The Lord has brought you to this day 
Through all of life's confusions 
To come full circle all the way 
To bless your wedded union

May your days be filled with laughter 
And your nights be filled with peace 
As you grow old together 
Sharing happiness and ease

For a man shall be a woman's heart 
And a woman be a man's 
Til the oceans cease to flow 
And deserts lose their sands 

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March 1894

"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon
 

Of all people in the world the French are the ones who most positively combine sentiment and frocks. The rich lace, the costly jewel, the much-trimmed gown never belongs to the unmarried woman until she has passed youth. Even on the very day of her wedding, the French girl, while she is essentially a bride, always has in her costume the suggestion of youth and innocence. The material especially dedicated to the bride is white satin, heavy and lustrous; occasionally some caprice of fashion may show itself on one of these gowns, as has the band of sable around the edge this winter. But the artist in dress disapproves of any such departure from regulation rules, the first one of which is that the bride shall be all in white. White silk, white crepe, white cloth, and some of the very thin stuffs are occasionally chosen for the wedding gown, but personally I can fully sympathize with the girl who chooses fewer frocks in her trousseau, yet elects that on her wedding day she shall really look what she is, a bride. With her white gown come the white tulle veil and the orange blossoms. 

There are some things that a bride must remember: her bodice must be high in the neck; her sleeves reach quite to her wrists, and her gown must fall in full, unbroken folds that show the richness of the material, and there must not be even a suggestion of such frivolities as frills or ribbons of any kind. The design for a white satin wedding dress which is shown in Illustration No. 1 is that approved by the greatest and most artistic of dressmakers. It has about it not only the air of girlishness that should be there, but, by the disposition of the rich material, makes prominent the elegance of toilette that will be permitted to the young matron.
 

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"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon

Section I: The Dainty Wedding Gown
 
 
 

Very heavy white satin is used for this gown, which is quite plain in front, but has a flare about the lower part, the result of there being two full plaits on each side of the broad gore. In the back there are two double box-plaits that fall far down, spread out and extend through the train which is very nearly a yard long. The bodice is a pointed one, laced in the back; is high in the neck, and has over its white satin collar, folds of white tulle caught at one side with a tiny bunch of orange blossoms. The sleeves have enormous puffs of the satin that reach quite to the elbows, and below that they fit in to the arms, and each comes down in a point over the hand. Folds of tulle outline this point. Over each shoulder is an elaborate epaulette of orange blossoms. The hair is arranged quite high and pinned closely and very firmly to the head; and the veil, which is fastened on under a wreath of orange blossoms, extends to the edge of the skirt in front and over the entire length of the train at the back. It is necessary in arranging this veil to remember that while it is worn over the face going up the aisle of the church, it is thrown back after the ceremony, so that the flowers are placed in such a way that the wreath is at its best when the veil is off the face. It is the duty of the maid of honor to throw the veil back, and while, of course, she must be careful in doing this, whoever arranges it must be equally careful in pinning it firmly. The gloves worn are white undressed kid; the stockings are white silk, and the slippers white satin. Instead of a bouquet there is carried a white satin prayer-book mounted in silver. 

Custom permits a bride to wear the wedding present given her by the bridegroom, but the student of the art of dress claims that the bride should wear no jewelry unless, indeed, it should be a string of pearls, the gems dedicated to girlhood. At the receptions or dinners given to the bride after the wedding she wears her wedding dress, that is, to all those given within three months after her marriage. But the orange blossoms must never be worn after the ceremony. 

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The Ladies' Home Journal

March 1894

"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon

Section III: One of Gainsborough's Maids
 

In Illustration No. 2 is shown a bridesmaid who might have stepped out of one of Gainsborough's pictures, for her costume and its combination of colors are historically correct. Her gown, which just escapes the ground, is of white chiffon made rather full, with a round waist, over which is worn a broad fichu of fine white gauze. This is crossed in Marie Antoinette fashion, its ends being hidden in a full sash of pale blue gauze drawn about the waist and tied in long loops and ends. The hat is a large black felt one, caught up on one side under a bunch of pale blue feathers. The gloves and slippers are white and so is the bouquet.
 

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The Ladies' Home Journal

March 1894

"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon

Section II: The Attendant Maids
 
 
 

The maids who attend the bride are given greater license in the way of dress than is permitted to her, and quaint costumes and fanciful effects are liked for them, so that the group may form a pretty picture. Just now either chiffon or cloth is fancied for the dress of the bridesmaid. Pinks, blues or Nile greens are liked, and the modes from centuries gone by are seized upon and literally developed up to date. In almost every instance at a church wedding the bridesmaids wear large picture hats, unless, indeed, they follow the fashion that prevails on the Continent and appear in short veils, it being considered in bad taste for them to appear in church with their heads uncovered. 

*****

The Ladies' Home Journal

March 1894

"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon

Section V: Some Wedding Etiquette
 
 
 

The maid of honor relieves the bride of her bouquet at the altar, hands it to the first bridesmaid when it is time for her to assist the bride with her glove, or to throw back the veil; later on she takes it again and presents it to the bride just before she takes her husband's arm and turns from the altar. The bride who is wise wears a somewhat loose glove on her left hand, so that the removal of it is a very easy matter. A bride always gives her bridesmaids their gloves and usually presents them with some little souvenir of the wedding. The bridegroom usually gives each a piece of jewelry in which his and the bride's initials are combined. He presents the best man and ushers with their gloves, ties, and very often their scarfpins. Custom has made it proper for the bridegroom to wear a gardenia in his buttonhole, the best man an orchid, and the ushers bouquets either of white violets, or some other small white flower. 

In entering the church, the ushers come first, then the bridesmaids, walking two by two, then the maid of honor alone, and then the bride on the arm of her nearest male relative. In coming out the bride and groom are first, the maid of honor next with the best man, and usually the bridesmaids, each walking with an usher. I say usually because sometimes the bridesmaids walk out together as they came in, with the ushers just behind them. 

*****

The Ladies' Home Journal

March 1894

"The Art of Dressing a Bride"

Author: Isabel A. Mallon

Section IV: The Other Bridesmaid
 
 
 

Narrow bands of golden brown fur are much liked when cloth costumes are worn by the bride's attendants. Combinations especially fancied are white cloth with very dark brown fur, pink with a lighter brown, and pale green with a lighter brown. Probably the last combination is the most fashionable. The toilette of the second figure in our illustration shows a maid who is to attend another bride; it is an evidence of the beauty possible with cloth and fur and shows how the faint green and the golden brown come together. The skirt is made after the fashion of an ordinary walking skirt, and it has about the lower edge a two-inch band of the fur. The coat basque, which reaches almost to the knees, has double Robespierre revers, the under ones being of golden brown satin, and the outer ones of the cloth finished with a narrow piping of fur. The sleeves have full, high puffs of cloth and deep cuffs of fur. The high collar is overlaid by a stock of golden brown ribbon. The bonnet, which is a very small poke, is made of green cloth like the dress, and has three mink heads in front, while around the low crown are wreathed two mink tails. With this is worn a deep veil of golden brown net with chenille dots upon it, the fine material being edged with a narrow piping of fur. The bonnet ties are of golden brown velvet. The gloves are of undressed light tan kid, and the low shoes match them. 
 

*****

A beautiful bride in a white or ivory wedding gown is what we think of when we picture a traditional bride. This wasn't alway so. You may be surprised to learn that in the 1800's, it was common for brides to wear everyday colors such as blue, pink, green, dark brown, burgandy and, yes, even black, rather than white and ivory. It was much more practical for a bride of the average class to wear darker colors for a variety of reasons. One major reason being money. Prudent brides planned ahead - a wedding gown could be worn for many occasions, not just on their "special day." The wedding gown was a lady's "best dress" after the ceremony and it was much more practical to have a darker colored dress than a white or ivory dress. Let's take a minute to imagine the time and effort involved in keeping the hemline of a white gown clean! Dust and dirt and no modern conveniences! Just think about what a white hemline would look like at the end of a day! Laundering was a big consideration, unless, of course, the lady was from a prominate family who had servants available to handle the laundry. 
As mentioned earlier, brides did wear black, but some people felt a black wedding gown was bad luck, hence the old saying, "Married in black, you'll wish yourself Back." A black wedding gown might also be worn by a bride if she were to wed a widower. The Goodwill Museum in the State of Washington has a black wedding gown, complete with accessories and documentation, from the 1870's. The gown is beautiful and the documentation states that the bride was only 16 years of age and married a widower that was in his mid 30's with 6 children. I often wonder if it bothered her to be married in black on her long awaited day! 

 There were still many wedding gowns from the late 1830's and the early 1840's that were made in a soft ivory color. These gowns were very simplistic in design and were not heavily embelished. Oftentimes, the veil was the most elaborate trim added to the gown. Wedding veils were a very important part of the wedding attire, so many times the veil was the fanciest item that a lady would wear. White began to gain popularity by the 1870's, and by the 1880's most women wore the soft whites and ivories of the time; however, it was still common to see ladies wed in their "Sunday Best." 

You will find many early photos of ladies in beautiful white gowns, buy you will find many more photos of ladies in their finest dark colored dress, with and without, ivory veils. Many brides wore their wedding dresses as traveling gowns after the wedding took place. Couples were often married mid-morning with a traditional wedding breakfast and then left for a special honeymoon spot. 

Best of luck to you in your journey back in time . . . 

 The Setting

      It is important to note that many
 Victorian themed weddings are held in
 historical buildings or mansions. This is a
 perfect setting as the history of the building
 or mansion adds a sense of timeless appeal
 to the Victorian wedding. However, this is
 not the only option for those who choose
 this type of theme. Gardens of nearly any
 type will also provide a perfect backdrop.
 Flowers were very prevalent in Victorian
 society, and were often given meanings or
 sentiments. One example of this is roses.
 Our perceptions of their meanings harken
 back to the Victorian era and we still
 attribute certain associations with the color
 of the roses. Another setting that would be
 quite appropriate with a Victorian themed
 wedding is that of an afternoon tea. Whether
 the tea takes place in a rented hall, in a
 home or in a hotel setting, decorations can
 reflect those of the era.

 Centerpieces

      Centerpieces in a Victorian themed
 wedding will range with your tastes as well
 as the feeling you are trying to evoke. Since
 I'm focusing of Victorian elegance, I will
 include a few suggestions along those lines.
 One of my favorite centerpiece ideas would
 look stunning at a Victorian wedding. It's
 very simple and could be cost effective as
 well. Simply scour yard sales and thrift
 shops for fancy sets of cups and saucers.
 The sets do not have to match, and in fact
 will look better if they do not. Purchase
 some packages of lace doilies (slightly
 larger than the saucers) as well as some
 flowers. The doilies are placed beneath the
 saucers, the cups are filled partially with
 water and one flower floats in the cup. A
 variety of cup and saucer sets with varying
 heights and designs only adds to the charm.
 Additionally, you can use floating candles in
 some of the sets to add the glow of
 candlelight. Add some scattered rose petals
 for romance and your look is complete.

      Another look that conveys the feel of
 Victoriana is dried roses. These can be
 expensive, but you can generally cut costs if
 you do the work yourself. One great idea is
 to use dried roses in a topiary centerpiece.
 Make sure that the height of the topiary
 allows guests to see each other across the
 table. I generally like to make them under
 12", but you may find a height that better
 fits your tastes. Your topiary can be
 decorated in numerous ways to reflect the
 Victorian theme, and I will include two ideas
 here. The first is simple and easy. All you
 need is a pot, a wooden dowl (approx. 8" to
 10" long), some florists foam, spanish
 moss, dried roses and a styrofoam ball (for
 a 12" centerpiece I usually use a 4" round
 ball). Stick the foam in the pot (you can
 then take a butter knife and smooth so that
 it is the same height as pot), glue the
 spanish moss to the foam. Insert the dowel
 in the center of the foam in the pot.
 Decorate styrofoam ball with dried roses by
 inserting into the styrofoam. Cover well,
 then center the styrofoam ball over dowel
 and push into it. This leaves you with a
 basic dried rose topiary. The second idea
 concerns dressing your topiary up a bit. For
 a Victorian theme, I would suggest starting
 by decorating the pot. It can be covered
 with gathered fabric (this would be nice with
 a rope tied in a tassel), lace (which you
 could paint over or leave bare), silks, velvets
 or brocades. You can also paint your pot.
 Sponge-painting is easy and fun and you
 could combine the colors of your wedding if
 you'd like. You could also spray-paint on
 lace. When the paint is dry, remove the lace
 and you will have a lovely pattern. The same
 idea works with paper doilies as well (these
 definately have to be removed while wet,
 unless you like the look with them on).

      Ivy can easily replace the spanish moss
 as can baby's breath. You can also insert
 such accents as pearl sprays, victorian style
 charms and/or satin roses. To dress up the
 dowel, you can do numerous things as well.
 The easiest way is to spray-paint it
 ivory/white or to match your colors. Of
 course you can use lace, satin ribbon or
 tulle wrapped around the dowel as well. One
 of my favorite looks is a dowel wrapped in
 satin ribbon with streamers of ribbon or
 lace cascading down the sides. This is
 relatively easy as well. You can tie a knot at
 the top and let the streamers (the rest of
 the ribbon) fall down or you can cut the
 streamers seperately and tack them onto
 the top of the dowel. No matter which way
 you do it, the topiary top will cover up the
 top of the dowel. Speaking of the top, your
 styrofoam ball can be decorated in
 numerous ways as well. You can add
 accents in addition to the dried roses such
 as pearl sprays, baby's breath, tufts of tulle
 or even ribbon (you can insert the ribbon
 and or tulle using florists picks..the U
 shaped kind). Or you can forego the dried
 roses entirely, and replace them with silk or
 fresh if you wish. There truly are no
 limitations to the different decorations you
 can use to dress up your topiaries.

 General Resources

      Victorian resources abound on the web.
 You can enter the search term of "Victorian"
 into any search engine and it will show you
 thousands of pages devoted to the subject. I
 have found a few pages though that
 shouldn't be missed if you are serious about
 researching the Victorian era. These pages
 are for those interested in accuracy, but
 could give you plenty of ideas if you are
 interested in evoking the "victorian" feel as
 well.

 Laurie's Victoriana Page
 Tons of links from Laurie that are very
 informative and well organized.

 Victoriana
 Reflections of the Past brings you this
 informative site filled with "Resources for
 Victorian Living".

 Victorian Wedding Resources

 The Victorian Wedding
 An explanation of a typical Victorian
 Wedding, provided by M. Hoppe.

 Victorian Wedding Etiquette
 J.R. Burrows and Company provide this
 advice which was first published in 1893.

 Victorian Weddings Resource Page
 Carrie Golombek covers various aspects of
 Victorian weddings.

 Vintage Wedding
Complete wedding service

 

The Victorian Bride

Vintage Wedding Gowns

The Victorian Wedding Chapel