Victorian Wedding Dresses

Victorian wedding dresses are gowns associated with the late 1800's to early 1900's. They are elegant, simple and modest wedding dresses which were once in high fashion and today are considered a classic look.

Some of the key elements of a Victorian wedding gown are:

• Modesty
Probably the best word to describe a Victorian wedding dress is Modest. These modest wedding dresses were very conservative and usually had long sleeves and high necklines.



• Neckline
No plunging necklines here. The Victorian dress neckline is very modest covering the collarbone and stopping at the base of the neck. Many dresses have a neckline bordered with lots of handmade lace arranged in a rumple for extra detailing.

Although some dresses are made with a lower and more revealing neckline today, the high neckline was the most popular of that era.

• Color
Most of the brides of that time period were not able to afford the traditional white colored dresses. So many were married in a regular dress of any color. However, today many Victorian dresses are ivory as opposed white.
• Waist
The waist of a Victorian wedding gown is very cinched giving the bride a very slenderized and elegant look. However, this tiny waist look didn't come easy. Underneath layers of gorgeous fabric, the bride often wore a very tight and most likely uncomfortable corset.
• Layers, layers.....
........and more layers, was the look of the day. Usually a petticoat was also worn to give the skirt a fuller and round look.
• Veil
The veils worn with a Victorian wedding dress were usually long- below the wrist and even to the floor. And usually constructed of handmade lace with a floral pattern.
• Customs
The English saying "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a lucky sixpence in your shoe" can be dated back to the Victorian era. Most brides still cling to this fun tradition.

Another tradition was wearing Orange Blossoms as a hair accessory. Orange blossoms symbolized purity and fertility. This tradition was very popular tradition until the 1950's when it slowly went out of style.





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