The groom’s attire often seems much less important than the brides look for the day. However, the suit is an indispensable part of the wedding.
While we all know the suit is a key element, its history is much less documented than the wedding dress. However, there is a short story of where it all began.
According to the TM Lewin blog, back in the 1650s, men’s wedding attire was all about tight-fitting breeches and frock coats. This trend, however, quickly made its way out.
When King George IV married Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795, the trends of the time required that groom’s dress just as extravagantly as brides. He wore silks, velvet, and pearls to the wedding, and even sported some stockings. It was not uncommon for grooms to wear furs, silvers and golds, and even precious gems. Of course, not everybody could afford this, so those who couldn’t dressed very simply, wearing their everyday clothes. This continued until around the early 1800s.
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Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha married Queen Victoria in 1840. This moment marked a massive change in groom’s attire. The prince donned his Field Marshall’s uniform, and this is a tradition that persists until today in royal weddings. Prince Albert also wore a morning suit on the day. The suit takes inspiration for its cut and tails from the Field Marshal uniform, which meant more clean lines and precision.
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Morning suits then took off and became very popular. From 1850 onwards, the tailcoat was only worn on special occasions.
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In the 1920s the Stresemann style suit was created, and it became a popular alternative for grooms.
According to M. Muller & Sohn, it was around the 1930s when the tuxedo came onto the scene. The British creation was, at first, only worn by men who attended men’s clubs. This quickly grew in popularity and became the picture of presentability.
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From here, different shapes, cuts and colours were incorporated. In the 1940s grooms preferred wide-peaked lapels and in the 1960s bell-bottomed trousers were all the rage. The double-breasted suit became popular 20 years later, in the 80s.
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Today, the options are endless and the style of the suit depends, mostly, on the theme of the wedding.
After having most of their lives in the spotlight, it’s understandable that some celebrities would choose to keep an intimate occasion like their wedding a secret. Although it’s frustrating for us, their fans, because we want to know all the details, not having paparazzi around makes for a much calmer atmosphere on the big day.
Here are just some celebrity couples who kept their nuptials hush-hush.
Everything about these two has been kept on the down-low. First, their private wedding ceremony held at Cameron’s home in Beverly Hills in 2015 and then their baby, who most of the world only found out about when she was born this year.
Many fans might not even know that Margot Robbie is married so this might even be a surprise in itself. The actress married Tom Ackerley in a very secret ceremony in Australia in 2015. Only 50 guests were invited and weren’t even told the location of the wedding before the event.
Despite being possibly the most famous and beloved couple (except for that short moment where Jay was hated by the Beyhive after Lemonade was released), these two have always been very private and not showy about their relationship. The two got married in a secret ceremony in New York in 2008, with footage only being released slowly over the years since then (including in the above mentioned visual album).
This one might be the best kept secret wedding in Hollywood history as there aren’t any details about it even after the fact. The That 70s show co-stars got married without so much as an anniversary Instagram picture to show it happened. The world only found out when Mila wore her wedding ring too when she appeared on The Late Late Show With James Corden.
Besides the fact that they were married in 2012 and in South Carolina, there is little information on the marriage of possibly the two most beautiful people currently married in Hollywood. This might be disappointing but at least we get to see their pranks and hear these two lovebirds gush about each other in interviews.
These two have been together for ages but very little is known about their relationship at all and especially about their secret 2010 wedding in the Bahamas.
Another couple you might not have even known were together. The Gilmore Girls star married the Mad Men actor in 2014 after a year-long engagement but little else is known about the ceremony.
There is just something about the Late Late Show with James Corden which makes even the most secretive celebrities want to spill the beans. Amanda and Thomas got married in an incredibly private ceremony, with just themselves and their dog in 2016. Thomas revealed the marriage on the show in 2017, saying the couple eloped.
The perfect bridesmaids’ dresses are usually tough to nail down. You’ve got a group of people with differing personalities and styles, and you have to cater to all of them, while still going for a style you like personally.
These days, pretty much anything goes for the bridesmaids’ dresses. Over the years, the styles have evolved a lot. Many suggest that the idea of a bridal party stems from Ancient Roman times when 10 witnesses were needed to make a marriage legal. As you may imagine, the “bridesmaids” in Ancient Rome probably were dressed much differently to bridesmaids of today.
According to Elle, in the 15th century, the bridal party would dress exactly like the bride and groom. The purpose of this was to confuse evil spirits about who the newlyweds really were, thus protecting the couple and their marriage. This means that the bridesmaids would all dress the same as the bride.
Later on, in the 17th-century bridesmaids were dressed according to their age. Those in their teens would wear green, those in their 20s would wear brown, and older bridesmaids would be dressed in black.
In the 20th century, the attire for bridesmaids went through multiple changes, according to Canadian Living. From 1901 to 1910, bridesmaids wore dresses with long sleeves, high necklines, full skirts, and also wore plumed hats.
Thereafter, in the 1930s and 1940s during World War II, a more simple style was preferred. The simple design was brought on as a way to save money since it required less material. The 50s and 60s brought a more experimental feeling with it, giving bridesmaids hoop skirts, cocktail looks, and colours galore.
From the 70s to the 90s, the identical bridesmaid trend set in. Every bridesmaid wore a dress of the same colour and style and the dresses were often made using unflattering subjects. Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay’s Jessica Mulrony told Canadian Living that bridesmaids dresses during this time were purposefully made unflattering.
“I think it was always such a big fear that the bride should never be upstaged by her bridesmaids,” says Mulroney, “so everything had to be very plain and in a million different colours.”
Luckily for bridesmaids across the world, things have changed since then. Today, we don’t stick to a one size fits all idea, nor do we want our bridesmaids to look unappealing. Styles vary quite widely these days. Instead of one defining trend, brides and their bridesmaids incorporate different colours, patterns, and styles to fit their preferences best.
Before she became a style icon and much-loved First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy O’Nassis was Jacqueline Bouvier, a George Washington University graduate, and inquiring photographer.
The course of her life changed when she met then-Congressman John F Kennedy and fell in love. The pair married in a lavish Newport, Rhode Island wedding. For her big day, the future First Lady was a vision in a buffant ivory silk-taffeta gown, which has gone down in history as one of the most iconic wedding dresses.
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Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress has a surprising history and was created by Black seamstress Ann Lowe. Lowe was an incredibly talented designer who opened the door for many other independent designers of colour. As one of the first known black designers, however, she faced constant discrimination as she fought to become one of the most sought-after couturiers for the American elite. Among her customers were famed American families like the du Ponts, the Roosevelts, the Rockefellers, and the Kennedys.
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Lowe was well acquainted with the Bouvier family and was thus commissioned to design Kennedy’s wedding dress in 1953. Julia Faye Smith, author of Ann Lowe’s biography Something to Prove, says it took Lowe and her team of seamstresses two months to complete the ornate creation that utilised over 50 yards of silk taffeta.
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However, a mere 10 days before the big day, everything went wrong. Lowe’s studio was flooded by a broken waterline, which ruined not only the wedding dress but also the bridesmaids’ dresses.
A disaster like this could destroy Lowe’s reputation. So, she swallowed her sadness, purchased more fabric, hired extra help, and completely recreated the gown within a matter of days.
The dress was completed and stunned everyone. However, Lowe came out of the deal losing $2,000 instead of making a profit on what was her biggest wedding gown to date. She never told the family what happened. To make matters even sadder, Lowe never received proper credit for her hard work. When asked who made her famous dress, Kennedy told reporters, “a colored dressmaker did it.”
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Lowe and Kennedy continued to work together on a number of occasions after the wedding. Smith explains that the women developed a mutual respect for one another. When she began losing her eyesight and her business, Lowe was financially saved by a mysterious benefactor. Lowe believed it was the First Lady who secretly stepped in to save her business.
Lowe died at age 82, with her business never truly reaching the degree of fame it should have.
“We need to remember Ann as a woman who, in the face of some of great adversity, persevered,” says Smith to Elle. “She knew what she was capable of doing, and she worked throughout her life to achieve it. From the Jim Crow South to the skyscrapers of New York, there were obstacles placed before her, but she proved that a designer of her race, or of any race, could become a major designer.”
Coulpes have had to get extra creative in tying the knot amid the coronavirus pandemic. While weddings cannot go on as we know them, this South African wedding venue has created an excellent alternative.
Collisheen Estate, one of the most sought-after private function facilities on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, is now offering drive-in wedding packages.
A representative of the state explained to Wedding ETC that the drive-in wedding concept started off as a joke, but they grew more serious about it as lockdown continued to affect the wedding industry.
Currently, wedding ceremonies are not allowed during Level 3 lockdown. People may only marry at Home Affairs or with a marriage officer. However, Collisheen Estate hopes that their latest offering will provide a new alternative to allow couples to still say ‘I do’ while following safe social distancing.
The estate is awaiting further announcements from the government on when they may legally open the service to the public amid the nationwide lockdown. However, they have already had lots of interest from couples still hoping to say ‘I do’ this year.
“Sunset Oval Drive in weddings are a site to behold! The most magnificent sunsets turn this unconventional day into a magical fairytale,” writes the company on their website.
“Our very experienced venue coordinators are here to help you coordinate your special day and liaise between you, the venue operations team and coordinate any service providers to ensure a perfect day. Our Executive head chef and team will prepare delicious canape’s for you and we will serve it directly to your guests’ cars. Collisheen Estate adheres strictly to all of the health and safety precautions and we assure you of our best attention at all times.”
There are two drive-in wedding packages: a standard and all-inclusive option. The standard package includes canapes and venue hire. Couples may choose their own service providers who will be guided by the Collisheen team.
The all-inclusive package includes venue hire, catering and refreshments, photography and videography, a wedding cake, a bridal salon and much more. This option allows couples to just arrive on their big day, taking away the stress of planning and managing a wedding.
Across the US, protests against racial injustice and police brutality have been widespread after the unlawful killing of George Floyd. In most cases, protesters prefer not to stand out to ensure that they are no easily identifiable. One Philadelphia couple, however, made a statement by celebrating their wedding at the protests on Saturday, June 6.
Dr. Kerry Anne Perkins and Micheal Gordon got married at the Logen Hotel in Philadelphia. Immediately after, they made their way outside and were cheered on by thousands of protestors during a ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) rally.
According to E! News, this was not planned. The couple were taking some wedding shots outside the hotel when protestors passed by and they decided it was only right for them to join in.
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Rev. Roxy Birchfield, the wedding planner, told E! News that,”They were supposed to get married at Legacy Castle and it was postponed.” Since the postponement, the pair decided on a micro-wedding on the lawn of the Logen Hotel instead.
According to People, there was a special moment as they made their way out. The massive group of people made way for the couple as they walked to the middle of the street hand-in-hand and stopped for a kiss.
“It ended up being a very powerful moment,” Kerry-Anne told ABC News. “Not only are we feeling the movement of the people … but I’m meeting my husband, on our wedding day, as a strong black man and a good representative of who we are as people, what our men are like, what our culture is like. It was just a very, very empowering moment for us considering all of this is happening at one moment in one time.”
After the thrill of their celebrations this weekend, Perkins took to Instagram to talk about what happened.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we think our love story would capture the hearts of so many people. We are grateful to share our special day with such a pivotal moment in history, and we are honored to be a positive representation of Black Love and why Black Lives Matter,” she said alongside some digital drawings created by a variety of artists.
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Congrats to the happy couple!
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When you really think about it, the idea of walking down the aisle carrying a bunch of flowers seems a bit odd. Perhaps for decorative purposes it works, but one could argue its a bit random and inconvenient, and serves to block the full view of the main attraction – the wedding gown – as well.
Yet, you’d be hard-pressed to find a bride without a bouquet, or at least some form of it. Many consider it to be an essential part of the bride’s look.
While we can all agree that the bouquet does add a touch of natural beauty which is unmatched, this is not the reason brides carry bunches of blossoms. Like most other wedding traditions, the practice is rooted in reasoning from centuries passed.
In Ancient Rome, brides would carry flowers as they were believed to signify new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility, according to Modern Wedding. Bouquets, however, were not always made up of flowers.
Herbs took preference for brides in the Middle Ages. Dill and garlic were most commonly used as they were said to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, according to Readers Digest. Reportedly, the dill would make a second appearance on the wedding day – during the feast – to prepare the newlyweds for the consumation of their marriage since it is considered an aphrodisiac.
Later on, during the Victorian Era, the act of giving and receiving flowers came to be known as an expression of love. As they were then linked to love and romance, they increasingly became incorportated into weddings.
Since then, it seems the practice has stuck and is not going anywhere either. Flowers are incorporated into weddings through bouquets, table decorations, and much more.
There is a popular myth that has been reported by many publications, including Bustle, which that claims another reason for the bouquet in the 15th century was to mask the smell of the bride.
This claim is based on the fact that, in those times, people only had one bath per year. Huffington Post reported that June was the most popualr month for weddings and most women took their annual bath in May.
According to Snopes, an online fact checking resouce, this is not true. Brides have never carried a bouquet to mask their smell.
“Although the modern practice of full-immersion bathing was a long way off in the 1500s (among other reasons because filling a vessel large enough to hold a person with heated water was rather impractical given the effort required to collect fresh water and fuel for heating it), people did still “bathe” in the sense of attempting to clean themselves as best they could with the resources at hand,” explains Snopes.
“Although today’s brides carry flowers simply because it is now the custom to do so, at one time bridal bouquets were symbols of sexuality and fertility. Covering up anyone’s bad smell played no part in why this custom came into being.”
One of the most famous pop stars in the world, Britney Spears, has been entertaining us for decades. From her catchy tunes to her interesting personal life and unique Instagram posts, Britney spears will go down in history as one the most iconic pop stars to ever exist.
Spears has been married twice in her life, both of which happened in one year. Her weddings were very different, and has changed her outlook on marriage. Here are the two men who drove her crazy, she just couldn’t sleep.
Husband 1: Jason Alexander
The iconic star’s first marriage might also be the shortest celebrity marriage to exist. On 3 January 2004, she married childhood best friend Jason Alexander on a whim while in Las Vegas.
Their wedding seemingly came out of nowhere. They had been in Vegas for a few days to party over New Years and randomly decided to tie the knot.
“It was just so crazy, man,” Alexander later told Access Hollywood. “We were just looking at each other and said, ‘Let’s do something wild, crazy. Let’s go get married, just for the hell of it.’”
Spears wore a baseball cap and torn jeans to say ‘I do’. The pair tied the knot at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, a venue quite popular among celebs. Judy Garland married her fourth husband Mark Herron at this famous chapel in 1965. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore tied the knot here in 1987, as well as Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow in 1966.
Like many other things in Vegas, Spears and Alexander’s inebriated decision was a mistake. The pair quickly had their marriage annulled a mere 55 hours later. The reason for the annulment cited in the papers read that Spears “lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage.”
What happens in Vegas…
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Husband 2: Kevin Federline
Hot on the heels of her first wedding, Spears married back-up dancer Kevin Federline in July 2004. The pair had met at a Hollywood club, and their romance quickly became serious. So much so that Spears popped the question while on a private plane from Ireland to New York after a few months of dating.
“I’d finished the European part of my tour and I was going home. I was ready to get back to the States. I was really happy. Kevin was with me, so I’d had a lot of fun on the tour,” she told People back in 2004.
“We were a couple hours into the flight, and we’d been talking the whole time, stuff about life, wanting to have kids, the future and everything like that. It was an intimate conversation. And we’d always talked about how some people don’t have to get married when they’re in love. Then all of a sudden I said, ‘What if you want to get married?’ And I kind of went from there to asking him if he would marry me. I asked him… He said no because he thought it wasn’t the right way to do it,” she said.
Federline initially turned the proposal down, then asked Spears to marry him a few minutes later.
After their initial planning was highly publicized, the pair instead decided to secretly tie the knot on October 18 at their home.
“I just thought it would be too much if we had done it when we were supposed to,” Britney told People.
“It became this huge thing and I was like, ‘What are we waiting for? We know this is the real thing, why not just do it now?’ That’s why I wanted to sneak and do it our little way.”
They surprised 30 of their closest friends and family with a wedding at their Studio City home. Spears wore a strapless Monique Lhullier gown and accessorized with lace half-gloves and a lengthy tulle veil.
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It was an emotional event. “As she was standing there, tears were falling. When her daddy lifted up her veil and kissed her on the cheek and shook hands with Kevin, it was so sweet. That started all the tears,” longtime assistant and bridesmaid, Felicia Culotta, told People.
For their backyard reception, she changed into a mini lace dress also by Monique Lhullier. Federline removed Spears’ garter with his teeth, to the entertainment of the crowd.
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Guests feasted on fried chicken fingers, crab cakes, ribs and mashed potatoes.
The newlyweds and their guests, wearing matching sweatsuits with ‘Pimps’ and ‘Maids’ emblazoned on the back in diamantés, ended the evening at Los Angeles hotspot XES.
The couple went on to have two children and a reality show before calling it quits in 2007. In an interview, Spears said she doesn’t see herself walking down the aisle again.
“I think [I won’t] ever do the whole men thing anymore, or get married. I’m just done with men — I may French kiss someone, but I won’t ever get married.”
The coronavirus pandemic may have paused nuptials over the globe, but it doesn’t stop love. Amid quarantine, Queer Eye host Karamo Brown has fallen in love with his partner all over again and decided to pop the question a second time.
Brown and fiancé Ian Jordan have been together for eight years. They first became engaged in May 2018 on Jordan’s 40th birthday and were meant to marry this year. However, their wedding had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
The couple have been quarantining together and throughout their time spent at home, Brown has fallen even more in love. So much so, that he proposed again on Jordan’s birthday.
In a sweet video shared to Instagram, Brown shows the special moment he went down on one knee.
“I’m Engaged… Again!” Brown captioned the video. “During this Quarantine I have fallen even deeper in love w/ my fiancé @theianjordan so on his bday / which is also our anniversary I proposed again. Our wedding has been canceled/postponed like so many other people but I still wanted to celebrate our love. I love you Sugah! ❤️❤️❤️
