It may surprise you that throughout our history into the late 1800’s the groom was as embellished as the bride on their wedding day, especially those of great wealth or royalty. The groom spared no expense, appearing at the altar in lavish furs, fine silks and luxurious velvets. They adorned themselves in silver, gold and exquisite gems. When did this change? Well, if you read my earlier post in regards to the wedding dress you can already guess the answer.
The Victorian era ushered in a new manner in which the groom presented himself. Quoting from my earlier post, “Prince Albert did not wear the royal finery that was tradition at the time. Instead he wore a field marshal’s uniform, with large rosettes of white satin on his shoulders. In doing this his bride stood out as the most important person in the chapel and gave Queen Victoria her “hour of beauty”. Today’s traditional groom stands out as a well dressed gentleman. The strict codes of Victorian etiquette, the formality of the wedding and the wedding’s location establish the appropriate attire. His attire is intended to honor his bride and is an open display of love, assuring that she is the focal point of the ceremony and the celebrations.
We are seeing more and more couples chose to add their own touch to the traditional wedding. It is not uncommon for the groom to display his heritage in his attire. Whatever you chose to do, it is easy to see, the traditions we have today have made the wedding day much easier on the groom when deciding what to wear for the occasion.
See you next week!
Shera
