Victorian Inspired Weddings
The fascinating ideas and customs of the Victorian era are a rich source of inspiration for vintage wedding ideas. The tradition of the white wedding is said to have been started by Queen Victoria when she wore a white dress for her marriage to Prince Albert in February 1840. Her simple white satin and lace gown was radically different to traditional royal wedding attire at the time. But Queen Victoria wasn’t one for convention; she married Prince Albert out for love - which wasn’t the done thing for royals at the time - and she was the one who proposed!
Here are a few ideas to get your Victorian wedding theme started:
- Dress. Whether you go the whole hog with a corset and bustle or opt for contemporary version, a Victorian-style wedding dress is sure to make any bride feel like a princess and create an air of alluring old-fashioned romance.
- Flowers. Flowers featured prominently in Victorian weddings. The language of flowers was popular in the straight-laced Victorian era as a way of communicating heartfelt feelings or sending messages without using words – an interesting way to personalize your wedding bouquet and flowers.
- Invitations, place cards and table plans. The Victorians were fond of decoupage; using beautiful paper cut-outs to decorate cards, albums, boxes and furniture.
Wedding Venues for a Victorian Themed Wedding
Kirtlington Park near Oxford is a privately-owned 18th century Grade I listed mansion house with terraced lawns perfect for croquet, a pastime popular in Victorian times. Its fine reception rooms include two sweeping staircases, an elegant Hall, the Sitting Room with its famous painted ceiling, the Grey Drawing Room and Saloon that has double doors opening onto the “Capability” Brown-designed gardens.
Once home to Charles Dickens, BMA House is an impressive neo-classical Grade II listed building with a range of elegant rooms to complement a Victorian wedding theme. Located in fashionable Bloomsbury, Central London, the venue also has a formal courtyard with a fountain perfect for photographs.
Trafalgar Park near Salisbury, Wiltshire, is a privately-owned Grade I listed house with historical links to Admiral Nelson. Its magnificent interiors include an elaborate Baroque Hall, the exquisitely painted Cipriani Room, a Billiard Room and Drawing Room - great for Victorian parlor games. Its formal terraced garden would make a lovely setting for afternoon tea.
Rebuilt in the early 19th century in the style of King Henry VIII’s infamous Nonsuch Palace, Grade II listed Nonsuch Mansion is set in 300 acres of sumptuous Surrey parkland. Its two elegant Georgian staterooms have adjoining rooms that can be opened to create one spacious hall if desired.
Article by Wedding Venue Advisor Gemma Edwards
Images Courtesy of -
Kirtlington Park - Stefan Zabel
BMA House - BMA House Website
Trafalgar Park - Paul Roland Williams
Nonsuch Mansion - Antonio Sanzari
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