Elite vibes 👸

IIRC (I was told this or read it years ago), back in Ye' Olden Days, pieces of the Bride and Groom's clothing (but especially the bride because they were hypersexualizing women even then) were considered to be lucky or auspicious. So, following the ceremony guests would open tear at them for a piece of their good fortune--leaving a naked, traumatized young woman to be gawked at as her likely drunken husband hustled her to the bedroom for her wedding night. When we moved to more "civilized" ceremonies, they compromised by having the garter and bouquet as objects up for grabs to distract the crowd.

Note, both of these are items worn by the women and that garters are treated as a sexual object.

Edit: found a source.

How did the tradition start?

Hundreds of years ago, it was thought to be very good luck to touch the bride. This often caused discomfort and invasion of privacy to the bride, since guests would typically stand around her in an attempt to rip the gown off! (Uh, no thanks!) In order to deter guests, the bride began tossing their bouquets into the crowds to distract people, then making a break for it with her husband to the bridal chamber. The groom would open the door and toss out the garter once the couple was inside.

People just wanted pieces of the bride’s accessories because she was married. So guests were naturally thrilled to grab the flowers, since they, too, were thought to bring romantic luck for the future.

Items worn or touched by the bride were considered fertility charms too so. -shrugs- Yeah, they'd tear up the decor as well.