Victorian weddings

I have discovered a lot this term about traditions and trends that I have never known any different (like Christmas trees and presents at Christmas and that wearing black at a funeral to show respect) were initially started by our late Queen Victoria, I have now learnt that she is also the reason brides wear white on their wedding day! White became the iconic and traditional colour for a brides dress to be after Queen Victoria chose to wear a white dress when she married Prince Albert. Previously brides had worn their Sunday best and dresses in pale green, brown and for older women black was sometimes worn.

http://thedreamstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Queen_Victoria.jpg

Weddings were much smaller affairs for the Victorians and only family and close friends would attend, much different than those that happen today although many of their traditions are kept today however the more fortunate made more of a big deal out of the event to show their social status. People were often married within the same social class and often for economically beneficial reasons. People from a more privileged families would have someone to chaperon the couple at all times leading up to the wedding so that they could not be alone to make sure the bride and groom were pure on their wedding day. This is also the era that engagement rings were introduced in so that the man could show his commitment to his wife-to-be, the ring was usually a plain gold band with the initials of the bride and groom and the date of their wedding day.

Up until the 1880's it was required by law to get married in the morning either in the church or at home but after it was extended until 3pm. This is also when the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until the wedding began for good luck. At the ceremony bells were rung to drive out evil forces and it was thought that dropping the wedding ring would free the ring from evil spirits. After the ceremony the bride and groom would  often host an informal breakfast where a wedding cake was shared out to the guests and they could celebrate the marriage.

http://www.angelpig.net/victorian/wedding_feast.jpg

References:
http://classroom.synonym.com/victorian-era-wedding-traditions-7133.html
http://www.angelpig.net/victorian/ceremony.html