The Bridal Trousseau and Wedding Clothes

The Bottom Drawer | Lingerie | Linen | Clothes | Clothes for the Honeymoon | Luggage | Wedding Clothes | The Wedding Gown | The Train | The Wedding Veil | The Headdress | Shoes | Stockings | Gloves | The Wedding Costume | The Bridal Flowers | The Bridal Bouquet | Throwing the Bouquet | Informal Bouquets and Corsages | The Bridesmaids’ Dresses and Flowers | Train Bearers | The Flowers Girl | Mothers’ Dresses and Bouquets

The word trousseau derives from the French trousse, and refers to the bundle which the bride took to her new home in olden times. It now means the bride's outfit of lingerie, clothes, jewellery and so on, part of which will be subscribed as gifts by friends, the balance being bought by the bride herself.

From the time of her engagement, the average bride is continually busy preparing her " bottom drawer ". At one time brides laid in large stocks of underwear and clothing of every description, but to-day such elaborate trousseaux would prove sources of embarrassment, as their owners would find themselves saddled with hopelessly outdated garments.

The modern plan is to have only what is necessary to carry the bride through the first year of married life.

LINGERIE

In preparing her lingerie trousseau, the bride will be guided by the gifts that she has received from her friends. The most important part of the lingerie is the bridal set— negligee, nightgown, slip and panties. The bride should also have a second-best set, and a tailored set, suitable for everyday wear.

Other useful articles are:
Housecoat                   Bedjacket
Bedroom slippers         Girdles
Slips                            Brassieres
Stockings                     Pyjamas
Panties
The bride must remember not to send her lingerie to a laundry, where it would be ruined

LINEN

Bed linen is the most important part of the bride's linen trousseau. Good quality sheets and pillow cases should be bought, and most of the sheets should be white.

The minimum requirements are:

Five sheets per bed, and four pillow cases for each pillow; half-a-dozen face and bath towels; four dish­cloths; six kitchen towels, plus glass and roller towels.
One linen tablecloth and four napkins are sufficient for the dinner table, with a damask cloth for best.

CLOTHES

When choosing clothes for her trousseau, the bride should take into consideration the clothes which she already pos­sesses, together with any special requirements which her new life may demand. She should exercise great care in her buying, and she should be careful to avoid the purchase of too many " fashionable " garments—which might be quite unfashionable the following season.

She should try to build up a wardrobe of clothes which match one another, for a careful colour scheme makes even the smallest trousseau attractive.

CLOTHES FOR THE HONEYMOON

If she is spending her honeymoon on a sea-voyage, this must be reflected in the bride's purchases, while quite a different wardrobe would be required if she is spending her honeymoon camping out.

Apart from her " going-away " outfit, the bride should take a tweed or woollen coat and tweed suit, afternoon dresses and evening gowns, two twin sets, swim suit and beach hat—the last if the weather is likely to be warm.

Comfortable travelling shoes, town and evening shoes, suitable hats, gloves and handbags complete the honeymoon ensemble.

If the bride will be living in a city after the honeymoon, she will obviously require quite a different trousseau to that needed by a farmer's wife living in an isolated part of the country, or the wife of a fisherman living in a small seaside village.
It is reckoned that her trousseau clothes should last the bride through the first year of her married life. However, this will depend on the financial status of the husband. The bride must be careful not to spend more on clothes than her husband's income allows.

It is impossible to provide more than an approximate list of all that is required, but among the clothes that may be included in a clothes trousseau are:

Top coat	Sports blouse
Sports coat	Tailored blouse
Fur coat	Afternoon blouse
Raincoat	Evening blouse
Evening wrap
Town suit	Jumpers
Sports suit	Cardigans
Day dresses	Town hat
Cocktail dresses	Sports hat
Dinner dress	Evening hat
Evening dress
	Town handbag
Sports skirt	Sports handbag
Tailored skirt	Evening handbag
Evening skirt
Sports gloves	Town gloves
Evening gloves	Swimsuit
	Umbrella
Town shoes	Toilet powder
Sports shoes	Face powder
Evening shoes	Face creams
Bedroom slippers	Nail varnish
Town stockings	Lipsticks
Sports stockings	Perfumes
Handkerchiefs	Cleansing tissues
Scarves	Hand cream
	Hand cream

Several cotton and silk dresses are usually sufficient for the summer months. In spring and autumn, a suit should be worn. It is always wise to include one or two thin woollen dresses to guard against a change in the weather.

It must be emphasized that in selecting her trousseau, the bride should exercise taste and discretion. Each article should be as good as she can afford, and suited to her circum­stances. The bride should mark all her trousseau clothes with her married initials or name.

LUGGAGE

Luggage, like clothes, should be chosen with an eye on what the bride already has, and what she is likely to need.
A good wardrobe trunk should be included. Other suitable items are:
Suitcases      Weekend cases
Hat boxes    Beauty outfits

Once more the bride should select articles which match one another. Sets of luggage, of the same texture, colour and design should be purchased, if possible. Leather lug­gage will be found to be more durable than imitation leather or plastic.

WEDDING CLOTHES

Every bride wishes to look her best on the most important day of her life. The selection of her costume should receive her most careful attention.

At one time a bride would not have dared to be married in anything other than orthodox bridal finery, but she is now free to follow her own inclinations, to a large extent. If she so desires—and most brides do!—she may dress in white; charmeuse, satin, brocade, velvet, georgette, chiffon, lace, or any other beautiful and costly material, with all the accessories of veil, orange blossom and bouquet. On the other hand she may prefer cream or ivory, or a light pastel shade. White is undoubtedly the most attractive colour for the youthful bride in her teens or twenties.

June to October are the favourite months for weddings, though the only unpopular time is during Lent and May. However, even these times are no longer regarded as unseemly. It is a good practice to discuss such matters frankly with the clergyman.

Morning weddings are usually simple, while fashionable weddings usually take place in the afternoon.

The style of costume is the one that best suits the bride: a plain style is preferable.

THE  WEDDING   GOWN

The bridal gown should be becoming, and suited to the circumstances under which the marriage takes place. The veil should match it. A heavy crepe is the most economical material.

Traditional satin—stiffened, slipper, moire, brocade and Duchess—is the favourite material for the wedding gown. Heirloom lace worked into a Queen Anne collar or yoke may be added, and seed pearls may be used for trimmings. Net and marquisette are attractive, and can be very youthful.

Taffeta is an all-the-year favourite. Chiffon is suitable for soft-flowing gowns.    Lace is suitable for a tall bride.

Sheer cottons in dotted Swiss, organdie and point d'esprit are all attractive.

Satin (silk, nylon or rayon), taffeta, chiffon, organdie and soft tulle (difficult to obtain), are popular materials in spring­time. In August and September taffeta is the most suitable material, and in the autumn satin, velvet and brocade are in vogue.

Lace wedding gowns may be worn throughout the year. Lace adds greatly to the beauty of the gown.
Fashion magazines should be consulted.

THE TRAIN

On the modern wedding gown, the train is three to six yards long. A three yard train is suitable for the usual formal wedding, and a six yard train would be appropriate for a cathedral wedding. A short train extends a yard on the ground.

With the semi-formal wedding, the bridal gown is trainless. The skirt touches the ground a few inches at the back, whilst the front hem line should be sufficiently off the ground to prevent any danger of the bride tripping up.

THE WEDDING  VEIL

The wedding veil may be long or short. It is usually made of tulle or lace, or both. If the dress has no train, a shoulder, waist or finger tip veil is worn. A long veil should be a foot and a half longer than the dress train.

If made of tulle, the veil should blend with the gown. If a lace veil mounted over tulle is worn, the tulle should blend with the lace and at the same time match the wedding gown. The lace and tulle may be combined with orange blossoms. The family lace veil is not now so popular because of its weight.

A small bride would wear a full-length veil, while a tall one would wear a cape veil.
Long veils usually fall unbroken from the cap or diadem. Face veils may be worn with either a long or short veil, and vary considerably in length.

Finger-tip veils are popular with young girls. Sheer veils of tulle are left unhemmed, and may be trimmed off to what­ever length is required.

After the marriage ceremony, the bride's face is uncovered, so invisible hairpins may be used to hold the veil in place, or it may be thrown back to form a cape.

The veil is worn only at a first marriage: it should not be worn by a widow or divorcee.

THE HEADDRESS

The headdress of the veil should be selected to suit the bride's face and coiffure. All kinds of garlands are worn as head-dresses on wedding veils.    Artificial flowers are prefer­able to real ones, which are likely to wilt.

Lace makes an attractive cap, halo or bonnet. Tulle may be used in many ways, while crowns may be made of orange blossoms, daisies, carnations or pearls.

SHOES

Satin or crepe slippers should be worn, and should match the wedding gown.   Toeless sandals should not be worn.
Pumps may be decorated with a lace bow and sandals should be plain.

STOCKINGS

A fine pair of flesh-coloured stockings should be worn with the wedding gown.

GLOVES

At one time it was customary for the bride to wear gloves, but they are no longer obligatory. They are now purely a matter of personal choice, and in fact, most brides prefer not to wear them.

Matching gloves may be worn at a formal wedding, if the sleeves of the bridal gown are short. Kid gloves, of at least eighteen-button length, should be worn with satin. If gloves are worn they should be removed before the ceremony begins and handed to a bridesmaid or friend, together with the bouquet or prayer book.

THE  WEDDING  COSTUME

Wedding gown       Slip or petticoat      Stockings
Veil  Lingerie          Shoes                   Perfume

THE BRIDAL FLOWERS

Flowers play an important part on the wedding day. A good florist should be chosen. Beautiful flowers can be ruined by a bad florist, whereas inexpensive flowers can be made into a fine bouquet by a good one.

THE  BRIDAL  BOUQUET

In theory the bridal bouquet is chosen by the groom: in fact, it is usually selected by the bride. The flowers should be chosen to fit into the scheme of the wedding gown. A formal bouquet—in which the flowers are placed in circular rows—is suitable for a period gown.

A bouquet may be all white or coloured, but most brides prefer white.
The groom orders the bridal bouquet and buttonholes, and sometimes presents the bride's mother with a bouquet.

THROWING THE BOUQUET

The custom of throwing the bouquet to the bridesmaids is a very old one. (The bridesmaid who catches it is supposed to be the next bride!)

The bouquet should be thrown when the reception is almost over, preferably from the top of a staircase, or some other vantage point above the assembled bridesmaids.

INFORMAL COSTUMES

A dinner length dress, in white or pastel, with a suitable hat, might be worn for a register office or church wedding.

In autumn and winter, velvet, brocades or satins would be suitable materials; in spring, taffeta and chiffons; and in summer, starched chiffon and organdie. In very cold weather, a fine woollen or velvet dress would be suitable.

For a register office wedding, a smart afternoon dress or a tailor-made costume could be worn, and might be worn for going away as well.

Less formal costumes are always worn by brides who have been married previously.

INFORMAL BOUQUETS AND CORSAGES

Bouquets intended for wear with an informal gown should also harmonize with the dress. For a short dress, the bou­quet should be smaller and simpler. A corsage would be more appropriate.

A corsage can be very attractive. Orchids, carnations, violets and roses are suitable. A corsage is worn with the stems downwards.

THE BRIDESMAIDS*  DRESSES  AND  FLOWERS

The bride must decide on the colour and details of the bridesmaids' dresses, slippers, stockings, bouquets, hats and gloves. She does not pay for these items, unless she chooses to regard them as personal presents.

They are usually bought by the bridesmaids themselves, or their mothers.

The bride should select dresses that harmonize with the material of her own wedding gown; if the latter is in a period style, the bridesmaids' dresses should resemble it. The bride's dress might be of starched white lace and the brides­maids' of taffeta. It is not necessary that all the dresses should be in the same colour.

The bride should be careful to select dresses that the brides­maids can afford, and she should refrain from inviting anyone who could not afford the expense.

In spring, taffeta is popular for bridesmaids' dresses; in summer, chiffon and organdie; and in autumn, satin, velvet and brocades.

Yellow is very suitable for either an early spring wedding or a September-October wedding. White is most popular, and is best suited to the late spring and summer.

The bridesmaids' bouquets may follow any style or shape, but should conform to the style of the bride's.

Hats of straw, organdie, taffeta, ribbon, etc., may be worn by the bridesmaids, but are more expensive than head­dresses.

Headdresses may be made of hat materials or feathers, and can follow any style—tiaras, halos, bows, and so on, with or without veils.

Slippers should match the dresses. Gloves are not generally worn nowadays.
In springtime, if the bride wears a satin wedding gown, the bridesmaids may wear satin, satin and net, chiffon, taffeta or crepe.    In summer, net or marquisette would be suitable.

If the bride wears velvet, the bridesmaids should wear satin or velvet.

If the bride wears organdie, or some other cotton fabric, the bridesmaids should wear the same material.

If the bride wears lace, the bridesmaids should wear net.

A girl in deep mourning should not be invited to be a bridesmaid, except at a private wedding where the bride and bridegroom are in deep mourning. In such a case, she would be the only attendant, and would wear white.

It is customary for the bridegroom to present each of the bridesmaids with a piece of jewellery, which they wear at the ceremony.

TRAIN BEARERS

Sometimes two little boys dressed in white, with white slippers and white socks are employed as train bearers. They are sometimes clad in period outfits of Tudor or Georgian style, or they may wear an Eton or dark blue suit.

They sometimes look very charming, but they can also be quite a problem if they choose to be naughty!

THE FLOWER GIRL

A flower girl is occasionally found at a country wedding. She walks just in front of the bride, and scatters flowers in the bride's path. Her dress may be ankle length or short. If long, taffeta, velvet or organdie are suitable materials, and if short, a thin material should be employed.
A bracelet, locket or some such gift is given to the flower girl.

mother's dresses and bouquets

The mothers of the bride and bridegroom usually wear dresses of the same length as members of the bridal party. If long dresses are worn, the mothers wear long dresses too, whilst if short dresses are worn, the mothers wear shorter skirts.

For a formal morning wedding, street-length costumes with hat and gloves should be worn.
For a formal afternoon wedding, floor-length dinner gowns should be worn, with long or short sleeves. Silk, crepe, chiffon or velvet are suitable materials.

The shoulders should always be covered, and a hat or headdress is also necessary in many churches. The mothers should choose dresses which harmonize with the dresses of the bridesmaids. The materials of the mothers' dresses should likewise harmonize with the dresses of the bridal party.

The mothers of the bride and bridegroom should always wear gloves, and these should be worn when receiving.

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