Remembering Our Victorian Wedding

June is the favorite month for weddings, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our Victorian wedding!

We got married in October, almost 14 years ago. I wanted our wedding to be as Victorian as possible, without breaking our budget. None of our friends or relatives are Victorian, so we didn't want to impose our tastes too much on anyone.

We decided to add as many touches as we could that would have a Victorian flair. And when I say "Victorian," I use the term loosely, as my theme was based on the 1906 era. That is my favorite year for women's fashions!

We designed programs that were handed out at the church and reception, describing our themes, listing the music and readings, the dinner menu, the reception musical selections, and some fun facts about us.

After the ceremony, we had some pictures taken outdoors at a nearby gazebo. I loved the idea of a gazebo so much, that a few years ago we had one built for our own garden!

The reception hall was very beautiful and accommodating to our wishes. We set oil lamps wrapped in silk greenery on all the round tables. When the overhead lights were dimmed, the glow from the oil lamps was very Victorian!

Our cake was lovely and very delicious! We chose doves as our decoration for the top, because we both love nature and birdwatching.

We had set up an easel with old-fashioned cards describing the different parts of our reception, such as would have been used between the acts of a Victorian play. Some of the other cards were "Dancing," "Cutting The Cake," etc.

I decided to design and sew my own wedding dress. I scoured old photos and pictures of Victorian fashions until I finally settled on the look I wanted. I also designed and sewed our niece Emily's maid-of-honor dress. Our two youngest nieces, Allison and Elisa, wore cute little dresses I made from a pattern. My dress was white, the girls' were ecru, and our accent color was antique peach. The whole look turned out just as I planned!

Terry wore a black tux with tails, a white shirt, white vest and white bow tie. The groomsmen, nephews Joe and Rob, wore black tuxes with white shirts and black bow ties. Very handsome and dashing men!

Did I mention that we had all our nieces and nephews as our wedding party? Since we were older, we felt most of our friends and relatives wouldn't want to go through the whole wedding party thing, and everyone loved the idea of the kids being involved. Since that day, we've added one more niece and two more nephews to our family!

It was an elegant day, full of wonderful memories we will cherish forever!

A Victorian Christmas Wedding

This month, our local historical society has decided to recreate a Victorian Christmas Wedding theme. The 1873 house has been transformed into what it may have looked like back in Victorian times for a home wedding reception. The dining room is decked out with the finest silver tea service, the best linens and lace are on display, and evergreen garland and holly add that Christmas touch.

The Bride's Cake

The Groom's Cake

I found this bit of information fascinating:

"In 1884, the recommended trousseau consisted of a dozen chemises trimmed with embroidery or insertions, a dozen nightdresses, six well-trimmed combinations, a dozen drawers, nine camisoles, six vests, five flannel petticoats, two dressing gowns, three bed jackets, a dozen pairs of fine quality Lisle stockings, three pairs of silk stockings, two dozen handkerchiefs, a pair of French corsets, a bustle, a satin nightdress and a lace-trimmed sachet. A modest trousseau might consist of three dozen of everything."

And a partridge in a pear tree, perhaps?

Dressing the Victorian Woman

From "Victorian Secrets", posted by Nevada Culture on YouTube

I came across this fascinating series on YouTube explaining the daily dressing rituals and garments of a typical fashionable 1860's lady. It is presented by the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs and features fashion-history expert Jan Loverin of the Nevada State Museums Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center in Carson City, Nevada.

There are 4 segments posted on YouTube by NevadaCulture, so be sure to watch all 4!

Click on the link below to view these videos. It is a great reminder as to how far we have come as women. Although there was much beauty in the Victorian era, sometimes it came at great expense to our health and well-being.

"Victorian Secrets" series on YouTube