Thomas, Dublin Fashion Week, 2007

Her designs themselves do not necessarily follow the trends, yet are beautiful and exquisite in rich colours.

Most recently her print collection inspired by Harry Clarke was featured in the Irish Times in 2015.

 

December 2015

Well it's that time of year again! December flies in and Belfast is ever busy for it with the Christmas holidays fast approaching! It feels as though all of Northern Ireland descends upon Belfast with the lure of the Christmas market, ever enticing people into the heart of the city. Traffic becomes a nightmare (particularly at weekends) so try to avoid at all costs if possible.

Late night shop openings I find are great as I work a 9 to 6 job currently. I loathe going out on my lunchbreak, as Victoria Square is just too crowded for my liking. As for Christmas itself, I'm pretty much sorted getting presents for everyone as I started ages ago in late September. Things that I may invest in are household decorations though - with my previous move in Easter buying decorations hasn't been the top of my list but I may start getting a few as I don't plan to move anytime in the near future.

Presents I found relatively easy to buy for this year. For my mum I got her a L'occitance Divine Gift Set. She always asks for testers of it and generally loves the brand, yet finds it hard to justify the amount of money it costs. For my dad, I got 2 big knitted jumpers. My dad is generally the most awkward to buy for - he never wants for anything really. I decided to get him clothes as it's the one thing he never buys for himself.

Many people say I'm hard to buy for - quite different to the contrary actually. Personally, I think I'm super easy to get for, as I'm quite girly so any of the staples would go down a treat - jewellery, perfume, spa gift sets, clothes, that kind of thing.

Being nostalgic, this year hasn't been so bad at all: I moved into a great house, got baptised, got a new job and booked a nice holiday away for next year. 2016 is shaping up nicely and it has not even started yet...

As for plans next year, I do intend to get a healthier work/life balance. Specifically, I want to become fitter by going to the gym a lot more regularly, training well and generally eating a lot better. So from the 1st of January I'm going to log it all in this blog (one way of trying to motivate myself and others is by focusing on it more this way via a public platform).

October/November 2015

This time of year is always a mad busy one in October and November, with a decline in one aspect of my working life at the end of November. In my ways I am glad to be finishing teaching on the 26th of November; time-wise it really is a struggle this year to get everything done with very little personal time. I find it's taking it's toll on some areas of my life and will be glad of a break (to say the least).

I had my birthday in mid-November. I'm a real big kid in some ways and always think I'll want a birthday cake no matter what age I'll be. This year instead of grabbing a quick, mediocre cake out of Tescos I decided to get one made personally by a baker who I couldn't recommend more! I got a lemon and raspberry cake slathered in pink buttercream, milk chocolate drip decorated with chocolate shards and gilded berries.

Long story short the cake didn't last long at all.



I find I'm settling more into my other workplace now and seem to finally be coming out of my shell. I always seem to find that a problem still; I'm quite quiet, shy and reserved in comparison to most people when I first meet new people. Most be an only child thing in some ways - I never had to vey for attention from my parents since I was the only child in the house. 'Shy, quiet, yet conscientious' were common phrases seen in school reports from an early age throughout my teenage years and even commented upon when I started my degree. Now, my job requires me to be outgoing, friendly and approachable. I'm getting there and find inner confidence is just going to be a work in progress for me.

Designer Handbags Over Highstreet

One thing that is a common factor when I work in retail is that my spending increases also. I guess many can relate to this problem and now that I'm in a luxury retail environment, I guess is a big factor to how I have changed my shopping habits.

Now I really see the investment and benefits of buying something designer instead of fast fashion. Everybody loves abit of shopping in Primark, New Look or H&M but now I've definitely cut down on what I will spend in stores such as those.

For example, I can outrightly say I will always go for a designer/higher end handbag now. The difference in quality is astounding. Sofar, this year I have invested in two Mulberry bags and one Alexander McQueen (hopefully will be adding Valentino to the list before the year is out, so definitely watch out on this space)! Granted, I give my current Italian-brand 'Coccinelle' handbag alot of abuse by overloading it and generally flinging it about; but I expected more of it when I purchased my second one. I was super careful with it on my first outing (as my other bag had ribbing that became damaged easily). Nevertheless, the ribbing came off completely at the bottom corners of the bag. Beyond horrified as the bag was around £250/300.

I've found the bags that I have purchased (which are designer) general wear and tear is not really an issue and that if treated well, should last for years to come. Granted, the price points are significantly higher but now I generally can justify it. I'd prefer if a bag which I rely heavily upon will last than having a disaster such as a strap to snap.

Most designer bags can be easily fixed when they are within warranty (always good to double check though as each designer/company differs with their policies).

August/September 2015

The past few months have been a regular rhythm of work interspersed with more work. It's all been good though and I feel as if I have settled into my retail job comfortably.

I started my degree placement mid-September with a local milliner and am enjoying putting my retail experience into practice with my degree placement. When deciding whether to do a degree placement or not I was somewhat torn - timewise and financially can it be worth it? I decided I thought it was after talking it through with several people. At the end of the day, experience in the work industry is expected and taking a whole year out to focus on that will help achieve that level of experience; alongside learning new skills.

Luckily, my placement is flexible timewise so I can work quite alot. Also, my placement is in Belfast City Centre (which I'm in every day) so is really helpful geographically. At the moment Grainne is still settling in to her new premise so even little tasks such as painting a piece of furntiture or sorting the stockroom can be a great help.