Something Old, Something New: Everything Related to Scarlett Saying 'I Do' (to Rhett, of course!)

Imagine it's 1868 and you've been invited to a wedding held in one of Atlanta's finest parlors--that of Miss Sarah Jane Hamilton. The event is still a couple of days away, but the entire city is already sizzling with gossip and anticipation. One question is on everyone's mind: What will the bride, Miss Hamilton's scandalous niece, be wearing? She is a widow of only a year after all, how much bolder can she get?  (Though judging by her engagement ring, that perfectly vulgar piece that Captain Butler bought for her in Europe, one can never tell... )

If you're not one of the lucky few who've been privy to all the juicy details prior to the blessed event, worry not! How We Do Run On is here to provide you with a well-informed insight into the soon-to-be Mrs. Butler's toilette, as well as with a gallery of fashionable dresses she can choose from, hidden from prying eyes after the jump. We even have widow wedding dresses for you!

A Victorian Wedding Certificate

The Wedding Dress: White Silk, Lace and "Elegant Simplicity" 

We'll start, of course, with the element that surely has you most preoccupied, that central piece of any wedding and dream of any bride to be--the wedding dress. Regarding this year's bridal style, our trusted source, Harper's Bazar, spells it plainly out for us: "Bridal toilettes are remarkable for their elegant simplicity. The richest materials plainly made embody the correct idea of a dress for a bride." 

Dresses of white silk and lace are, of course, the de rigueur selection for brides (We're looking at you, Maybelle Merriwether!), but for those who cannot afford silk, dresses of grosgrain, poult de-soie, taffeta or faille are also acceptable. You'll find many examples of elegant wedding dresses after the jump at the end.

As one would expect, a wedding dress worn for a church ceremony would be a little more conservative, calling for a "high bodice and close sleeves." But for a home wedding (aka one in Miss Hamilton's parlor), a lower necklace and pannier skirt (a looped skirt draped over the hips) are acceptable, and in this particular case even highly-recommended. However, Harper's, in a moment of regrettable contradiction, declares that pannier skirts are not popular in wedding attire, only to say that they should be worn for home weddings, in the very next breath. So we guess Scarlett, our bride in question, is free to choose after her own taste (or lack thereof).

The Veil: Less is More

Next off is the veil. Now if Scarlett chooses to follow convention for her wedding to Captain Butler, you won't be seeing any veil. Veils are the property of new brides only; widows do not wear them. But if our rebellious bride decides to break the rules, here's the scoop: this year veils are made of plain tulle without trimming, in line with the edict of "elegant simplicity." This style is deemed both "prettiest" and "very much admired" by Harper's.  As custom, veils should also be long, with the front veil coming close to the waist, while the longer back portion reaches nearly to the train of the dress.  

The Flowers: Orange Blossoms, Clematis, Jasmine and Myrtle, Oh My!  

In the last couple of years, our long preferred wedding flower--the orange blossom--registered a certain and regrettable decline in popularity. Harper's certainly takes a dismissive tone about it: "Orange blossoms are losing prestige for bridal flowers. The buds are stiff, and the full-blown flowers large and coarse looking. They are prettiest and least unbecoming when mingled with other small flowers, such as clematis, jasmine, or the bridal spirae." 

White lilies and myrtle are still very much used as wedding flowers. Myrtle blossoms, in fact, are all the rage with young brides in Europe. Not so for European widows: they are the only ones on the Old Continent who still wear orange blossoms, so it's safe to assume Scarlett will wear them too, if only to be in line with the latest European fashion. 

The Hair: Of Curls and Finger Puffs

We've already established that Reconstruction-era ladies love curls and finger puffs in their hairstyles. So it's little wonder, then, that these elements are considered quite stylish for our 1868 bride: "The front hair is crped [sic]. Soft, light, airy curls float at the back over small finger puffs formed of the natural hair."  Below is an "evening dress" hairstyle from the March 7th, 1868 edition of Harper's Bazar that nicely resembles this description and that could just as well be Scarlett's choice: 

The Accessories: Lots of Fancy Finishing Touches 

Accessories make the (wedding) outfit, so we're certain Scarlett will have had some very fancy finishing touches to crown her bridal glory. Here is what Harper's recommends: "The bridal fan is of white silk or satin under lace, with pearl sticks. Handkerchief trimmed with lace of the kind used in the dress. Gloves of softest kid, and boots of the dress material buttoned with Roman pearls and trimmed with blonde lace."

The Jewelry: Pearls Trump Diamonds 

At least in this year's weddings they do, although, if one thinks of her engagement ring, Scarlett might disagree on this point. Still, Harper's clearly records that "prominence is given them [pearls] in wedding parures even when associated with diamond." 

Engagement rings should be "a solitaire diamond or pearl in crown setting without enamel," a far cry from the tasteless collection of stones Captain Butler presented his betrothed with. (And to think they say he's a man of taste...) Wedding bands are expected to be equally understated: "a plain hoop not very wide, made of twenty-four-karat gold," so we shall wait with bated breath to discover what his choice will be for that.

The Bridesmaids Dresses: Ridiculous This Year as Well  
 
Now that we've covered the bride's outfit, we can take a quick look at what her bridesmaids could be wearing. Poor dear sweet bridesmaids, the style of their dresses won't probably change for the next two centuries! Their dresses are puffed and tulle-d to the max: "Bridesmaid's dresses are of tulle and tarlatan in successive puffs, with a tulle overskirt looped with flowers. A different flower and a becoming color of trimming is assigned to each bridesmaid."  Bridesmaids sometimes wear short veils, in a style similar to the bride's own. 

You May...See the Bride!

So now, dear readers, you know what to expect from the blessed occasion of Scarlett and Captain Butler's union. We sincerely hope we've kept you one step ahead of this brazen combination, so their sartorial choices won't be a surprise--or even worse, a shock--to you.

If you want to see an assortment of wedding dresses, taken both from last year's magazines, and from some editions we miraculously managed to retrieve for you even before they were printed and available to the general public, take a look under the jump!

Which dress do you think Scarlett would choose? Let us know in the comments! 
 

An 1867-1869 Wedding Dress Gallery

All Descriptions are excerpted from the listed period source. 

Wedding Dresses from the November 2, 1867 edition of Harper's Bazar

Figure 1: Gored dress of white persane, fastened up the front with crystal beads. Neck high, and trimmed with Valenciennes lace, as are likewise the caps. Tulle, veil and wreath of orange blossoms.

Figure 2: Princesse dress of white mull, worn over a high-necked waist of Valenciennes lace and insertion. Skirt tucked; waist trimmed with bias folds of the same stuff. Tulle veil and wreath of orange blossoms.

Wedding dresses from the December 12, 1868 edition of Harper's Bazar 

These bridal toilettes are partly for young girls and partly for widows. Those for young girls require a veil. The dresses are of white grosgrain or satin, or they may be of fine India or Swiss muslin. The skirts are gored and with trains. Sashes are always of the same material as the dress.

Figure 1: Bridal toilette for a widow. The dress and sash are of white satin trimmed with wide silk fringe. The wreath and bouquet are of myrtle.

Figure 2: Bridal toilette for a young girl. The wreath and bouquet are of orange flowers. The veil is of plain silk lace. The dress is of Swiss muslin, and the waist is lined with silk.

Figure 3: Bridal toilette for a widow. It is of white grosgrain with a high waist, cut from the pattern in this issue. The Marie Antoinette fichu is of white Valenciennes. Myrtle flowers in the hair.

Figure 4: Bridal toilette for a young girl. It is white satin with a high waist (cut from the pattern in this issue) and sash. The trimming is wreaths and sprays of orange blossoms, arranged as illustrated. Orange flowers form the wreath on the head. The veil is of silk lace. 

Figure 5: Bridal toilette for a young girl. It is of white grosgrain. The polonaise is trimmed with Valenciennes insertion and edging as shown. Wreath of orange flowers. Veil of plain white silk lace.

Wedding Dress from a November 1869 edition of Godey's Lady's Book

Bride's dress: made of corded silk with tulle-ruche trim and bouquets of flowers.

Notice the children's clothes. Isn't it cute to imagine little Ella at such an event?