| The Wedding in its various forms may
be the oldest of human traditions and the customs of the
modern wedding can be traced right back through the Romans
to ancient Greece and back as far as the Egypt of the
Pharoes.
And as well as the purpose of marriage,
the role and influence of the Wedding in society have
evolved through the centuries. Today, the importance of
the bridal attire has increased to such an extent that
the bride to be, in having the privilege to choose what
has become the most important item of this most special
of events will determine the general tone of the wedding.
In ancient times, it was even a custom
for guests to tear a bit of the bride's dress and keep
it for luck. Thankfully this tradition has passed into
history - otherwise The Dressmarket would be out of business!
History
Here follows a brief history of the origin
and evolution of the bridal outfit through the years,
an opportunity maybe to take a pause and remind ourselves
of why this piece of clothing is so special and what it
will reflect through the style we will decide to adopt.
Looking at the history of the wedding dress, we seem to
have returned to the original starting point of the pre-Victorian
era when brides could let their imagination run free to
chose the colour of their dress.
We see brides in the 16th and 17th centuries wearing outfits
varying between the different shades of green, brown,
blue, yellow and even black; according to their age, those
colours would symbolise fertility or maturity. Often brides
would only wear their best dress and continue to do so
on special occasions. Only if they were from a wealthier
background they would wear something more dazzling. Brides
from more deprived backgrounds would wear a white dress
to display publicly their lack of wealth.
But of course, as we all know, this was to change. This
custom was due to be entirely eradicated and to carry
a different meaning when Queen Victoria, disregarding
beliefs and customs from the past, chose to wear white
as a symbol of purity and maidenhood, instead of the traditional
silver royal wedding gown, when she married Prince Albert.
Although we find examples of white dresses
before that period, it was never as dominant as it became
then. Queen Victoria made a never to be forgetton impression
in the fashion world when she opted for a simple dress,
made of white satin, trimmed with Honiton lace, with Honiton
long veil and a wreath of orange blossoms to emphasize
purity. The unconditional love of Queen Victoria for her
husband, added to the dress she wore, appealed deeply
to the romantic side of all women and it became fashionable
to copy the Queen’s wedding. Unaware of the trend she
had started, Queen Victoria went even further when she
ordered for her daughter’s wedding a very detailed tiered
cake covered with a first to be seen pure white icing
and chose the Mendelssohn’s wedding march to be played
when her daughter walked down the aisle of the church
wearing a white wedding dress. No need to say this made
quite an impression at the time and is still in fashion
today.
This new concept of romanticism and fairy tale wedding
became a way for the middle classes to display their new
wealth. People would now want to follow the “wedding fashion”
and the new use of many different types of fabrics and
patterns was never going to stop until today where brides
to be have a nearly limitless choice of styles, fabrics
and designs.
The Victorian wedding dress was a two-piece dress with
a fitted bodice and a full panel skirt and thin waist
. By 1860, wedding dresses became more fancy and extravagant
within the richest classes. Accessories such as white
kid gloves, embroidered silk stockings and shoes embellished
with buttons, bows or ribbons started to play a more important
part. It is still the case today where much care and attention
is given to accessories to give the final touch to the
bridal outfit. The choice of the headdress has become
essential, whether it is a veil, a hat, flowers or a tiara.
The crinoline was discarded in favour of the bustle, which
around 1890s was replaced by a train with a veil of equal
length .The veil covered the face of the bride and was
not to be lifted until the bride left the church.
Through the following centuries, the classic bridal styles
will be influenced by period costumes, going from the
low-waist 1920’s dress to the high waist Empire style,
the Edwardian style, Princess line and Sheath dress. High
necklines and long sleeves were transformed into less
severe features such as off –the- shoulder, V-neck low
cut or strapless, which has become very popular.
To recreate the romantic style bridal designers have taken
inspiration from the luxurious fashion of the 18th century
pre-revolutionary French dresses whose main features were
a boned corset, thin waist and a vast skirt made of lustrous
fabrics.
The most enduring favourite remains the full-blown romantic
dress , since the magical moment of the bride 's dramatic
entrance , in a full-skirted white dress with cathedral
length veil and train is as alluring as ever. The splendour
of this outfit combined with its magic and symbolism offers
an escape from today’s world and a once in a life opportunity
for brides to be to transform themselves in something
they never otherwise would .
But some brides do find this fairy
tale style too much of a “big production” and will choose
styles of elegant simplicity such the sheath dress which
is nowadays very popular. Weddings are changing ; religious
or civil? availability of venues, in a church , in a registrar
office , on a remote tropical island beach or in a Scottish
island castle, all those factors have contributed to the
evolution of the bridal fashion but what has stayed unchanged
through the centuries is the essential part that the dress
will play.
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