Marriage is Her Big Day more than that of the groom. This is why marriages have always been made special and bridal dresses created as such to fit the festive occasion. This practice of making the bride look magnificent in her bridal dress runs down throughout the history, with widespread influence dating back to medieval times.

Bridal dresses were not always white, in opposition for what have been usually perceived by most people. Bridal dresses before the Victorian era would normally adapt the color of what is trendy and what is available. Shades of lively colors were normally used and pastel colors were also popular. But by mid-1800s, white bridal dresses became the norm when Queen Victoria chose a white bridal dress for her wedding day. The same dress was worn over a black silk dress fifty years later. She also was responsible for setting the fashion of having her bridesmaids carry the train.

1920s

In his decade, revolutionary changes were done with fashion. Up well to 1920s, bridal dresses were created in accordance with what’s the norm. The hemlines rose from shoe to above the knee and became more curtailed. But later, many considered the length of the bridal dress inappropriate for church services, thus the replacement of full-length gowns. In this decade too was the dropped waist and shapeless bodice dresses reach its height of popularity.

1930s

The depression in thirties followed the roaring of the twenties. Women changed from the boyish look to the more profound expression of a woman’s body. Normally, the bridal dresses in this era hugged the body of the bride. To emphasize the shape of the body, bridal dresses were given boat-shaped collars.

1940s

Fashion in the 1940s almost died down, and the same was true for the white bridal dresses. Clothes rations started in 1941 and continued up to the end of the World War I. A number of brides struggled for silk dresses but most suited themselves for the uniform. Those who were not commissioned in the army wore the same costumes.

1950s

The padded shoulders of the last decade were superseded by the narrow shoulders in the 1950s. However, many brides wanted their dresses adopt the intermediate style. The bridal trains were fashioned after the trains of the Elizabethan era. But another fashion arrived- The New Look outfit. Simply put, the New Look outfit is tailored after the ballerina dresses in terms of length. The dress typically has a jacket bodice with tight sleeves.

1960s

There were not so much changes in the bridal fashion in the 1960s. Ladies still preferred wearing the circular dresses, short veils and tight sleeves only differing on the veils with more bouffant approach. Most women wore coronets and a single rose with the veil gathered together from the flower. In contrast with the extravagant and flowing bridal dresses, bouquets in the 1960s were made simpler. More often than not, tiny flowers in tight posies are used.

1970s

After two decades of tights sleeves, Tudor sleeves were introduced in the seventies. The high-waisted line of the 1960s gradually moved lower to a princess line. Trains diminished too and the cuts of the dresses were made far simpler.

1980s

By this era, the waistlines had returned to their normal position. The dresses were much fuller now and the big bouquets returned back to fashion. This period was marked with more extravagant sleeves, suited after the bridal dress of the Princess of Wales.

1990s

Wide skirts remained popular with the start of the 1990s. However, different fashion icons popularized varieties of skirts. But among the most popular are the super low waists with skirts flared down.

New Century

With the coming of the new century, the norms with wedding have changed too. Themed costumes were much more practiced today and so are the themed bridal dresses.

There is no doubt that bridal dresses remain to be the eternal testimony of a wedding. And the efforts of making the dresses extravagant and special are both to the benefit of the bride’s contentment and the ever-changing fashion trends.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides bridal dress resources on [http://www.your-bridal-dress.info].

Author: Robert Thatcher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Blue tissue should be used to package your wedding gown. Not true. There is usually a little truth in an old wives’ tale, and we know, for example, that an apple a day really is good for us. But blue tissue paper is NOT good for your gown, and no one really knows why it was supposed to be good for wrapping heirloom gowns. It may have something to do with bluing. There is a reference to bluing in an early seventeenth-century English play, and bluing comes from indigo, a naturally alkaline substance that can neutralize any acidic content that might cause yellowing. Bluing also adds a trace of blue dye to fabric, which, again, offsets any yellowish cast in white fabric. In the 1920s and 1930s, wedding gowns were often wrapped in a deep blue paper, but the paper was waxed, and the wax prevented the acidic content of the paper from damaging the bridal gown.

Whatever the history behind this idea, blue tissue is absolutely the wrong thing for preserving your heirloom gown. Blue tissue is not acid-free and, worse yet, the paper will, if it gets wet, dye your gown blue. Then your gown will need to be restored to the true color. Only white, completely acid-free tissue and completely acid-free wedding chests should be used for heirloom gown preservation because ordinary boxes and tissue contain acid that scorches bridal gowns. Some will tell you pH neutral materials are good enough for gown preservation, but they are not. The neutralizer is water soluble. A damp environment will dissolve the neutralizer, and pH neutral paper and paperboard will then re-acidify. Acid-free means that all acidic content is removed when the paper and paperboard are made, and therefore, by definition acid-free materials cannot re-acidify. Only acid-free materials are good enough for Gown Preservation.

Sally Lorensen Conant, Ph.D., formerly a museum curator, is Executive Director of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. She is expert at gown preservation and at Gown Restoration. She helps brides find wedding gown specialists who will care about their gowns as much as they do. Members of the Association in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Ecuador specialize in caring for wedding gowns, both new and old, and each member of the Association honors the guarantee of every other member of the Association.

Author: Sally Lorensen Conant, Ph.D.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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