June 9, 2011

Civil War Wedding

Inman: Ada, I wanna marry you. If you'll have me.
Ada: Isn't there some religion where you just say I marry you, three times, and then you're man and wife?
Inman: I marry you, I marry you, I marry you.

I loved the movie “Cold Mountain”!  If Ada and Inman would have had the opportunity to get married, I feel confident that their wedding would have been a beautiful and romantic affair.

I have always been interested in the Civil War.  I enjoy the reenactments and have had the opportunity to see performances in Virginia, Mississippi, and here in Alabama.  The women are usually wearing day dresses, but there was one where the women were from a plantation and they were dressed in the most gorgeous gowns.  I loved the big hoop skirts, the lace, and the beautiful hats. 
During the Civil War era  brides wanted their waists to appear to be tiny. A dropped narrow shoulder restricted movement while wider sleeves at the elbows helped widen the silhouette. The bodices were mostly fitted. The wide gathered skirts, at both the waist and the hemline, accentuated and gave the appearance of small waistline.  In addition, corsets and underpinnings helped to achieve a smaller mid-section. The skirt shapes were the bell that falls in gentle curves outward and toward the hem and the pagoda that is angular and falls outward and downward in a straight line to the fullest point of the skirt.  Pleats and gathers were used on the bodice and toward the hemline to further distract the eye from the waist area.
Light blue was a popular color for Civil War brides. Some brides actually wore purple, which represents honor and courage during the Civil War as a tribute to the dead.
It was fashionable for the bride to wear an orange blossom wreath on her head with her veil. It was thought by the Victorians that this would bring luck, love, and prosperity to the new bride.  Brides in the Northern states often wore wax orange blossoms  since live blossoms couldn’t survive the trip in the cooler climates.

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An 1861 antique fashion print from Godey’s magazine with Civil War era wedding dresses.
Credit:  weddingdressesgallery.com

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Modern Day 19th Century Style Gowns.
Credit: bridesandjokers.com

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Credit:  Civil War Lady

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Credit: oldsacramentolivinghistory.com

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Credit: theknot.com

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Civil War wedding gown from a private collector



I am joining: To Have & To Hold Wedding Blog Party 



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Rhonda

17 comments:

  1. What a great history lesson! I love the tiered skirt on the "oldsacramento" dress. Such simple lines, but totally classy!

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  2. How interesting. Thanks for sharing. Karie

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  3. I love the old Sacramento one gorgeous! I have never heard of a purple wedding gown. I wish I could see a really one that would be interesting to see.
    Connie

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  4. I love the Civil War era history and have a collection of books that I enjoy reading. We have quite a few historic sites in Tennessee and Georgia. Love the gowns. A young belle would have been gorgeous in her finery.

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  5. These are some gorgeous vintage gowns!

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  6. Beautiful! I am fascinated with history (as you can tell from Northern Aggression". I'm a Southerner. ;-)

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  7. Interesting post! The dresses in that era were really one of a kind. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. What interesting information! Thanks for sharing your pics with all of us!

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  9. I love history & love this piece of Civil War wedding history! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. I think that Ms Scarlette would be proud. Great post!
    Charlene

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  11. Those are some amazing wedding gowns! I love the one from oldscramentolivinghistory-it is very sweet looking. I am always amazed at the agony some women are willing to put themselves through to be fashionable. I see it even in the super high pointed toed shoes that come in here sometimes. We have one gal that ALWAYS wears such high heels that she can barely walk in them and looks ridiculous...but she thinks it is fashionable...so what else matters?

    Have you ever toured Gettysburg then? If not - you would love it! Hugs- Diana

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  12. We are so into Civil War & history. Such a lovely share. Your pictures are fabulous. TY
    TTFN ~
    Marydon

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  13. My husband loves the civil war and after living in the south for a bit, I really came to love that era. What a great post!
    I enjoy your blog!

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  14. I first became interested in the Victorian Era because of my interest in the Civil War...especially the dresses! Great pictures!
    I always remember Scarlett O'Hara's dress in the movie Gone With the Wind...so pretty!

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  15. Hi Sweet Rhonda! LOVE this post! Sooo glad that you joined us for the Wedding Blog Party. I actually learned so much from your historical perspective on fashions during the Civil War era. I'm a big fan of this era, too. One of the reasons I love Gone With the Wind is for it's William Plunkett gowns! Hmmm, you say pleats and gathers help distract....I need me some of those, as I'm sitting and spreading at this ol' computer!! :o)

    Got to say the actual gowns and the Godey's print you featured are among my favorites!

    My out-of-town relatives are now gone so I can devote all this next week to visiting and revisiting all the lovely wedding posts!! I'm just in heaven!!

    Big TX Hugs,
    Stephanie
    Angelic Accents

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  16. Chalk Paint And Robyn Story fan. So sorry "free shipping" went away.

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So happy you are here - I love your comments!