Putting boys in bows is harder than it looks
My littlest brother was six when The Beard and I got hitched. I didn’t have a ring bearer because I think they’re kind of silly, what with the fake rings most carry, and furthermore, I doubted my bro would have much fun wearing a miniature suit for the day. As it turned out, he was run over by a car and stuck in a rolling chair during the whole wedding anyway. Now that he’s up and about and good as new, I don’t feel so bad about imagining him in short pants and a little velvet or satin jacket with a big bow collar.
Back in the day…by which I mean the Victorian day…little gentlemen were given the responsibility of holding the bride’s train. In the most formal of weddings, these boys would wear white silk hose, buckled shoes and matching hats. A Fashion Timeline has a few more interesting things to say about mini-men and their roles in Victorian weddings.
No fashionable Victorian bridal party was complete without small boys as pages. The pages were usually chosen from among the young brothers or nephews of the bride. They were one of the most picturesque features of the bridal group when quaintly dressed in little prince costumes or Lord Fauntleroy suits of white or pale tinted satin with collar and cuffs of lace and a sash of soft silk in a contrasting shade.
Getting my rambunctious younger brothing into a getup like that would have required stuffing him into it by force and then sewing him into it so he couldn’t escape. Even then, he probably would have found some way to cut it off. How did your ring bearer feel about suiting up for the day?
Didn’t have one. The only eligible cousin/nephew/whatever was already a little old, and his parents did not allow it.
My son stood as ring-bearer at my (second) wedding, at the age of seven. We let him carry the actual wedding rings on his pillow, and he really was proud that we trusted him to be careful (for the actual five minutes between taking the pillow from my best friend and attendant, and handing the rings over, but the principle is important).
The ring bearer didn’t want to wear a jacket. so he and the groom wore matching waistcoats (courtesy of the bride) in dark blue brocade (my gown was dark blue velvet), and he wore a dark blue bow tie as well. He shone like a little star!
My ringbearer was my nephew Jack, who is also a rather rambunctious kid. He looks rather like a redheaded tank. He’s a football-playing frat boy waiting to happen. Anyway, he apparently had to be talked into it, and talked into wearing a jacket–I didn’t have the guys in tuxes, they all just wore suits of their choice. But Jack did a great job, he was so serious about his charge, a little cream satin pillow. I think he believed the rings tied on top were the real ones, he was so careful. Of course they weren’t, I’d heard too many horror stories of dropped pillows and rings rolling off into dark corners, including one tale of a sunset wedding where they had to stop the ceremony and get flashlights to recover the rings! Jack was great, though, and I think he had a really fun time at the reception, there are some adorable pictures of him doing the chicken dance.
Hi, just ‘stumbled’ onto this as I need to research for a wedding that is in our family and my youngest sister’s son has been selected for the job. She works full time and I am helping both her and the bride organize the day; she is the Maiden of Honor. My son was a ring bearer years ago and was asked to wear a traditional eton suit, in navy, with a ruffled round collar shirt. He was 6 at the time and though I thought it precious my husband freaked. Nonetheless, Patrick marched down the aisle with knee socks saddle shoes the whole bit…lasted 30 min after the ceremony.
This time the bride does not want the ring bearer in a mini tux, I agree. But he is 5 and may be too old for an outfit from years ago.
Liz