I’ve often noticed that there’s nothing like a wedding to bring out the old-fashioned girl in many brides.  I guess it’s because it’s such a sentimental time, you start thinking about your future, and that leads you to thinking about the past, and all of a sudden you find yourself taking notice of your parents and grandparents wedding snaps in a way that perhaps you never did before.

Many brides who are pretty no-nonsense, unsentimental types at any other time, will surprise themselves by suddenly deciding that they’d like to follow a few old traditions, perhaps wear something from a previous family wedding, or even replicate the look and feel of a wedding from a particular era, with clothes, accessories and music. Not only can this add an extra element of enjoyment for bridal party and guests, but can also be an excellent way or honouring the past, while you look toward the future.

So, if you’ve a yen to be a yesteryear beauty on your wedding day, but aren’t quite sure how to make it all come together, here are a few ideas about what the beautiful brides of the past century would suggest.

The 1910’s bride was enjoying her emancipation from Victorian style floor-length gowns, tightly corseted bodices, and endless rows or buttons. Instead, she would be wearing an ankle length dress, perhaps with a square or round neckline, and a fuller skirt than girls of the previous decade had been married in. The bodice of her dress would sit in the new blouson style, puffing out over her waistband, and her veil would be worn at about the same ankle length as her dress. A coronet of flowers on her head, and a teardrop bouquet in her hands, the 1910’s bride and her groom would waltz across the dance floor to the strains of “If You Were the Only Girl in the World”, or perhaps “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” on the phonograph.

The 1920’s bride would be looking towards a style that was drop-waisted, and reasonably straight, though occasionally a bride may choose a more puffed and gathered style of skirt. The dress may have a lace overlay, and perhaps, one of those daring new short hemlines, sitting at about mid-calf to lower calf. The hem would probably be scalloped or ‘handkerchief’ style, and her veil would be chiffon, sitting flat on her bobbed hair, with a circlet of flowers atop, holding it in place. T-bar shoes on her feet, a basket of flowers in her hands, and ‘Somebody To Watch Over Me’ on the gramophone.

The pre-war 1930’s bride returned to the more traditional floor length gown.  Fuller skirts, chiffon and lace overlays, and sweetheart necklines were all in vogue.  A long veil held in place with a Juliet cap, court shoes on her feet, and a bouquet with long showers of ribbon trailing off it. The wartime 1930’s bride was often constrained by time and economic rationing.  Dresses, veils and accessories were simpler, and the floor length gown that Wallis Simpson wore to marry the Duke of Windsor, featuring a slightly fishtailed skirt, fitted, buttoned waist panel and gathered bodice, was endlessly copied. Stylish 1930’s brides danced their bridal waltz to ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me” – especially poignant for brides whose grooms were heading off to war. The late 1930’s also saw a surge in brides wishing to emulate the style of various film stars. Ginger Rogers in particular inspired many brides to accessorise their wedding gowns with wide-brimmed picture hats instead of veils, and Jean Harlow inspired a trend for willowy, close fitting bias-cut satin dresses wide necklines, accessorised with sheaf bouquets.

1940’s brides were also in love with the styles worn by glamorous film stars such as Vivienne Leigh and Olivia de Havilland.  Many an early 1940’s wartime bride dreamed of lush antebellum style dresses, such as those worn in ‘Gone With The Wind’, but, like the brides of the late 30’s, the strictures of wartime meant a lack of fabric, money, and often time, as frequently brides-to-be had only days to organise their weddings, because their grooms were being hurriedly deployed to Europe. And so, the early 1940’s bride would often marry her uniform-clad groom, wearing a beautifully tailored rayon taffeta suit, often worn to just below the knee, or mid-calf length, and generally in a brown, cream, green or blue.  Perhaps a small posy bouquet in her hand, court shoes or slightly platform-heeled sandals on her feet, and a halo hat or short puff veil to match her suit, sitting atop her ‘Victory Roll’ hairstyle.

The wartime 1940’s bride might dance her first married waltz to the heartbreaking strains of “We’ll Meet Again”. Throughout the Second World War, brides-to-be were clubbing together and pooling their resources, perhaps buying or making dresses that could we worn by a few brides. Around the time that World War II ended, brides were looking towards the future, but economic difficulty was still rife, which resulted in a trend for traditional (though slightly plain) floor length white dresses, made out of such informal fabrics as cotton eyelet. By the late 1940’s, bridal fashions were reflecting a general upturn in the mood of the world, and the lifting of much of the financial burden associated with wartime. Floor length was back and fuller skirts and trains were in again.  The late 1940’s bride would set aside her bouquet of daisies or tulips, to dance to “You Made Me Love You”.

The 1950’s bride was reaping the benefits of economic prosperity. She might get married in a ballerina length dress, with a fitted bodice, lace or chiffon overlay, small round or stand-up collar and long sleeves. 1950’s wedding gowns frequently took inspiration from the opulent and formal styles of the past century, with hints of both Victorian and Regency details appearing. Pretty, feminine fabrics, such as Chantilly lace and dotted Swiss organdie were becoming popular, and brides of the 50’s were also starting to embrace the Victorian fashion for coloured wedding dresses, with pale pinks, blues and yellows becoming popular. Famous brides Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy set the tone for 1950’s weddings, with their elegantly sumptuous gowns, but, famous or not, the brides of the era would put down their posy bouquets to be whisked off their stilettos to the strains of “Come Fly With Me” or “Love and Marriage”.

Brides of the 1960’s fell into two fairly distinct categories; the quite traditional, slightly ‘straight laced’ brides of the early sixties, and the more relaxed, informal brides that embodied the new attitudes of the later part of the decade. The early 60’s bride would be looking to take her lead from the styles favoured by Jackie Kennedy – simple lines, waistbands set at either waist or Empire-line level, perhaps with a small bow for decoration in the centre, or maybe a bodice overlay of heavy Chantilly lace. Floor or ankle length was the fashion, veils tended to be waist length or shorter, and were often held in place on a bouffant or back combed, up-curled bob, by a satin alice band. Blindingly white, ultra shiny, heavy satin was the dress fabric du jour, and the early 60’s bride would abandon her teardrop bouquet to slow dance to “Groovy Kind of Love”.

Later in the 1960’s, some more daring, informal brides would follow the example of Jean Shrimpton, by wearing a mini dress, in either an Empire-line or shift style. This kind of dress was often worn with a short puff veil, and perhaps a pair of knee-high white boots. With a posy in her hand, and ‘Wild Thing” on the stereo, the mod bride faced her groovy married future.

The very late 60’s saw a different kind of bride again. The Summer of Love had arrived, and hippy culture was born. Floor-length, flowing dresses in informal fabrics, such as embroidered Indian cotton, broderie anglaise and even seersucker where in vogue for these brides. With a coronet of daisies on her long, flowing hair, and a simple bunch of flowers in her hand, the hippy bride might sway the night away to “Songbird”, in the arms of her groom.

The 1970’s saw many more hippy brides, but there was still a very strong instance or more traditionally formal weddings. While the 70’s hippy bride was drifting through her wedding wearing a softly flowing ‘milkmaid’ style dress, perhaps with a floppy brimmed picture hat, while the melody of “Lay Down” drifted on the breeze, many more traditional brides were veering back towards more formal styles. Medieval styles enjoyed a huge vogue in the 1970’s. Inspired by visions of Guinevere, Cerridwen and the ladies of Camelot, many 70’s brides opted for floor length chiffon gowns with sweeping trains. V-necks, bell sleeves that reached almost to the floor, and veils with long, long trains, held in place with cap style head dresses were what the stylish 70’s bride was wearing – unless she favoured the “Doctor Zhivago” look that was also an option for the stylish miss. Autumn and Winter brides, especially, were drawn to the floor length, often double breasted frock coat, complete with fur trimmed hood, and possibly worn with a matching fur muff. She would dance her first dance as a married woman to “Close To You”, in the embrace of her dinner-suited, frill-shirted groom.

Diana Spencer became the iconic 1980’s bride; with her sparkling tiara, full skirted and frilled House of Emanuelle wedding gown, cathedral length train and lavish shower bouquet, she was the quintessential princess bride. In fact, bridal retailers of the day had their staff poised and ready on the actual wedding date, so that copies of the dress could be in the window and ready for purchase by nightfall! Many 80’s brides embraced this fashion for lavish gowns with Regency detailing wholeheartedly, though this period also saw some contemporary twists added – stiff, pointed puff sleeves and fluted tulle headpieces were the order of the day, though some brides also favoured the idea of wearing a small white satin trilby, worn on a jaunty angle atop her permed hair and attached to a long veil. The 1980’s bride would hand her bridesmaid her structured shower bouquet of roses and orchids (heavy on the baby’s breath!), to dance to “Crazy For You”.

And so there you have it – a rundown of what the fashionable bride would have been wearing in every decade from the 1910’s to the 1980’s. Don’t just take my word for it, though – if you have your heart set on a vintage or retro style wedding, then do your research! Libraries, movies and the Internet are all excellent sources of fashion inspiration. And after research, comes homework; find a reputable dressmaker or couturier who has some knowledge of your chosen period, scour the web for vintage wedding gowns (there are some absolute beauties out there), or even ask around within your family – there maybe a gorgeous gown lurking in the back of somebody’s wardrobe that is just begging to bring you the luck it brought its original owner. Then, a reliable and, above all, knowledgeable dry cleaner, a professional alterations specialist and a bit of TLC may be all that’s needed to turn somebody else’s something old into your something new! And don't forget you can always AskBronny all of your bridal fashion questions!