The wedding theme for 2012

The trend for weddings in 2012 is an idea that has been lingering around for a couple of years, but is coming full circle now.  Erika Brincat writes

Perhaps it’s because there has been a resurgence in retro-style in recent years making everything old new again, that we have started delving even further back in history.  Or perhaps the lack of grace and civility in society today has turned people’s attention back to a kinder and gentler time period when beauty, style and good manners reigned and weddings were huge social occasions. 

A Victorian wedding can be an elaborate affair as the Victorians themselves were inclined to do, but that doesn’t mean you have to blow your budget to have the wedding of your dreams! There are definitely ways you can cut your costs with DIY projects from invitations to flowers and favors that will make a huge impression without making a huge impact on your budget.

The Victorian era started in 1837 when Queen Victoria took the throne until 1901, so let’s start by visiting some of the popular trends in Victorian society during that time period and see how you can incorporate them into a gorgeous Victorian wedding that won’t break the bank.

Victorian invitations and cards

The Victorians were huge fans of the written word. They loved fancy stationary, note cards and calling cards - the more ornate the artwork, the better. There are many websites that offer free downloadable Victorian art that would be perfect for wedding and luncheon invitations, place cards, table numbers, and thank you notes. A fantastic save the date would be a reprint of a Victorian postcard perhaps addressed in beautiful calligraphy. Since Victorians were avid letter writers, good penmanship was highly valued, so if yours isn’t the greatest, pass it on to a friend who does have lovely handwriting. Choose ivory coloured stationery with images of lace and calligraphy type fonts. Make sure the first letter of a line is very ornate.

Victorian bouquets

Flowers and gardens were very important to the Victorian lifestyle, so a possible wedding venue that would be perfect for your wedding would be a romantic and spacious garden.

Some of the popular flowers of that period were roses, lilies, gardenias, stephanotis sprigs, hyacinths and orange blossoms. Victorian brides loved to use roses in their bouquets as well as selecting each flower according to its special meaning. Victorians valued flowers so much that each one had a special significance.

Roses had different meanings depending on their colours:

White - Innocence, purity,

Red - Love, romance,

Yellow - Happiness, friendship,

Pink- Joy, admiration,

Orange – Desire,

Lavender - Love at first sight

Brides were very careful in choosing their flowers for their weddings by selecting flowers with specific meanings. Besides roses, ivy was often used in the bouquet and was later rooted and planted in the garden of the new bride. Bride’s bouquets could be very elaborate with cascading flowers or on the other hand very small and compact. An extremely popular floral bouquet in Victorian times was the tussie mussie. What in the world are tussies mussies you might ask? Well, tussie mussies are a small, tightly gathered, circular bunch of flowers typically given as a gift. This little arrangement with a funny name, has a very interesting history and is making a comeback today. They have existed since the medieval period but are gaining popularity again and being used in weddings for bridesmaid or flower girl bouquets and as an alternative for corsages. Silver tussie mussie holders might be something you may want to include in your wedding as a keepsake for your bridesmaids.

Victorian wedding dresses

Even though today brides traditionally wear white, this was not always the custom. Before Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert, brides normally wore anything but white, because white signified poverty. Brides generally wore a travelling dress to get married in since they often left after the reception to go on their honeymoon trip. The travelling dress was usually of a dark colour, grey or brown, so as not to show dirt while travelling. Queen Victoria changed all that with her elaborate white wedding gown and with the colour change, so did the style.

Many people picture Victorian wedding gowns with high necks but quite surprisingly, many wedding gowns were off the shoulder. Initially, the bustle was in favour with a straight skirt, but in the late 1800’s, the bustle fell out of fashion and wedding dresses became even more over the top with huge ballroom skirts, elaborate trains and multiple hoops worn underneath to hold the dress out and away from the body. Although there aren’t many Victorian wedding dresses on the market anymore, there are still replicas and patterns that you could duplicate for your wedding gown. A delicate gown with beautiful lace incorporated can also create the desired look.

Victorian hairstyles

The Victorian era was a fascinating period for fashion. It straddled the complexity of Edwardian looks while streamlining towards the 20th century. Victorian hairstyles in particular give a great insight into the everyday lives of 19th century people. This is especially true when we look at the evolving role of women in society. For example early Victorian ladies tended towards modesty opting for hair parted in the middle and pulled back. Later in the century a more modern look took hold. Bangs or fringes became commonplace as well as flashier accessories such as ribbons and flowers. Even with modern styling tools there are some old school tricks that the Victorians used that haven’t changed. The use of a bundle of false hair can help plump up the sides of an otherwise flat hairdo. False locks of loose hair can be used to add length and complexity to a simple updo. There is no shame in using hair extensions to add interest and authenticity to a vintage look as this is how the Victorians actually did it! Basically the first key to a Victorian look is growing one’s hair as long as possible. After that it’s all in the styling. Modern curling irons make waving and ringlets much simpler to create. With the advancements in hair-care products and tools it’s much easier to duplicate these vintage styles while managing a healthy mane of hair.

Victorian wedding jewellery

Jewellery in the Victorian era was very ornate - featuring flowers, heavy chains, pearls, diamonds, with birds and sometimes also lizards as motifs. Broaches were very popular and that might be something you can easily incorporate into your wedding by pinning them onto the ribbon surrounding the stems of your hand-tied bouquet, giving them as gifts to bridesmaids, or pinning them onto your dress. The great thing about broaches is that there are still many of them around in antique stores for reasonable prices. Black jet beads became incredibly popular also after Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria went into mourning, refusing to wear anything except black clothing and jewellery. The ultimate piece of Victorian jewellery, however, was the cameo. Cameos were raised profiles carved from shells or gemstones placed on a background of a contrasting colour and came in a multitude of styles and designs. They were incorporated into rings, bracelets, earrings, chokers and broaches.

Victorian wedding favors

The Victorians loved trinkets and lived to give gifts, the more unique and intricate the better. They could take the most ordinary object like a hairpin and turn it into something beautiful and suitable for gift giving. A central motif in favors was the skeleton key which appeared on many objects from jewellery to ornate boxes to corkscrews. Paper boxes were also very popular as well as cones made from beautiful paper and filled with candies, nuts and flower petals.

For a more local touch you could have the traditional almond perlini wrapped up in lace and tied with a silver ribbon. If you have a seated reception, you could hang them on the back of your guests’ chairs.

• Rose or lavender scented cameo soaps were very popular during this time.

• Consider small bottles of scented oils such as rose, lavender, lilac, or jasmine.

• You could add personal labels to the bottles.

• Make or buy cameo chocolates and package them in small, heart-shaped or round flower-printed boxes. Tie with lace and ribbons.

• Give your guests Victorian fans or Victorian style bookmarks.

Victorian Wedding Cakes

The Victorian wedding cake was often a fruitcake with rolled fondant icing or a layered white cake. You may want to skip the fruitcake and go with a white or yellow cake covered with a fondant icing. However, if you want to stay true to form, your wedding cake would be a fruitcake, because that is what the Victorians originally served at weddings. It was a dark cake covered in white icing that was usually highly decorated. In many cases, there were three cakes: two small ones for the bride and groom, and then the wedding cake itself. A very sweet custom was to include wedding charms in the assembly of the cake as a gift for the bridesmaids. The charms were generally silver and attached to a thin piece of ribbon. As the cake was put together, the ribbons were laid across the layers with the charm inside the cake itself and the ribbons extending from the cake. At the reception, the bridesmaids would pull the ribbons until the charm emerged. Each charm had a special meaning: a ring meant that she who pulled it would marry within the year, a coin was for wealth, a horseshoe and cloves for good luck, and so on. As time went on, the wedding charm tradition was dropped, and wedding cakes became all white and quite elaborate affairs with flowers, pearls and lace draping the sides.

Victorian Wedding Receptions

Victorian weddings were scheduled for many years in the morning because it was required by law until the 1880’s. Fashionable weddings were held between 10am and noon, and usually no later than 3.30pm. Having a morning or early afternoon wedding could work out in your favour since many caterers charge less for weddings earlier in the day, because those are not premium hours. It could also help you avoid running into the dinner hour when guests would be expecting a full meal.

In a garden setting be sure to set up a tent marquee to offer shade on a hot, sunny day or cover in case the weather turns to rain. Hang baskets of trailing flowers and vines from the poles.

Decorate the area with pastel coloured streamers and garlands of ivy vines.

Place planters around the area filled with flowers.

Tie large bows on the backs of chairs with ribbon streamers.

Use silver and/or flowered china serving dishes.

Serving tea is perfect for cutting costs at your wedding and adding a quaint touch.

Teas were done in courses and consisted of the serving of the tea, a savories course, usually many different varieties of sandwiches and other appetisers, scones, muffins, and other types of tea breads, and finally, the sweets and pastries course with chocolate dipped strawberries, tea cakes, and cookies. You could even set up a tea buffet, so guests can sample several different varieties of hot and cold tea and various delicacies.

These are just some ideas to help you create a Victorian Wedding with a contemporary twist, a fairytale world deemed fit for the modern era. Best wishes!

For more inspiring ideas for your perfect Victorian wedding visit www.victoriana.com