I've never been to a wedding reception where there wasn't a "garter toss" by the groom. Admittedly, my family and friends are not from the highest rungs of society, among whom such a custom might seem gauche.

The item tossed is a novelty piece bought for that purpose, rather than a functional part of the bride's underclothing. It cost's about $25 and is often kind of gaudy, made of elasticized lace, decorated with little ribbons, fake pearls, tiny fake flowers, rhinestones, etc. The bride might privately put it on just prior to the "toss." (It shouldn't be sweaty.) Often, the guy who catches it puts it on the thigh of the damsel who caught the bouquet. She goes home with both. It's a bit of low-brow frivolity. I love stuff like that.

Anyway, the pretty, lacey, little band gets tossed, lands on the floor, and the bachelors don't exactly dive on it. (They could all be professional baseball catchers, yet the thing always lands on the floor.) At one reception, I heard a married, male guest offer the exhortation, "Come on, Fellas, marriage is a beautiful thing!"