What did weddings look like the year you were born?

When it comes to weddings, those of us who have been around for a while can look at a photo and guess the era of the wedding based on how the bride, groom, and bridal party is dressed and of course hairstyles.

1960s bride and groom

While on Facebook today, I came across a slideshow that takes a look at bridal fashion starting back in 1916. It's a fun overview that includes interesting tidbits of history and wedding traditions. Enjoy the 100-year journey! And if you're considering a vintage wedding, it's a perfect resource.

Wasp waistlines and billowing skirts of the 50s

Wedding dresses like this one pictured in 1929 represent typical wedding dress style of the era, but by the 1950s designs evolved to include billowing skirts and wasp-waist designs. As an example of a wasp-waste the waistline, Elizabeth Taylor's wedding dress waist measured 20 inches!

Home wedding receptions of the 60s and 70s

By the 1960s, wedding dress designs became sleeker but cakes grew fancier. In the 60s and 70s it was still common to hold a wedding reception at someone's house, but as wedding traditions continued to evolve along with the dresses in the decades following, the wedding ceremony, venue, and reception grew increasingly extravagant...and expensive.

1929 wedding

Even in the 70s it wasn't unusual for a family member or close friend to make a wedding dress as a way to save money. Back then, fabric was way cheaper. To put it into perspective, malls were still a brand-new concept at the time. Another way to save was to order your dress through one of the catalogs like J.C. Penney, Sears, or Montgomery Wards. This was also a great place to order bridesmaids dresses especially when the wedding party lived in different states.

Photo credits: Pixbay, wikipedia

Wedding veil styles of the 1900s

While some look at the bridal veil as a simple fashion accessory, choosing the right veil takes some consideration. For instance, if you’re choosing a beach venue, you certainly don’t want a long veil dragging behind you to get snagged on the boardwalk when you make your dramatic entrance. Along these lines, you also need to consider the hairstyle you have planned, and you want it to complement your dress.

In the past I’ve written about the history of the bridal veil from ancient times that includes the Greeks thinking the veil protected from evil spirits, and how in Medieval times brides sported the veil as a symbol of purity. Today some brides choose to go without the veil, and modern brides aren’t thinking about evil spirits or even what the veil represents, unless they are trying to find a bridal veil to fit the theme of their wedding.

Today, we’ll look at the history of bridal veil styles from the 1900s. While I mention trends of the day, remember that many brides still chose to go with a more traditional veil rather than follow a craze when it came to their wedding day.

Great Gatsby wedding fashion.

1920s

For those planning a Roaring 20s or Great Gatsby themed wedding, the bridal fashion of the time was most often designed using silk and decorated with flowers and leaves matching the flowers in the bridal bouquet. Cloche veils were very popular. Other common styles included headband veils or veils crafted from lace or silk worn over the head and shoulders.

1930s
In the 30s, brides wore tight fitting dresses and loosely-fitting veils which hung over their heads.

1940s

During the war years, rationing played a role even when it came to weddings. It wasn’t unusual for the same wedding dress and veil to make the rounds − worn by multiple brides. In the post-war years of the 1940s, small, birdcage veils became popular, which is currently a reemerging fashion trend.

1950s

In the 1950s, traditional veils gave way to the tight-fitting skullcap veil.

1960s

Bridal veils took on a more modern flare in the 60s. They tended to be shorter, some shoulder length or perhaps reaching about midway down the back. Instead of lace, they were often fashioned out of netting and fastened to a decorative headpiece secured with a comb.

60s netting fastened to decorative headpiece secured with a comb

1970s

The late 60s and into to 70s wedding veils returned to longer fluid styles with a bohemian air that mimicked the flower-power hippy look of the day.

1980s

For readers who were alive at the time, things were big in the 80s. We had big hair, and big shoulder-pads. Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married and the event was a media sensation with more than 750 million people from around the world tuning in to the first televised royal wedding. Her extravagant silk-and-taffeta gown was full, lavish, and what I’d call cinderellaish. But her veil! It was 40 feet long! I’ll never forget watching her and feeling that fairytales do come true as she entered St. Paul’s cathedral. I don’t know if she was the single catalyst for long veils, but it certainly was the trend in the 80s.

1988

1990s

In the 90s, brides wore big puffy sleeves and dresses decorated with heavy bead work. It was also a time when some brides decided to go without the veil altogether and in its place they wore a headpiece or hat.

The wedding veil tradition started back when veils were a commonplace fashion accessory. Today, wearing veils may be “old fashioned” but many brides feel it a necessary adornment on that special day. From among the trends of the past, if you look, you may you find inspiration to create your own look on your wedding day.

Photo credits: pixabay.com, flickr, pexels,  flickr

Historical roles of best man and bridesmaids

Most wedding traditions we practice today stem from unexpected origins. For instance, the wedding party of today is nothing like a couple hundred centuries ago when the original role of the "best man" wasn't to throw a bachelor party, hold on to the ring, give a speech or make the wedding toast. His duty was actually to serve as armed backup for the groom just in case he was forced to kidnap his intended bride from disapproving parents. Even the word "best" didn't necessarily mean best friend. It meant he was best with a sword in case it was needed.

Best man was chosen because he was "best" with a sword.

History of best man

Origins of the best man tradition are thought to be Germanic Goth stemming from a time when men were expected to take a bride from within the community. With an inadequate supply of local women, eligible bachelors were forced to seek out and capture a bride from a neighboring community. This practice is linked to the reason the bride stands to the left of the groom during the wedding ceremony to this day. You see, the groom had to keep his right hand free for defense.

Bride kidnapping

 Original duties of the best man

• The best man stood guard beside the groom until the wedding vows were exchanged.
• After the wedding, he stood outside the newlyweds' bed chamber door as a guard of sorts and stood watch in case anyone decided to attack.
• He was also in place in the event that the bride decided she wanted to run.

History of bridesmaids

As for bridesmaids, historically they wore dresses similar to that of the bride, so that as the group approached the church it would be difficult for any evil spirits or former beaus to spot the bride. Evil spirits were also the reason the bride wore a veil to hide from those spirits waiting to steal away her happiness. But having the bridesmaids dress similarly to the bride made it more difficult for possible kidnappers or those planning to throw rocks. 

Bridesmaids wore dresses similar to the bride.

The same held true for the men. They wore matching suits to save the groom from curses, rocks or kidnapping, too.

As for the Maid of Honor, she was responsible for making all the wedding decorations and putting them up herself.

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Photo credits: wikimedia, wikimedia, wikimedia

What is a Cathedral wedding veil and is it right for you?

If you watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married you saw a perfect example of a cathedral wedding veil making a regal entrance. In this case, it was a 16-foot silk tulle veil. The terms cathedral and tulle do not refer to the style of her veil but to the length and fabric. The length of a cathedral veil is between 108-120" and it extends beyond the train of the wedding gown.

Silver Crystals Scrolled Scallop-Edge Bridal

Embellishing a Cathedral veil

Cathedral veils can remain elegantly simple and unadorned, but with all that fabric you have unlimited options of what you can do to embellish your veil if that's what you prefer. 

 

For instance, Meghan’s veil told a unique story as it included hand embroidered flowers which paid homage to all 53 Commonwealth countries. To make sure the veil remained pristine, those embroidering the flowers were required to wash their hands every 30 minutes. 

 

Probably the most uniquely decorated veil I can think of was the wedding veil worn by Angelina Jolie when she married Brad Pitt. It was embellished with artwork created by her children! 

You may not have someone to hand embroider your wedding veil, but you can find already-embellished cathedral veils with crystals, rhinestones, or sequins, or a cathedral veil with lace, or a two-tier cathedral veil with a blusher accent giving it a romantic vintage look.

Is a Cathedral right for your wedding dress?

While it may seem romantic to picture yourself walking the aisle wearing a cathedral veil, the real question to ask is whether or not such a long veil is really the right length for your dress and overall look? When buying your wedding veil, test various veils when you go for your first dress fitting. Start shopping for your veil early. You want a veil that complements your dress in flow and design. Often, designers offer veils crafted specifically to be paired with their dresses, so that’s a good place to start looking. If you’re sporting a more informal overall look, it will be better to consider a shorter veil that pops with personality and yet stays true to the look you’re after like a bandeau or blusher, while the cathedral veil lends itself to a more formal traditional look.

Cathedral Veil with Blusher

If you want a long veil, but a cathedral bridal veil is too long, try a chapel wedding veil (90 inches) or a floor-length wedding veil (72 inches). If you don’t find the veil you love, you can always have a veil custom made based on your specifications.

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Maid of Honor and bridesmaid roles through time

Today, if I say the word bridesmaid, you know I'm talking about a friend of the bride who is part of the wedding party. Of them, one friend is asked to be the main bridesmaid known as the maid of honor if unmarried or matron of honor if she is married. Bridesmaids today are often a mixture of married and unmarried friends, but it wasn’t always this way because, traditionally, bridesmaids were selected from young unmarried women who were of marriageable age. 

Duties of the maid of honor past and present

Modern day maid of honor responsibilities include things like planning the bridal shower, dress shopping with the bride, and coordinating the bridesmaids. On the wedding day, her duties include things like:

• Help the bride get dressed
• Bride’s train is straightened
• Holds the bridal bouquet during the ring ceremony
• Makes a speech (in some cases)

In similar fashion, in 1700s the maid of honor helped the bride remove her gloves and held them during the ceremony, and instead of a bouquet she might have been asked to hold the dow-purse which symbolized the groom’s dowry to his wife. It was represented by coins placed on the service book. By the eighteenth century this was no longer part of the ceremony, except in parts of northern England where the practice continued into the nineteenth century.

The matron of honor joined the right hands of the bride and groom.

Matron of honor in Ancient Rome

In ancient Roman weddings, the matron of honor had to be the model of moral excellence with a reputation for fidelity and obedience. She couldn’t be married more than once and had to have a living husband at the time of the wedding. Her part in the ceremony was to join the right hands of the bride and groom for the first time.

Unique Bridesmaids Roles

The maid of honor role isn’t the only one that has evolved over time. In medieval times, the bridesmaids dipped plum buns in spiced ale and made the bride eat it to restore "the energies." Of course, those responsibilities changed from one culture and time to another, but a few more unique duties worth mentioning include things like leading the bridegroom to the church (while the groomsmen did the same with the bride). 

In Victorian times, bridesmaids were expected to make party favors using materials like ribbons and flowers. These would be pinned onto guests’ sleeves or shoulders as they left the ceremony. And when it came to bridesmaid dresses, the wedding custom of this era had everyone dressed in white, including the bridesmaids who were to be younger than the bride. They not only wore white dresses but short white veils, while the bride's veil and train were more elaborate. By the twentieth century this tradition fell out of favor and only the bride wore white.

A wedding from middle 1800s

Bridesmaid superstitions

When looking at the history of wedding traditions, there’s often a “good luck” element or some sort of superstition linked to protection from evil spirits involved. When it comes to the bridesmaid tradition it’s no different. In this case, the beliefs are tied to the bridesmaid herself, for the superstition held that if the bridesmaid stumbled as she walked the aisle to the altar, that she would never marry. In Victorian times, the bridesmaids carried bunches of garlic, herbs and grains to drive the evil spirits away.

Today we have a saying, “Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride.” In the sixteenth century being a bridesmaid was considered a good way to find a husband. I think some people still believe that today, but back then if a person walked the aisle as a bridesmaid three times without getting married, it was believed evil spirits had cursed her. The antidote to this curse was to be a bridesmaid four more times to hit the lucky number seven.

Photo credits: wikimedia.org, wikimedia.org, wikimedia.org