Victorian Brides

I decided to help progress with my ideas and develop my design, I needed to complete some research on Victorian weddings and how Miss Havisham would would probably have looked, as this would be different to how we consider brides today... 

The Victorians found sexually attractive women inherently threatening because they represented a powerful force that men could not resist or control. Women could supposedly wield terrible powers over men through their beauty, so, by their thinking, a physically frail woman would probably be less aggressive, therefore less threatening and the more desirable type. Perhaps this may explain why Miss Havisham was left at the alter... 

Brides have not always worn white for the marriage ceremony. In the 16^th and 17^th centuries for example, girls in their teens married in pale green, a sign of fertility. A mature girl in her twenties wore a brown dress, and older women even wore black. From early Saxon times to the 18^th century, only poorer brides came to their wedding dressed in white--a public statement that she brought nothing with her to the marriage. Other brides wore their Sunday best.
The colour of the gown was thought to influence one's future life:

White--chosen right
Blue--love will be true
Yellow--ashamed of her fellow
Red--wish herself dead
Black--wish herself back
Grey--travel far away
Pink--of you he'll always think
Green-ashamed to be seen

Ever since Queen Victoria wed in 1840, however, white has remained the traditional color for wedding gowns and bouquets. A woman then used her dress for Court Presentation after marriage, usually with a different bodice.

The early Victorian wedding dress had a fitted bodice, small waist, and full skirt (over hoops and petticoats.) It was made of organdy, tulle, lace, gauze, silk, linen or cashmere. The veil was a fine gauze, sheer cotton or lace. 

Formal weddings during this period were all white, including the bridesmaid's dresses and veils. 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 embroidered with her maiden name initials, silk stockings embroidered up the front, and flat shoes decorated with bows or ribbons at the instep.
The American Frontier bride of the 1850s and 60s usually chose cambric, wool or linen dresses in a variety of colors. Few wore white, as the dress was used later for special events and church. Many had a warm, colorful shawl in paisley or plaid which draped her shoulders at the wedding. The shawl was then used for christenings, social events and an extra blanket in winter. A warm shawl was more cherished than a wedding dress.

For the mid-Victorian bride (1870s) there was an emergence of middle class wealth, and with it a display of their new riches. Wedding gowns fashioned by Worth in Paris were the ultimate status symbol. And if one couldn't afford an original, one copied them. Full court trains were now part of the wedding ensemble, as were long veils, a bustle, elegant details and two bodices-a modest one for the wedding and a low one for special occasions.

The late Victorians (1890s) saw the bustle disappear, a demi-train and large sleeves now in fashion. If the bride married in church, the dress must have a train, with a veil of the same length. The veil could be lace or silk tulle. From the mid-Victorian era to the 1890s, the veil covered the bride's face and was not lifted until after church. The veil was not used as a shawl after the wedding any more, however. White kid gloves were long enough to tuck under the sleeves, and had a slit in one finger to slip the ring on without removing the glove. Slippers were of white kid, satin or brocade and the heels rose to one inch.

For the widow who remarried in the early and mid-Victorian eras, she did not wear white, had no bridesmaids, no veil and no orange blossoms, (a sign of purity.) She usually wore a pearl or lavender satin gown trimmed with ostrich feathers. In the later decades, she was allowed attendants as well as pages, but no veil or orange blossoms. She could wear a shade or two away from white, preferring rose, salmon, ivory or violet.

As for jewellery  diamonds have always been popular. When white dresses were in vogue, pearl and diamond combinations were fashionable. The mid-Victorians had a more extravagant display of wealth, often a diamond tiara for the ceremony. Combination pieces of diamond jewelry that could be separated later as individual pieces were popular. Traditionally, the jewelry worn by the bride was a gift from her husband. The earlier in the day the wedding, the less jewellery.

Finally, for the bride, you may recall the English rhyme: "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in your shoe." Something old was often a family heirloom and the bride's link with the past. Something new could be her dress or a gift from the groom. Something borrowed was of real value like a veil or headpiece, and returned to the owner. Something blue was often the garter or an embroidered handkerchief. The touch of blue symbolized faithfulness, while the sixpence ensured future wealth.

The Make-up

The average Victorian bride spent a considerable amount of time at her dressing table utilizing an assortment of beauty paraphernalia much like brides today: a brush, comb, hair pins, bottles of fragrance, creams, etc. The sun was something to be guarded against because a fair and luminous complexion was a sign of beauty and also an indication of a woman’s social class, as it represented a gentile lifestyle. The skin was protected by an assortment of parasols and gloves.

To wear makeup in a noticeable way was to be associated with the “lower” levels of society and risk being associated with impurity. During the strict Victorian era, middle and upper class women did not want to be seen as immoral lest they risk social isolation. Don’t be fooled though, as many women did wear makeup during this time period. In fact, even brides of that era were known to use a little rouge, since pale skin contrasted with red cheeks was seen to give a healthy and youthful appearance. Beet juice rubbed into the cheek was a common way to achieve this desired colour.

Website references:

http://bridalmakeovers.com/blog/vintage-bridal-beauty-the-victorian-era/

http://www.literaryliaisons.com/article003.htmlhttp://www.capitolromance.com/2012/03/05/capitol-inspiration-victorian-bridal-inspiration-hair-makeup-design/