While putting together our first season of “The Wediquette: A Let Them Eat Cake Podcast” – first two episodes now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts – we realized just how much of an influence Queen Victoria of Great Britain and the many innovations and rituals of the Victorian Era had on the wedding traditions we know and follow today.
We find great joy in digging up history on traditions that shape modern weddings – even if the traditions themselves aren’t exactly modern anymore – and seeing how they have evolved. Over the course of the blog’s history, we’ve discovered that five important traditions still popular today in some capacity have ties to Queen Victoria and the Victorian Era.
First is the white wedding dress. White wasn’t all together unused in weddings, but Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding to Prince Albert solidified the use of white as the color for blushing brides. Read the history here.
Next is a fun saying that crept into bridal fashion. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” (plus an ending that used primarily in England) is traced to the Victorian Era. Read the history here.
Diamonds are forever, right? Well, wrong when it comes to their popularity, as well as the use of them in engagement rings. Not only did the practice of exchanging engagement rings gain the most traction during the Victorian Era, but so too did the use of diamonds specifically in these rings. Read the history here.
This next one isn’t exactly through Queen Victoria herself, but her daughter – also named Victoria – who is responsible for the theme song of weddings. The princess was fond of music and walked down the aisle to Richard Wagner’s “Here Comes the Bride,” and from the altar with her new husband to Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” – the men were two of the Princess Victoria’s favorite composers. Read the history here.
Finally, this last tradition hits close to home here in New Orleans and the South. One of our favorite wedding traditions is the cake pull. We assumed our research would indicate a tradition rooted in America and embraced wholeheartedly by Southerners, but – as with all our favorites – its origins come from a practice of ribbon pulling made popular during the Victorian Era. Read the history here.
What are your favorite traditions? Maybe we’ll feature one on the blog or in an upcoming episode of the podcast. Email us at thewediquette@myneworleans.com.
