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The Victorian wedding was a grand affair. It was a chance to show the world how lavish and respectable your family was in society. The Victorian Wedding was a very sentimental affair with every detail and practice symbolic. The flowers, the cutting of the wedding cake, even the ribbon streamers over the bridal table were weighted with symbolism. Marriages during this time were mostly to secure business deals, increase wealth or raise status for the family
The Victorian engagement ring dates from 1832-1900. These engagement rings are set on yellow or rose gold color. The Victorian engagement rings (1835-1900) had very complex designs with many rows of diamonds and pearls often set in yellow or rose gold.
Queen Victoria herself chose an engagement ring that was in the design of a gold snake, coiling around itself; and ancient Roman symbol denoting eternal love. Half hoop rings with different stones set in were extremely popular, together with the cluster style and various other, generally quite delicate designs. Queen Victoria herself chose an engagement ring that was in the design of a gold snake, coiling around itself an ancient Roman symbol denoting eternal love. Half hoop rings with different stones set in were extremely popular, together with the cluster style and various other, generally quite delicate designs.
The Victorian wedding dress was made of different fabrics like tulle, lace, organdy, and gauze, silk, linen, or even cashmere. The veil was mandatory and it was usually made of super-fine gauze, pure cotton, teamed with lace. Veils were attached to a coronet of flowers, usually orange blossoms for the bride and roses or other in-season flowers for the attendants.
The bride's accessories included: short white kid gloves, hanky emb
roidered with her maiden name initials, silk stockings embroidered up the front, and flat shoes decorated with bows or ribbons at the instep. Veils were attached to a crown or garland of flowers, usually using orange blossoms for the bride and roses or other in-season flowers for the attendants. The bride's outfit would not have been considered correct at all without short white kid gloves, long enough to tuck under the sleeves, with a slit in one finger to slip the ring on without removing the glove
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| English: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Buckingham Palace, 11 May 1854 (after a Drawing Room) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Bridesmaids covered their heads with short white veils. Weddings at home did not require a veil; headpieces of flowers and ribbons were worn. Bridesmaids stood to the left and right of the couple, while ushers help guide the guests. Etiquette dictated that guests address the bride first, unless they were only acquainted with the groom, in which case they congratulated the groom and were then introduced to the bride.
Popular conceptions of the Victorian wedding night and honeymoon frequently turn on assumptions about sexual ignorance and its conversion to sudden, terrible knowledge. One widely circulated story of John Ruskin's ill-fated wedding night, for example, is that he was so unfamiliar with the ordinary adult female body that he was shocked to find his wife not quite as smooth and hairless as the classical statuary in museums.
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| English: Bride and bridesmaids, 1900-1910 A studio portrait of a bride and three bridesmaids. The bride wears a high necked dress and a veil with headpiece. The bridesmaids wear matching dresses with full sleeves gathered at the top and with ruffles at the hem. Shaefer & Deazley, Austral Studio, Toowoomba. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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