Romantic…elegant…heirloom…one-of-a-kind…these words truly describe Janet K. Cook’s wedding garters. 

Jan’s love of antique textiles (i.e. laces, silks, ribbons and trim), history, family and family traditions, and continuity within a family by the passing down of family heirlooms naturally lent themselves to the creation of her business.

The very first garter was created when Jan’s younger son was about to marry and she wanted something personal and elegant to give to his bride.  The second garter was likewise made for her older son’s bride a year later.  As friends saw the pieces requests to buy them began to flood in and a business was born.

Using materials long ago relegated to attics, cedar chests,  grandmother’s button box and jewelry boxes, Jan lovingly creates something new and beautiful out of wonderful old keepsakes from the past - gathered from around the world.  Her garters are always hand-stitched out of old silks, fine machine or handmade laces, and embellished with antique buttons, genuine gemstones, tiny gold lockets that can hold photos of the bride and groom  or similar items.  There is always something blue (whether a piece of blue silk ribbon dating to the Civil War, a genuine sapphire or aquamarine set in gold or perhaps the blue color on an antique French enameled button).  Jan works almost exclusively with materials that pre-date 1900, with the exception being when she uses materials supplied by a bride’s family to create a custom garter.  So with this one item the following bridal traditions are fulfilled:

          Something Old - all materials used
          Something New - the garter itself
          Something Blue - whatever embellishment is used

A card telling about the materials used always accompanies the garter.