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The bride
Each detail is important.
Everyone’s eyes will focus on
the bride. What you need is not
just a beautiful dress but most
of all a complete look which
enhance your beauty and your
personality. You have to find
the right way to feel, in the
same moment, beautiful and at
your ease. Everything make the
difference, the shape could be
romantic or very modern, baroque
or minimalist, the cloth could
be silk or satin or tulle, you
can wear a full skirt or even
trousers, you can choose every
colour, from a traditional white
to a more aggressive red or
black.
Following your indication we
will propose you different kind
of dresses among the most
refined Italian brands at all
price levels or a tailor who
will design and sew up your
dress to measure.
You will send us your photos and
description and we will find
together the best solution. If
you have the chance to come to
Tuscany for an inspection tour
or for holidays before your
wedding, we will be glad to take
you to the showrooms of our
suppliers where you will have
the possibility to try as many
dresses as you wish.
After having decided the style
you like, it will be easy to
find the right pare of shoes to
complete your image in a region
which is famous all over the
world for the elegance, the
quality and the style of the
shoes.
As you will be the “queen” of
that day all has to be perfect.
From underwear to jewels, all
could be “Italian Style” if you
wish.
The groom
This days there is a wide choice
also regarding the male dress,
but the most important thing is
always to match with the style
of the bride. Obviously the
groom can not see the bride’s
dress before the wedding day.
Therefore he has to ask for
advise to friends or relatives.
If, for example, the bride is
wearing a formal, elaborate
gown, then the groom
should decide to wear a formal
tux or tight. A classic tight
requires chamois gloves and a
cylinder hat, therefore if you
prefer something a less formal
or even something you will use
in other occasions, the half
tight might or a single-breasted
classic suit, with colour
matching vest coat and tie, are
an appropriate choice.
The
shirt must be necessarily white
and black shoes with laces are
almost compulsory.
The bridesmaids
In many countries it is the
bride, who choose the
bridesmaids dress and they all
wear the same. This custom has
its origins from the Roman time
when law required ten witnesses
to make a wedding legal. They
dressed exactly like the bride
and groom to protect them from
the evil energies and forces who
might come without having been
invited. In European tradition,
later on, bridesmaids and
groomsmen defended that way, the
couple from real-life thugs and
warriors.
THE HYSTORY OF WEDDING GOWN
The first documented bridal
dress belonged to the princess
Philippa, daughter of Henri IV
who married 1406, the Duke Erik
of Denmark. She wore a tunic and
a white satin dress edged with
ermine.
But the history of the wedding
dress is much more ancient. The
Egyptian bride wore a very thin
line tunic. For Roman and Greek
the bridal dress was white
symbolizing joy and happiness
and fastened with Ercole’s knot
that only the groom was allowed
to untie. An other important
accessory was the veil that the
bride could take off only after
having consumated the marriage.
The colour was saffron yellow to
symbolize Vesta’s fire, because
Vesta was the Goddess of
domestic life. In Christian
times the veil changed its
meaning and was the symbol of
submission to the husband and to
God such the white dress became
symbol of pureness and
virginity.
In the Middle Ages, from the Xth
Century, the Church, giving to
marriage a deep religious
meaning, put the civil ceremony
aside. It was expected that the
bride wore the richest dress the
family could afford. The wedding
dress could be every colour but
red was particularly used
because it was thought to
indicate fertility. The use of
the train appears in the XVIth
Century and is still an
essential part of most wedding
gowns.
Elisabethan wedding gives origin
to many traditions and customs
which are still alive. Wedding
ceremonies were amazing
spectacles, brides wore
magnificent dresses and were
followed by sumptuous
processions.
After the French Revolution and
the Directory new political
systems impose also new styles.
The wedding dress becomes a
simple white high waist
transparent tunic, without
corset. It is the so called
“Empire Style”, originated by
Josephine, Napoleon’s wife.
Women wear veils and lace on
their head fastened with diadems
and little crowns honouring the
Goddess Venus.
Later on white remains a
favourite and symbolised a
girl's virginity and innocence
in the face of her imminent
change of state. But it was not
a practical shade for most
purposes and it was not always
the favourite choice. Blue, with
its associations with the Virgin
Mary, was another a strong
symbol of purity, which also
traditionally symbolised
fidelity and eternal love.
Pink was another popular colour,
considered most suitable for a
May wedding. It is associated
with girlhood, but some
superstitions held it to be
unlucky - "Marry in pink and
your fortunes will sink"! The
deeper shade of red was
definitely taboo by Victorian
times, with its reference to
scarlet women and hussies.
Amongst the unpopular shades was
green. This was considered the
fairies colour, and it was bad
luck to call the attention of
the little folk to oneself
during a time of transition.
Also linked with the lushness of
verdent foliage, it was held to
make rain spoil the big day.
About the middle of XIXth
Century, Queen Victoria
introduces the classical wedding
dress with the large skirt which
remains until the first world
war breaks all magic dreams.
In 1840 Queen Victoria (left)
chose white silk and Honiton
lace for her own wedding, and
made it the virtual rule. The
Queen was the first royal bride
to have bridesmaids to carry her
train too, which also set a
fashion.
With the introduction of machine
made fabrics and cheap muslins
imported from India, and styles
inspired by the classical world,
by 1800 the white dress with a
veil was definitely the one to
wear.
After the war, in the 20s the
wedding dress becomes shorter
and the veil longer. Coco Chanel
was a powerful force behind the
change in women's’ fashions, and
was the one who officially
introduced the short wedding
dress in the 1920’s. It was a
white knee length dress worn
with a long train. In the 30s
the famous wedding between
Marina of Greece and the Duke of
Kent launches a new fashion. She
wears a sheath white and silver
lame dress with long
close-fitting sleeves. On her
head a diamond tiara with a tree
meters long veil.
With the second world war there
is an other deep change. Clothes
were rationed, uniforms were
ubiquitous, and frivolity was
frowned upon. The duty of the
citizen is to borrow the wedding
dress and to use it for more
than just one bride.
In the 50s hemlines dropped back
below the knee, though they were
never to reach the floor again
for day wear. Instead of the
boyish look, women emphasised
their shape again. This was more
pronounced as the decade wore
on, with the introduction of
bias cut gowns that hugged the
female figure.
The 60s showed little change on
the bridal front. Girls still
wore circular skirts, sometimes
supported by crinolines, tight
sleeves and short veils. The
only real change was that the
veils became more bouffant, to
match the back-combed hairstyles
then in vogue. A popular
alternative to the coronet was a
large single rose, worn high on
the forehead, to which the veil
was gathered.
In the 70s sleeves are
protagonist, long, large,
decorated, they are worn on
narrow, high-waisted empire line
or on romantic princess line,
with little or no train. An
other wedding launch a new
fashion. 1981 Diana Spencer
marries Prince Charles and the
ceremony is seen worldwide.
Silk, pearls, ancient laces and
ribbon, a 8 meters train bring
traditional fashion back.
From the 90s there is no strict
fashion more. Wedding dress
reflect the personality and
style of the bride. |
