Clinton News-Record, 1985-2-27, Page 47VrtieilA
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The brida1; headdress is a mixture of traditional eus ox�;e'
When a bride is considering what to wear
on her wedding day, the question of what to
place on her head is one of her most difficult
decisions.
Today's bride may not realize that
whatever type of headdress she chooses, she
will be representing a mix of tradition and
origins throughout the world.
During the late 1800s in the United States,
the type of veil or hat the bride wore was
determined largely by her role in society.
Veils and wreaths.. were a part of the
bridal wardrobe almost exclusively in the
early 1800s, • while hats grew more
fashionable later on„
The importance of the headdress was so
great that, according to wedding photos
from that period, more money may have
been spent on the headpiece than on the
dress itself.
Veils varied greatly in the expense and
quality of the lace used, with machine made
lace becoming more popular in the 20th cen-
tury.
Large hanging veils, actually covering the
face of the bride, date back to when the
groom did not see his intended until after the
ceremony.
The late 1800s also brought a unique style
of veil; divided down the front, off center, as
if to resemble curtains.
Using a wreath to hold the veil in place
was a fashionable variant with orange
blossoms and jasmine used most frequently
for floral decorations.
Many well-preserved Victorian and Ed-
wardian wreaths were constructed with.
delicate wax flowers. Silk, cotton wool and
cotton materials were also popular alter-
natives for the floral wreath.
In other countries, a variety of colors,
fabrics, textures and even precious jewels
were used for the bridal crown, or head-
dress
An interesting interpretation of this
comes from Hungarian folklore, which says
the bridal crown or coronet signified that
the bride is indeed queen for the day, with
an unquestionable right to her crown.
In the Ormanysag county of Baranya,
Hungary, the bride wore a hood of bright red
artificial flowers, covered largely with'
pearls, silver dangles, and pallettes. Flut-
tering long streamers of ribbon were ap-
parent with every step.
Thecustom of bright and ornate wedding
styles began in the Scandinavian countries.
In Norway, a wedding was always an oc-
casion to display special finery. In the case
of the Norwegian headdress, the bride had
her choice of two distinctly different styles
of crowns.
Even today, the Norwegian bride still has
two crowns from which to choose, the "chur-
ch" crown, with its virgin significance, and
a more ordinary crown.
The church crown dates back to early
Christian days and was used largely as a
protest against lax morality.
The crown is decorated with silver and
gilt, chains and dangles which shine and
jingle as the bride moves. It may be worn
only in a church ceremony, and is placed on
the bride's bead by the minister's wife.
The more ordinary crown is worn In any
other ceremony, and is far more simply
designed, made of myrtle or colored paper
with gold leaf ornaments.
subsitute for flowing treasegt or a mere
variation. of the garland which medieval
bri4e#.wo.
During 'the reigp of George III, both
wreath and veil fell completely out of vogue,
only to be. replaced by the unveiled face,
which was considered to be more striking
and natural.
In Finland, the popular headdress was a — During the 1800s in Turkey, the Jewish
combination of the two crowns from Nor-
way. It is a large crown constructed with
colored paper and artificial flowers.
The famous Voss bridal crown is made of
silver with hanging .jewels. Qften, the
bride's hair did not match the lustre of the
crown, so a wig of fine gold thread was used.
Today's brides more closely follow the
traditional Swedish bride. She would wear a
headdress made of a piece of fine linen.
Meant to frame the face, a small circle at
the back of the head is made of wood,
covered with linen corning up over the head,
pleated and fan shaped.
Wealth also played a large role in the
bridal crowns of Dutch women. A wealthy
woman marrying into equal wealth would
wear a crown of silver adorned with jewels,
while the less fortunate bride would wear a
coronet of pasteboard with embroidered
silk.
An interesting note interjected here would
be the unknown origin of the English veil.
It has been noted that what is now one of
the most striking parts of the bridal outfit
may have been little more than a milliner's
bride would also wear no veil. Instead she
would wear a wreath, made of artificial and
natural flowers and wormwood, intertwined
on her head, which she carried like a crown.
In 1766, European Jews were made to
dress more simply, discarding their jewels
and fancy clothes in an effort to retain their
heritage. The one exception to this self-
imposed dress code was for the bride, whose
headdress was made of gold or silver and
wrapped with flowers.
Bridal headdress origin in Germany
varies from region to region. In the Black
Forest valleys the headdress was large and
decorated with hundreds of glass balls and
beads. In the more traditional Buckenburg,
the headdress was also large, but with an
emphasis on flowers rather than beads.
On a final note, the historic tradition of
Polish weddings had an entirely different
twist, with the men wearing the most
elaborate costumes. Their hats were
decorated with floral sprays, and their coats
and trousers were elaborately embroidered
and rich with leather finery.
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