Vintage wedding dresses

From time immemorial, a wedding for a woman was something more than a celebration and a festive date on the calendar. Consequently, the choice of a wedding dress was approached with more diligence than any other outfit. It will be interesting to know that white has not always been associated with a wedding. Previously, completely different colors were preferred by the bride. And the styles were very different from those that we are used to seeing on brides. An excursion into the bygone world of wedding fashion promises to be interesting, exciting and sometimes even filled with surprise.

The rich decoration of the bride testified to the wealth of her family, so the most expensive fabrics were chosen to create a wedding dress. Often it was silk or tulle, satin or corduroy. The fabric was richly decorated with gold threads and valuable natural fur.

The morals of bygone times were strict and demanded from the bride to choose as closed a dress as possible. The maximum length was present not only on the skirt, but on the sleeves as well.

Natural colors were common, since they were created on the basis of only natural ingredients. A bright wedding dress of scarlet, blue or pink color could be found only on a very wealthy bride.

Expensive wedding dresses were adorned with all kinds of jewelry. Pearls, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds were used. Their number was sometimes so large that it was difficult to see the fabric of the dress itself.

The most striking proof of this fact is the wedding of Countess Margaret of Flanders, whose dress was very heavy due to the large amount of jewelry. They numbered in the thousands. It was impossible to walk in such a dress, so they brought her into the church.

With the advent of the 17th century, weddings began to take on a rather dynastic role. But this did not temper the ardor of the brides, who did their best to appear before the guests in the most beautiful dresses.

True, these efforts were not always appreciated at their true worth. Take, for example, the wedding of Princess Katrina of Bragana from Portugal and the English king. The bride did not change the fashion trends of her country and chose a pink dress, which provided for the presence of an inner frame. The British did not understand this decision, although after a while they fell in love with such wedding dresses.

This period was marked by the high popularity of expensive natural fur in wedding dresses. Only very wealthy young ladies who chose mink and sable fur could afford such a finish.

Brides from less wealthy families were content with fox or hare fur. Well, very poor brides could afford to choose linen fabric for sewing dresses instead of the usual rough material that was used to create everyday clothes.

The status of the bride could be judged by the length of the sleeves and the hem on her dress. For ordinary girls, whose wealth was not fabulous, a wedding dress later served as festive clothing, which was worn for big holidays.

At that time, white was not yet the main color for a wedding dress, although it was considered immaculate.

Due to its impracticality and lightness, pink and blue were predominant. By the way, it was the blue color that was associated with the purity of the Virgin Mary herself. This custom has reached modern brides from English-speaking countries, who always introduce an element of blue into their outfit.

Pink was also often seen in wedding dresses. Take, for example, the dress of the bride of Joseph Nolekes (British sculptor), which, although it was created from white fabric, was richly decorated with pink flowers. The outfit was complemented by shoes that were very high for that time (as much as 8 cm) with the same pink embroidery. Despite its uniqueness and extravagance, such an outfit attracted all fans of wedding fashion, and women of fashion adopted it.

Another definitive color was black, which carried a mourning overtones. Even the guests tried not to wear it, so as not to bring trouble to the young. Yellow has just begun to appear in the world of wedding fashion, reviving and flourishing with renewed vigor after it was declared pagan in the 15th century.

The poorest brides had no choice but to wear dresses in gray or brown shades, which were the most practical and unmarked. A hundred years later, gray became associated with servants.

The beginning of the 19th century brought with it a fashion for ribbons, which were abundantly decorated with wedding dresses. They were multi-colored and each guest tried to tear off one ribbon for himself in memory of such a significant event.

A little time passed and the ribbons were replaced by flowers. Guests brought beautiful bouquets with them to congratulate the young, and the bride held no less beautiful flower arrangements in their hands. The bride's dress and hair were decorated with flowers.

It was at this time that dresses began to be sewn, which, albeit remotely, all resembled modern models. The machine-made creation of materials was born, the active import of Indian-made fabrics began, and the first wedding models with a veil, openwork gloves and jewelry appeared.

The most popular fabric was satin, which was decorated with pearls and natural rock crystal. At the end of this century, tight skirts began to come into fashion.

This is approximately how wedding fashion developed, passing through a thorny path. You, modern brides, are very lucky, that you were born in an era devoid of prejudice, strict morals and a limited choice of wedding dresses.