The Victorian Wedding
social ritual
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Victorian weddings happened in the morning because the law said so: non-royal marriages had to take place before noon, usually in the bride's parish church. The celebration that followed was therefore literally a wedding breakfast, served at the bride's parents' home once the ceremony was over. Queen Victoria made her own statement about the form in 1840 — royal weddings had been private six-o'clock affairs, but she chose a public ceremony at noon, followed by a wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace, so her subjects could share in it.
The day ran on cherished formulas. Brides avoided May ('marry in May, rue the day') and favored June, named for Juno, goddess of marriage; Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday were the preferred days. A bride spent months assembling her trousseau — her entire married wardrobe plus household linen — and dressed for daylight in high necklines and long sleeves, veil and orange blossom. Old rhymes and rituals clustered thick: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue; the throwing of the bouquet; rice for fertility.
The century's great society wedding came in 1863, when the Prince of Wales married Princess Alexandra of Denmark on 10 March at St George's Chapel, Windsor. William Powell Frith's vast painting of the ceremony recorded hundreds of guests and fixed the Victorian wedding's look for posterity. And Victoria's own enormous tiered fruit cake of 1840 set the fashion for the tiered wedding cakes that still crown receptions today.
Frequently asked
Why is the reception meal called a wedding breakfast?
Because Victorian law required non-royal weddings to be held in the morning, before noon — so the celebration meal that followed at the bride's parents' home was literally breakfast.
What was a Victorian trousseau?
The bride's entire married wardrobe plus household linen, assembled — often over many months — before the wedding.
When did tiered wedding cakes become fashionable?
Queen Victoria's enormous tiered fruit cake at her 1840 wedding set the fashion for the tiered wedding cakes still served today.
Why it matters today
Afternoon weddings have replaced the morning ceremony, but the 'wedding breakfast,' the tiered cake, and the white dress are all Victorian survivals.
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