A note about traditions
The veil, common to Christian, Jewish, Moslem
and Hindu brides, has a number of long standing traditions.
According to an 1831 Godey's article, the veil begins back in ancient
Greece in the city of Sparta, when Penelope denied her Father and moved
away from the city with her husband, Ulysses.
The veil of the Christian ceremonies is
descended from the Romans, though the bridal veil is mentioned in
Genesis and veiling was a custom in the East.
In ancient Rome the
Vestal Virgins wore sacred veils symbolizing the constancy of their
devotion to the Gods. The early Christians absorbed this Roman
custom, requiring brides to wear their veils from the moment of their
betrothal until the conclusion of the wedding. The veils of nuns
likewise denoted the constancy of their consecration as
"brides" of Christ.
Eastern cultures felt the veil protected the
bride from malicious spirits; from the "evil eye." Sometimes, though, as in Morocco and ancient India,
the veil has been used to protect others from the bride! A more
modern interpretation of this thoughtful custom was that the veil shielded
the bride from enticing all unwanted suitors, therefore her
shroud of secrecy maintained her purity from less than proper male
glances. It
also symbolized her protected purity, which was the honor of the family.
Because of these strong associations with
chaste virginity, a blusher veil (one that is worn over the face,)
should never be worn for an obviously pregnant Bride!
 The
bridal garland is perhaps the oldest tradition of the wedding
costume. It began as a wreath of olive or myrtle in ancient times
and continues today in the form of a bridal bouquet. The
Victorians, who were responsible for placing the garland firmly in the bride's hand
rather than on her head, preferred orange blossoms and syringa, but
Eastern brides have worn garlands of different flowers in many
forms--wreaths, chaplets, sprigs and bouquets.
Saffron was once
widely used until it's meaning was gloomily interpreted as "my
happiest days are past." It appears that from the 19th
century on, the most popular wedding
flower was orange blossoms, long considered symbols of chastity and fertility.
The custom of using orange blossoms for bridal fashions dates back to
the Crusaders, who saw the Saracen brides wear orange blossoms on their
wedding day as a symbol of fecundity, because the orange was a prolific
fruit-bearing plant.
 According to Greek mythological belief, the "golden apple"
presented by Gaea, the ancient goddess of the earth and fertility as a
wedding gift to Hera on the day she married Zeus, was in actuality, an
orange and the golden apples of the Hesperides, orange trees.
 Throughout the 1800's, a bride would have placed
orange blossoms in her hair and sewn the flowers onto her dress, signifying it's unmistakable duty as a wedding gown.
After the ceremony, it was customary for the newlywed bride to
re-design her wedding dress, dyeing it to a darker color, removing the
symbolic orange blossoms and replacing them with a different type of
flower that was not associated with weddings. This enabled her to wear her
expensive dress again at formal dinners and receptions. French designers Worth and Paquin
always included a box of silk roses with their couture wedding gowns for such a
purpose.
Vintage
Wedding Headpieces and Veils
For more photos of
1920's veils and fashion history,
click here!
[ Choosing a Vintage Wedding Veil~the specifics ] [ Vintage Wedding Headpiece Styles from 1949 ] [ Vintage Wedding Veil Materials ] [ Veil Materials~Silk Tulle ] [ Veil Lengths ] [ Veil Traditions ] [ Vintage Wedding Traditions~Wax Blossoms ]
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