The wedding garter is sometimes a forgotten opportunity to show off your sense of style and personality, and after doing a little digging around, we realized it was because the selection of garters out there can get outdated quickly. But what are we here for but to make sure you know of the young, chic professionals in the industry? We absolutely LOVE La Gartier Custom Garters, and after sitting down with the lovely lady behind the name, Sarah, we absolutely adore her too.
Who is La Gartier Designs? And who is Sarah Dobson?
La Gartier is a custom, hand-made garter company dedicated to creating entirely unique, one-of-a-kind wedding garter. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, La Gartier was founded upon the belief that just as every bride has her own personality, style, and identity–so should her garter. From hand picked fabrics to vintage jewelry, Swarovski crystal rhinestones and hand sewn initials, each La Gartier garter is truly inspired. With quality, beauty and sophistication in mind, La Gartier garters are not just another wedding accessory–they are a statement.
And Sarah Dobson is a 29 year old female entrepreneur with a love for design and a white hot determination to make La Gartier a world-wide known brand. She discovered her passion for design as a young girl. After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2005, with a double degree in English and History, Sarah found herself convinced that the field of design was where she belonged yet struggled to find her niche. After some work within the field of interior design and a year of study at SCAD Atlanta, Sarah became inspired by the the many design possibilities behind wedding garter design. After designing an initial batch of custom garters for friends ready-to-wed, La Gartier began as a hobby but quickly became Sarah’s day in and day out design obsession.
Why garters? Where does the passion stem from?
About two years ago, I realized that the wedding garter–as a basic wedding accessory–was in desperate need of a re-design. Every garter I came across looked stuffy and out-dated. It seemed to me that the evolution of the wedding garter froze somewhere around 1973. At that point, I saw a tremendous opportunity to take a forgotten wedding accessory and turn it into something fresh and modern for today’s bride. Essentially, to turn it into something that the bride will want to keep and pass down to her daughter one day. Not something that she bought for ten dollars at Hobby Lobby.
What sorts of inspiration do you take from when designing your pieces?
I love looking at some of the wedding dresses–vintage and modern–when designing the body of the garter. For embellishment, I look to whole-in-the-wall antique stores for fantastic vintage finds. I also gain a ton of inspiration from looking at some of the other accessories being designed in the industry right now.
What advice to you have to brides to be, in particular when it comes to dressing for their big day?
To make sure that everything that they pick to wear is comfortable. I have never walked down the aisle myself, but I imagine that when I do I am going to want to wear something that doesn’t just look beautiful but also feels beautiful. (And to wear a gorgeous garter of course!!)
What is your favorite part of the wedding? (Besides the garter toss!)
When the bride and groom say their vows. I always lose it.
Absolutely love this girl. She took a sometimes overlooked detail of your big day look and turned it into a must have. When you’re on the hunt for the perfect garter, make sure to check out La Gartier Custom Garters – because you know we love her.
Photography: Scobey Photography / Garters: La Gartier Custom Garters