What A Beautiful 1950s Wedding!
But what's up with the swords?
No matter what kind of gal you are, there is a wedding style that fits your needs. We’ll start with the Holy Trinity of weddings, according to Sallie Newton in her book, “How to Plan a Beautiful Wedding” (1954), and then will expand on the 8 specific iterations she outlines. Each wedding comes with its own traditions and etiquette. Luckily we have Sallie as our guide because we’d be lost without her!
The Big 3
Ultra-Formal
The Ultra-Formal wedding should have the pomp befit of a coronation. It’s held in a church or a mansion that’s been filled to the brim with flowers, and an organist and often times an orchestra score the posh event.
The Bride has anywhere from 6 to 12 attendants, each done up with stylish hats or headdresses, and there are double as many ushers to make sure guests can find their seats.
In 1947, a high society wedding cost $2500- $35,503.63 adjusted for inflation. This actually isn’t far off from the current average- The Knot says that the expected average for weddings in 2024 is $30,000, which is $1,000 more than 2023.
Formal
For the more cost-conscious bride. A formal wedding aspires to simplicity instead of ostentatious glamour. A formal wedding requires more intentional usage of props and florals than an ultra-formal wedding.
The biggest difference is in dress- the bride can wear a gown without a train, or even a modern tea or ballerina-length ensemble. The groom may wear a stroller jacket with smart striped pants.
Dinner Jacket Formal
Devil-may-care young people might opt for a “Dinner Jacket” formal wedding, where the groom wears a tuxedo dinner jacket instead of full tails. Important note- a dinner jacket cannot be worn before 6:00 PM. I’m assuming you’d burst into flames if you tried.
Other types of weddings
Home
Done at home, maybe with bridesmaids, maybe not! For the casual bride. Invitations are hand written by the bride’s mother, dinner is small, and the happy couple can save some money while getting to wear whatever they want. Win, win, win.
Garden
For earthy girls- make sure to make a plan in case it rains!
Second
You can’t wear white to this one, since lord knows you’re not a virgin anymore. You can, however, wear a cute little travel suit with a hat.
Third
Just kidding, the book didn’t cover that.
Double
For double weddings, it’s best to book a church with two aisles instead of a singular one so that each bridal party can enter and leave in their own aisle. See the below diagram for an idea of what we’re talking about.
This book assumes that double weddings are weddings of sisters- the eldest sister is walked down the aisle by their father, and the younger sibling is walked by either her brother or closest male relative.
Catholic
If you haven’t been to a Catholic wedding, it’s an experience that includes full Mass. If it isn’t coming back to you from your Catholic school days, keep an eye on someone pious-looking to know when to kneel or stand.
If you opt for a Solemn Nuptial Mass, you’ll have three priests singing the entire ceremony. “And also with you!”
Jewish
In Orthodox Jewish weddings, the rabbi stands beneath a canopy symbolizing the sky, and two goblets of wine are blessed and then sipped from.
Military
For the boys in uniform, make sure to seat your military colleagues according to rank. Not doing so, according to this book, is a matter of great shame. Depending on your rank, you may be able to do the cool crossed-sword thing that some military weddings do.
For the girls in uniform, you can wear your dress blues, but why would you waste the opportunity to have everyone’s eyes on you, in all your bridal beauty? (That’s what the book says, not me, to be clear.)
Canadian
As of 1954, there were no civil marriages in Canada, only religious ones. As such, depending on the couple’s religion, they will sign the official register for their marriage license at different points during the ceremony.
Now those were some weddings! Stay tuned for next week when we dive deep into the magical, mystical *~trousseau~*