Page 23 - Copshaholm Curriculum Book_2015

The Victorian Wedding 2
PinkBof you he=ll always think

GreenBashamed to be seen
Ever since Queen Victoria wed in 1840, however, white has remained the traditional
color for wedding gowns and bouquets. A woman then used her dress for Court
Presentation after marriage, usually with a different bodice.
The early Victorian wedding dress had a fitted bodice, small waist, and full skirt (over
hoops and petticoats.) It was made of organdy, tulle, lace, gauze, silk, linen or cashmere.
The veil was a fine gauze, sheer cotton or lace. The reasonable cost of a wedding gown in
1850 was $500 with $125 for a veil. By 1861, more elaborate gowns cost as much as
$1500 if constructed with lace.
Formal weddings during this period were all white, including the bridesmaid=s
dresses and veils. Veils were attached to a coronet of flowers, usually orange blossoms for
the bride and roses or other in-season flowers for the attendants. The bride=s accessories
included: short white gloves, hanky embroidered with her maiden name initials, silk
stockings embroidered up the front, and flat shoes decorated with bows or ribbons at the
instep.
The American frontier bride of the 1850s and 60s usually chose cambric, wool or
linen dresses in a variety of colors. Few wore white, as the dress was used later for special
events and church. Many had a warm, colorful shawl in paisley or plaid, which draped her
shoulders at the wedding. The shawl was then used for christenings, social events and as
an extra blanket in the winter. A warm shawl was more cherished than a wedding dress.
For the mid-Victorian bride (1870s), there was an emergence of middle class wealth
and with it a display of their new riches. Wedding gowns fashioned by Worth in Paris were
the ultimate status symbol. Moreover, if one couldn=t afford an original, one copied them.
Full court trains were now part of the wedding ensemble, as were long veils, a bustle,
elegant details and two bodicesBa modest one for the wedding and a low one for special
occasions.
The late Victorians (1890s) saw the bustle disappear, a demi-train and large sleeves
now in fashion. If the bride married in church, the dress must have a train, with a veil of the
same length. The veil could be lace or silk tulle. From the mid-Victorian era to the 1890s,
the veil covered the bride=s face and was not lifted until after church. The veil was not used
as a shawl after the wedding any more, however. White kid gloves were long enough to
tuck under the sleeves, and had a slit in one finger to slip the ring on without removing the
glove. Slippers were of white kid, satin or brocade and the heels rose to one inch.

The Groom=s Apparel
The grooms, too, were concerned with fashion on their wedding day, and turned to

magazines for advice on how best to be turned out. In the early Victorian era, the
bridegroom wore a frock coat of blue, mulberry or claret, and a flower favor in his lapel. By
1865, men=s coats were tailored with a special “flower-hole” for this purpose. His waistcoat
was white, and his trousers of lavender doeskin. Black was out of the question. The best
man and groomsmen wore frock coats also, but in a more subdued tone. The American
frontier groom wore a flower on the lapel of his best suit, using whatever was in the bride=s
bouquet.

By the mid-Victorian era, frock coats were seldom worn, the morning coat being
preferable because of its smarter appearance. Some grooms still wore frock coats,
however, and did so with a vest of black cloth, dark gravy trousers, a folded cravat of