Theme: Victorian Elegance

When people think of the Victorian era, they often visualize a time of romance, chivalry and gentler ideas. It is no wonder then that many couples consider a Victorian theme for their own wedding. Whether they decide to be authentic to history or simply want to capture the feeling of romance that the era evokes, Victorian themed weddings are quite popular. This article focuses on the theme of Victorian Elegance and has tips and ideas scattered throughout for those of you planning this type of wedding.

The Setting

It is important to note that many Victorian themed weddings are held in historical buildings or mansions. This is a perfect setting as the history of the building or mansion adds a sense of timeless appeal to the Victorian wedding. However, this is not the only option for those who choose this type of theme. Gardens of nearly any type will also provide a perfect backdrop. Flowers were very prevalent in Victorian society, and were often given meanings or sentiments. One example of this is roses. Our perceptions of their meanings harken back to the Victorian era and we still attribute certain associations with the color of the roses. Another setting that would be quite appropriate with a Victorian themed wedding is that of an afternoon tea. Whether the tea takes place in a rented hall, in a home or in a hotel setting, decorations can reflect those of the era.

Centerpieces

Centerpieces in a Victorian themed wedding will range with your tastes as well as the feeling you are trying to evoke. Since I'm focusing of Victorian elegance, I will include a few suggestions along those lines. One of my favorite centerpiece ideas would look stunning at a Victorian wedding. It's very simple and could be cost effective as well. Simply scour yard sales and thrift shops for fancy sets of cups and saucers. The sets do not have to match, and in fact will look better if they do not. Purchase some packages of lace doilies (slightly larger than the saucers) as well as some flowers. The doilies are placed beneath the saucers, the cups are filled partially with water and one flower floats in the cup. A variety of cup and saucer sets with varying heights and designs only adds to the charm. Additionally, you can use floating candles in some of the sets to add the glow of candlelight. Add some scattered rose petals for romance and your look is complete.

Another look that conveys the feel of Victoriana is dried roses. These can be expensive, but you can generally cut costs if you do the work yourself. One great idea is to use dried roses in a topiary centerpiece. Make sure that the height of the topiary allows guests to see each other across the table. I generally like to make them under 12", but you may find a height that better fits your tastes. Your topiary can be decorated in numerous ways to reflect the Victorian theme, and I will include two ideas here. The first is simple and easy. All you need is a pot, a wooden dowel (approx. 8" to 10" long), some florists foam, Spanish moss, dried roses and a Styrofoam ball (for a 12" centerpiece I usually use a 4" round ball). Stick the foam in the pot (you can then take a butter knife and smooth so that it is the same height as pot), glue the Spanish moss to the foam. Insert the dowel in the center of the foam in the pot. Decorate Styrofoam ball with dried roses by inserting into the Styrofoam. Cover well, then center the Styrofoam ball over dowel and push into it. This leaves you with a basic dried rose topiary. The second idea concerns dressing your topiary up a bit. For a Victorian theme, I would suggest starting by decorating the pot. It can be covered with gathered fabric (this would be nice with a rope tied in a tassel), lace (which you could paint over or leave bare), silks, velvets or brocades. You can also paint your pot. Sponge-painting is easy and fun and you could combine the colors of your wedding if you'd like. You could also spray-paint on lace. When the paint is dry, remove the lace and you will have a lovely pattern. The same idea works with paper doilies as well (these definitely have to be removed while wet, unless you like the look with them on).

Ivy can easily replace the Spanish moss as can baby's breath. You can also insert such accents as pearl sprays, Victorian style charms and/or satin roses. To dress up the dowel, you can do numerous things as well. The easiest way is to spray-paint it ivory/white or to match your colors. Of course you can use lace, satin ribbon or tulle wrapped around the dowel as well. One of my favorite looks is a dowel wrapped in satin ribbon with streamers of ribbon or lace cascading down the sides. This is relatively easy as well. You can tie a knot at the top and let the streamers (the rest of the ribbon) fall down or you can cut the streamers separately and tack them onto the top of the dowel. No matter which way you do it, the topiary top will cover up the top of the dowel. Speaking of the top, your Styrofoam ball can be decorated in numerous ways as well. You can add accents in addition to the dried roses such as pearl sprays, baby's breath, tufts of tulle or even ribbon (you can insert the ribbon and or tulle using florists picks. the U shaped kind). Or you can forego the dried roses entirely, and replace them with silk or fresh if you wish. There truly are no limitations to the different decorations you can use to dress up your topiaries.

General Resources

Victorian resources abound on the web. You can enter the search term of "Victorian" into any search engine and it will show you thousands of pages devoted to the subject. I have found a few pages though that shouldn't be missed if you are serious about researching the Victorian era. These pages are for those interested in accuracy, but could give you plenty of ideas if you are interested in evoking the "Victorian" feel as well.

Laurie's Victoriana Page
Tons of links from Laurie that are very informative and well organized.

Victoriana
Reflections of the Past brings you this informative site filled with "Resources for Victorian Living".

Victorian Wedding Resources

The Victorian Wedding
An explanation of a typical Victorian Wedding, provided by M. Hoppe.

Victorian Wedding Etiquette
J.R. Burrows and Company provide this advice which was first published in 1893.

Victorian Weddings Resource Page
Carrie Golombek covers various aspects of Victorian weddings.