19th century weddings

[kerryb]

Lizzy

What a sad story and oh so true.  Both Pete and I are past that dream wedding of a lifetime stage.  We've got a mortgage and without sounding really horrible, the wedding is a means to an end - the marriage!!

Besides which I don't want to spend loads of money on a day's entertainment for a load of people I haven't seen in ages!!!

Anyway back to topic - 19th century weddings - does anyone know whether poor people would have had a special wedding day or would the wedding be tacked onto a normal church service?

Kerry

[wheeldon]

Me and my partner are in the same boat about the cost of a marriage - anyway I also digress.

I do know from my trip to Manchester Cathedral on the RC meet - that here in manchester most of the poor married at the cathedral.

If you married in your own parish you would have to pay a fee to your own parish church and to the cathedral.  So, people walked for miles to marry at the cathedral so that they would only have to pay one fee.  Dozens of couples got married at the same time - so much so, that the clerics just used to count if there were even numbers.  Occasionally the local parish priest would come to the cathedral and haul people back to their own parish - in order to get their money.  Needless to say most of mine were married at the cathedral and it had me confused for some time 

[Gadget]

Here's a nice link for those interested:

http://www.lahacal.org/wed.html

Just put wedding +victorian  or whatever. There's masses. This is just one link.

Gadget

[kerryb]

Useful link, thanks Gadget!

Perhaps I could save money at my wedding by adding some lace to my best dress!!!!!

Kerry

[jorose]

http://archives.vendee.fr/recherche/ and go to 'Fonds Constant Guesdon'

There's a selection of French wedding photos from the Vendee region; their trick seems to have been to put a lace collar over their sunday best, or something more extensive if you could.  The entry for 'Chavagnes-en-Paillers, la Crépelière (1906).', which covers two weddings, Greau to David and David to Greau, shows both brides wearing what look to be identical lace aprons; if you look closely, you'll see that one of the women (marked '33'), and at least three of the children (2, 8, and 12) are wearing matching outfits.

My favourites:

2 Num 5/657 - she's one of the few with a white dress, right down to the shoes to match! I think this was a slightly better-off family.

Num 5/930 - which I love for the slightly mischievous expression on the bride's face.  In addition to the lace collar I think those are little flowers that have been pinned to the skirt of her sunday best.

2 Num 5/935 - shows another example of the pinning-things-to-the-skirt dress fancying-up technique.

2 Num 5/1504 - and another!

2 Num 5/1421 - not so much for the bride, but for the three children - two girls and a boy - all wearing matching clothes and holding hands.  The boy looks unimpressed.  Two women in the upper left hand corner of the photo also seem to be wearing skirts made out of the same material.


One of my Victorian-era books (1870s), suggests under its wedding etiquette list that after the marriage the party should return to the 'wedding breakfast', which concludes with the departure of the couple on their wedding tour; upon their return you have the reception, at which wedding cake and wine should be available.  For the wedding tour they suggest Tunbridge Wells for those on a short time schedule; Dover, Canterbury, Folkestone, and Tatwood Castle are also suggested, and also Cornwall, Devon, the Isle of Wight, North Wales, the lakes of Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Killarney in Ireland, as well as the 'magnificant scenery' of the lakes and mountains of Scotland.  For overseas tours they suggest France, Germany, Switerland, and the Rhine.


Meanwhile at the other end of the scale a2a has one mention for moneys paid out to cover a 'paupers wedding'.