The Wedding Dress – Then and Now
Today, the wedding dress is an essential, integral component of weddings in their entirety. Whilst the groom is waiting, the wedding begins with the arrival of the bride in a beribboned, highly polished vehicle. Next, the dewy-eyed bride begins her slow, stately walk down the aisle to meet up with her groom. This is followed by the marriage ceremony, the arm-in-arm exit from the church, chapel, or temple into a shower of flower petals or rice.
Parties and Pictures for Posterity
Before the reception begins, scenic wedding photographs record the joyous initial part of the event for posterity. Next, the celebratory wedding reception takes place – a great party in honour of the happy couple’s commitment and union, as well as for the invited guests, who attended the wedding to bear witness to the nuptials and celebrate the occasion.
Gown of Every Girl’s Dreams
It’s no surprise that the wedding dress which adorns the beautiful bride occupies such pride of place. It’s virtually the first thing a woman thinks of after her beloved has popped the Big Question and she has accepted the proposal of marriage. Months and months are spent studying bridal magazines and internet sources for that perfect wedding dress, the gown of every girl’s dreams.
Seldom, if ever, do brides-to-be pause to think about the history of the wedding dress – where it all started, and how these special garments have evolved to become today’s specialised couture gowns, available from specialised wedding dress boutiques like Timeless Bridal Couture, which offers exclusive wedding dresses from some of the best international designers’ collections.
A Brief History of the Wedding Dress
Throughout history, until Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, brides wore the best garments they owned, unless their parents were particularly wealthy, in which case a special dress, in any colour, depending on the dies that were available, might be made by a seamstress or someone who was handy with a needle and thread.
In the colder countries, June was the most popular month for marriages, since June was warm enough to take a bath, an event which often only took place annually. In June, both the bride and her groom were relatively fresh and clean. If less so, it is said that the bridal bouquet helped to banish odours.
Few brides wore white, which wasn’t freely available because the fabric had to be bleached. Moreover, white garments showed up the presence of dirt and stains. Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress, made of copious amounts of fabric During the Victorian Era, and the queen’s fashions set the tone and trends for ladies’ fashions.
Thereafter, white wedding gowns and fully gathered skirts became a must for fashionable ladies of the wealthy classes, especially for special occasions like weddings. Moreover, the use of lots of fabric indicated that money was plentiful. Queen Victoria’s black mourning dresses were also copied after her beloved Albert’s death. Since then, fashions and trends have come and gone, often re-emerging in modern guise.
Modern Designs
At Timeless Bridal Couture, some of our dress designs reflect hints of historical wedding gowns, but in the most modern, tasteful way. For your convenience, our ranges and collections are subdivided according to the designers, and by the style, design, mood, or trend which inspired each artistic creation – for each preference, style, and silhouette.