The Wedding
Dress or Bridal Gown
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Your wedding dress is probably the one detail of your wedding that
will take the most time and care to sort out and will also be the
detail that everyone else wants to know about. It will probably be
the most expensive garment you will ever invest in, and will be
crucial to your feeling of happiness and well-being on your
wedding day So take your time over every detail and don't let
anyone rush you
Traditions
The setting aside of a special dress to be worn only on the
wedding day is a relatively recent custom; for many centuries
ordinary brides were simply married in their smartest clothes.
Often the only thing that distinguished a bride from all the other
women at the wedding was that her hair was loose; this would be
the last time that she would wear her hair 'down' as opposed to
piled on top of her head, so she would make the most of the
occasion by releasing it from its customary plaits or ponytail.
For many years strict clothing rules governed who could wear what,
so ordinary people were often barred from wearing special fabrics
or garments.
Coloured dresses
In Roman times the traditional wedding colour was Yellow; the
bride wore a long yellow veil that covered her literally from head
to foot. Different countries have different traditions for bridal
wear; among cultures where the national costume is very elaborate
and colourful, the bridal clothes are often simply extra fine
examples of the traditional skills of weaving and embroidery. For
quite a few centuries silver was the colour for royal brides in
this country later followed by silver and white this tradition has
'led to the custom of having silver accessories, such as bag and
shoes, for the bride. Ordinary brides knew that they , would
probably have to wear their wedding dress as their Sunday best for
several years to come, as they couldn't afford to splash out on
two new outfits; dresses were often pale pink, yellow or blue, or
even bright red. During the 17th century British families who had
emigrated to America sent home for fabric from England for their
wedding dresses; far from plain white or pastel fabrics. the most
commonly chosen materials were brightly , coloured and patterned.
Blue was often a popular colour with brides in Britain as it was
tile traditional colour for the Virgin Mary's robe in paintings.
and it also denotes constancy. Black and purple are the
traditional colours of mourning and so were generally avoided,
while green was Considered unlucky
Which colour?
Married in white, you have chosen allright.
Married in green, ashamed to be seen.
Married in grey, you will go far away.
Married in red, you will wish yourself dead.
Married in blue, love ever true.
Married in yellow ashamed of your fellow.
Married in black, you will wish yourself back.
Married in pink, your spirits will sink.
Married in brown, you'll live out of town.
Married in pearl, you'll live in a whirl.
The white wedding
The white wedding is a relatively recent innovation, although
white has been associated with virginity and innocence since
Elizabethan times. It was really Queen Victoria who started the
cult of the white wedding on her marriage to Prince Albert; she
broke with the tradition of royal brides wearing silver and chose
white instead, and was slavishly followed throughout the land. The
custom of white for the bride has never really died out since,
although in recent years there has been a move towards introducing
different colours to a basically white dress, for instance with
the use of flowers, ribbons or embroidery in pale or bright
colours. Many brides still choose white, but there is no reason at
all why you shouldn't have another colour if you prefer. Cream and
silver are two close alternatives to white if you don't want to
move right away from tradition.
A description of an 18th century Quaker bride paints a very
different picture from the austere image often associated with
that group. The bride wore a light blue brocade dress with
matching shoes (with very high heels) a short blue bodice a white
satin stomacher embroidered in multicoloured threads. and a black
hood lined with white silk. Her groom, incidentally was dressed in
peach blossom cloth lined with quilted white silk.
Head dresses
What am I going to wear on my head? This is perhaps the first
question to ask once you have decided on your wedding dress. Of
course you don't need to wear anything, but it is the rare bride
who doesn't at least want to put a flower in her hair for the trip
down the aisle.
The veil is the most traditional bridal headdress; it is seen in
various forms in different cultures, where it sometimes had the
purpose of preventing the bride and groom from seeing each other,
and sometimes was supposed to offer symbolic protection to the
couple. At times the veil was a piece of fabric held over the head
of the bride or of the couple as the ceremony took place; in some
cultures the bride was draped to the ground in the veil. Veils
disappeared from fashion in this country for several centuries and
brides tended to wear flowers instead; the joint Victorian cults
of the white wedding and the coy female led to the reinstatement
of the veil as a means of hiding the bride's supposed blushes!
Veils can be of many kinds, fabrics and lengths; generally they
are of a transparent or semi transparent material such as tulle or
lace. They may be chosen so they can be piled decoratively on top
of the head or so that they fall smoothly down, and they may be
held in place with a tiara, comb, clip or other headdress. Some
veils are heirlooms and are worn by succeeding members of the
family; these veils may be of very fine Brussels or honiton lace,
or may have been made by the original wearer.
In Ireland the ancient custom of holding the bride's veil in place
with a sprig of mistletoe or a twig of hawthorn is still sometimes
followed.
Many brides decide to wear something other than a veil, especially
if the wedding is not very formal this could be a small hat
trimmed with lace or other fine decoration, a circlet bound in
ribbon or adorned with flowers, gems or any other such object.
Flowers are very attractive as a headdress for your wedding; they
can be used in many different ways, from a single blossom through
to entire garlands. If you would like to use flowers for your
headdress then discuss this with your chosen florist well ahead of
the time.
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