Brrr! Did summer transition into autumn overnight while I slept, because it’s suddenly cold here in the northeast. I’m talking sweater weather and beyond. Yesterday, I wore a jacket for the first time in forever. I feel like it won’t be long until I’m breaking out the beautiful vintage gloves my MIL gave to me. Not having been made for it, I dread winter — only the love of The Beard has kept me in this place that once a year becomes a frozen wasteland.
The only nice thing about winter, in my opinion, is that one has a chance to buy new jackets, hats, gloves, and other cold weather accessories. If one is scheduled to be a wintertime bride, there’s a whole range of bridal accessories most of us never even think about. Take, for example, the fur muff, a very old fashioned sort of accessory once made of minks or bunnies but more often crafted from Muppet skins nowadays.
To wear a muff to keep the cold at bay isn’t so unusual, but a handful of brides opt to carry one in place of a bouquet. Some even have their florists affix flowers to the muff itself. I’ve read that they are more popular in Europe than they are in the States, but I haven’t known enough European brides to confirm that assertion. What I do know is that the bride who chooses to carry a muff is generally either into the whole wintertime look (think fur-lined hooded cape) or into the whole vintage look (think pillbox hat). Then again, maybe her hands just get cold.
Me? I love ’em, but I have a soft spot for them because I had two fur muffs as a child and I think they keep the fingers much warmer than do gloves. What say you? Cute or totally lame?
By the way, do yourself a favor and don’t do a Google image search for bridal muff with Safesearch off.
LOVE!
I think muffs are totally classy. My best girlfriend gave me a vintage muff one christmas, and I love it.
I love them. I knitted a muff to keep in the car for the morning commute (obviously I’m not the driver), because it’s so much warmer than mittens or gloves.
A purse/muff would be great. I may have to figure out how to make one, maybe like a big clutch with giant pocket to slip your hands into.
Thanks for the google tip, I was just thinking about searching for that while at work. EEk!
I think this is just like everything else – there’s a tasteful way and a tacky way to do it. Attaching flowers to it, though…not so much.
I have a great fondness for muffs. They work best with a terribly retro, nay, almost historical sensibility, I think, but can be adapted to nearly any style with the right fabric and trims.
Unlike Kathryn, I’m not anti-flowers on muffs, but I do think that this is a case where less is more. A single beautiful bloom on a muff is going to look better than a fussy corsage with ribbons and doodads.
The lady in the photo, for example, has taken the flowrs just a step too far for my taste. Other than that, the look is flawless, though. I covet her pillbox hat more than I can say, and think the jacket is just lovely. If she’d used a single red rose and ditched the ferns, I think it would have been perfect.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I will probably carry a muff for my December wedding. I love the idea of holding it instead of flowers, but I don’t know if my heart will keep beating without a beautiful Christmas-looking bouquet. My bridesmaids will have a muff rather than flowers FOR SURE. It’s been my plan for some time.
I am the only dissenter.
I had a muff when I was a kid too and I loathed it. I dunno, I think I like the freedom to be able to reach out and grad a handfull of snow gloves give you.
I was also in marching band and stupidly chose the only instrument you cannot wear gloves with so I really love every chance I have to wear those.
My love of muffs comes from the final scene in “A White Christmas.” I love the idea of a winter wedding with (fake) fur, but I’m not sure it wouldn’t look costumey if all the other guests were wearing normal winter formal attire. And I don’t think I could subject guests to sitting outside in snow and cold while I got married. That’s just mean.
I tried to talk my fiancé into a winter wedding, to no avail, alas. I’m neutral on the bridal muff but I love the idea of wearing a creamy wool coat with vintage buttons at a wedding. Plus, said coat would be re-wearable!
So, I’m pretty sure I know those two. We didn’t go to their wedding, as we aren’t that close, but she is a local choreographer and costumer extraordinaire. Behind them looks like a local theater turned event facility, and the “one wedding and no funeral” marquee totally looks like something they would do.
It’s really weird to go to a blog you always go to, and randomly see someone you know.
BTW, I love muffs. (not the unsafe search kind) I think they are romantic and victorian, and I would totally do one for a winter wedding. Alas, I am already married, and we got married in fall, our favorite season. However, if we would’ve done it in the winter, I so would’ve had a muff. With flowers attached.
The picture is lovely and shows that a muff can be worn to good effect. However, it might be hot and sweaty for any part of the ceremony that’s indoors, and as a bride you are constantly hugging or shaking peoples’ hands it seems, so it might not be that practical.
Thanks for sharing your google mishap. My F-I-L is a midwestern, small-town civil engineer and wanted to look up some information on manholes for a street construction project. He was a little shocked by his search results.
SusanC, a coworker of mine was trying to figure out how to embed videos into a presentation he was making using the science-geek LaTeX (pronounced la-TECH) document formatting program. Google does not distinguish caps from non-caps, of course, so a search for “LaTeX videos” is exactly the same as “latex videos”…
When I was a child I recall having this adorable pink fluffy muff. And to this day I prefer a muff over mitten or gloves it just keeps my hands warmer. Plus I’m a bit old fashioned.
If you would like take a moment in time and view my lovely website at http://www.Elegant DesignsbyDenise.com, I design handmade bridal muffs.