Comments on: Do I Really Need That: The Bridal Finery Edition

By: Lucy Elliott

Lucy Elliott — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:50:31 +0000

One of my friends wore her cowboy boots beneath her wedding dress – perfect for dancing at their barn dance reception!! Lot better value than buying wedding shoes you’re only going to wear once!! xxx

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:50:19 +0000

NtB – oh, I know those sticky little stinkers! For what it’s worth, the Neoclassical bridal veil was generally a lace scarf, and seldom – if ever – worn over the face. It was just an elegant and very expensive fashion accessory of the period – when one reads Mrs. Elton’s reference to “Very little white satin, very few lace veils – a most pitiful business!” in Jane Austen’s Emma, Mrs. Elton is referring to the lace veils on the bonnets of the guests. The Neoclassical bride generally wore at least part of her hair up, and the lace scarf/veil was draped very simply over the bun to hang down each side. If the bride was married in a bonnet, she might very well wear the veil down over the brim; it might, or might not, extend a few inches down past her eyes, or past her chin – and her mother and her guests might be wearing a bonnet very like it. The veil, whether of the scarf variety or the bonnet variety, would certainly be worn again – and often; it was a very costly article of fashion. Funnily enough, although the Roman bride and the Neoclassical bride might both wear “bridal veils”, the Roman bride’s was totally different from the Neoclassical veil, since the Roman bride’s veil was NOT made out of or trimmed with either net or lace – in fact, it was flame-coloured – and here’s a link to a modern-day woman getting married in one, with an entire ancient Roman ceremony to go with it! http://www.boston.com/yourlife/weddings/featuredweddings/gallery/washburn042200?pg=3

The first Neoclassical fashion plate I have been able to find which specifically describes the outfit as a “white wedding dress” and a “veil” is dated 1813, and shows a very pretty Neoclassical gown, with the veil draped over the bun. White was not a common choice for a wedding gown for centuries, but it was common, both before and after the Neoclassical period, when the bride DID wear white, for her bridesmaids all to wear white as well – including wreaths and white veils! This accounts for quite a few of the 19th century photos of “double weddings”, which weren’t necessarily any such thing.

I would say the single biggest difference between modern wedding dresses and wedding dresses of other periods, is that only in the latter half of the twentieth century and later was a wedding dress expected to be white, and worn only once. The idea of a gown, however spectacular the occasion, being worn only once, would have been unthinkable to most women. Up to the early/mid-twentieth century, even white gowns were worn again (although without the veil, and any wedding-specific ornaments, such as orange blossoms).

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:04:38 +0000

I skipped the veil, my shoes didn’t quite match, and I never changed out of them. I almost skipped shoes altogether, but waterfront property in Florida occasionally comes complete with sand spurs…little spiky ball things that stick in your skin. I didn’t want to risk stepping on one when walking down the aisle.

By: Nicola

Nicola — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:54:49 +0000

When I got married, our priest said that we could wear whatever we wanted. So if we fancied getting married in jeans and tshirt, he wouldn’t mind. Really it’s about you and your partner, not what you wear – so do what you want!

By: De

De — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:28:28 +0000

My very best friend wanted to wear her Chuck Taylors under her gown for her impending nuptials, but it was veto’d by the groom (I suspect out of jealousy..hehe). However, that did give us the chance to go Wedding Shoe Shopping (yay!).

And as The Boyfriend and I get closer to our own wedding, it sounds more and more to me like my guests will be lucky if I’m wearing shoes at all .
(I’m a shoes-off-as-soon-as-I’m-home kind of girl!)

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:44:19 +0000

I love seeing what brides choose to wear on their feet. At a recent wedding I attended, the bride, a very nontraditional girl, wore the typical poofy halter style white wedding gown. But on her feet? 6-inch platform black moon boots. I absolutely loved it! So very her, and as she’s had them for a good decade, they also served as her “something old.”

You couldn’t actually see them, by the way, unless she lifted her skirt a bit to show them off!