June has arrived, and thousands of brides are preparing for their big day. Weddings are often associated with tension and stress. With today's blog, I want to look at the way our ancestors celebrated matrimony. In those bygone eras, marriages, good or bad did last till "death do you part". Now five years of marriage is considered a milestone.
At a relative's home recently, I was looking at the photo of my great, great, grandmother's wedding day, which reminded me how much the social event has changed. In times past, there was a more practical view of the wedding, unless of course you were from royalty or a very wealthy family. Queen Victoria made a statement by wearing a white wedding dress for her nuptials to Albert in 1840. (Far left photo above) This was at a time when many woman wore their best dress in the closet and the whole ceremony was a solemn event. Victoria's dress began a fashion of the white dress symbolizing purity and virginity. Today very few brides make it the alter in that condition. Before the 20th century, the idea of wearing a dress just once was a ridicules notion. Perhaps our ancestors were on to something. During WWII many weddings were rushed, as thousand soldiers were shipped off to war. Brides often wore a simple suit. (Middle photo above)
My great, great grandmother was six feet tall and she made her wedding dress . The sepia tone photo only reveals the dress was not white. From what I have been told the color was blue, assuming our family folklore is correct. I don't have the exact date of the wedding but, the style of her bustle wedding dress suggests, it was post Civil War, early 1870. Clearly Queen Victoria's white wedding dress trend had yet to take hold here in the U.S. some thirty years later. In the 1920's young women celebrated their freedom by wearing short dresses. (Far right photo above) The 1950's was a turning point in the direction of wedding dresses. During this era, a dress dedicated solely to the occasion became the norm .
For the modern wedding now, spending $15,000 or more on a wedding dress is not uncommon. But for those who would rather invest their money toward a home or perhaps a lavish honeymoon, on the other end of the spectrum, there are stores such as JCrew which offer beautiful and sophisticated silk wedding dresses starting at around $ 300 . (See two left photos above)
Wedding veils for those who want one, are another costly addition to the wedding ensemble. E-how ( www.ehow.com/video_4755041_make-own-wedding-veil.html ) has a video on making your own. But if I were a bride now I would consider finding a beautiful necklace that could be worn as a head piece and nix the veil. Later the necklace can be worn for other occasions.
Necklaces for the hair - www.tigerlillyjewelry.com
Wedding customs 1850-1950- www.squidoo.com/weddingtraditions
History of the white wedding dress- www.fromtimespast.com/wedding.htm
Native American Algonquin wedding www.manataka.org/page348.html
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