The 1830s to the 1860s

While the white wedding is the hallmark of the Victorian era, Victorian brides also sought to adhere to the other fashions of the time. This wedding gown, worn by Elizabeth Allen Sinkler Manning in 1845, with its fitted bodice, full skirt and low neckline is representative of the popular fashions of the 1830s and 1840s. The delicate fabrics and style of this gown strongly suggest the early Victorian stereotype of the fragile female.

By the 1850s, skirts were fuller as petticoats with hooped underskirts were the trend of the decade. Often balanced by larger sleeves, full skirts continued to be fashionable into the 1860s, although dresses became flatter in front, widening to a full skirt in the back. Small waists were still desirable and necklines were usually high.

While throughout the 1840s and 1850s most brides wore a wedding bonnet or veil to match their gown, by the end of the 1860s some brides were beginning to wear veils over their faces during the wedding ceremony.