Rossetti Costumes and Bridal Gowns

I discovered a treasure trove of such inspiring Period & Fantasy Influenced Couture Wedding Gowns at Rossetti Costumes and Bridal Gowns that I almost wish I was getting married! But then again, I would have the dilemma of having to choose which of these eras is my favourite and I cannot! For those brides who are looking for a gown that would stand out from modern styles, one of these would be a great alternative! Thanks so much Theresa for allowing me to share your creations here!

Description from site (based in UK):
Theresa Blake (formerly Jones) trained at Wimbledon School of Art in period costume cutting and construction for film, television and the West End stage (ballet and opera). Combining this early training with her later experience in several major bridal houses, couture bridalwear design was inevitable. Today the resulting bespoke quality wedding gowns, corsets and ballet costumes are of an extremely high standard, perfect finish, and fit like a glove. Enchanting couture wedding dresses and bridal corsets, inspired by Pre-Raphaelite art, Medieval and eighteenth century historical fashion, can be commissioned from a designer who also produces totally unique one-off contemporary designs.

Theresa divides her time between designing/ making bespoke wedding gowns, and constructing costume for prestigious ballet companies and award-winning competition dancers. When I inquired about her current availability for any interested parties, Theresa advised customers should provide "as much warning as possible, due to a rapidly booking diary"!

Here's just a sampling of some of the dresses found on Theresa's site...

Pre-Raphaelite & Medieval Wedding Dresses

~ The Accolade ~

~ Raffaella ~

~ Ophelia ~

(inspired by Waterhouse paintings)

~ Medieval Amber ~

~ La Belle Dame ~
(inspired by Art Nouveau)
(I though the bride's finished gown in red, gold and green is so original
and looked great with the groom's red kilt!)

~ Keridwen ~

~ Indira ~

~ Etruria ~

(inspired by porcelain china!)


16th & 17th Century Wedding Dresses

~ Restoration ~

~ Elizabethan ~

~ Charles II - "The Treasure" ~

~ 17th Century -one quarter scale ~

~ 16th century Renaissance ~


18th & 19th Century Wedding Dresses

~ Elizabetta ~

~ Rosella ~

~ Marie Thérese ~


~ Madeleine ~


~ Floral Garden ~


~ Elizabeth of Austria (Sissi) ~


~ Brocade 18th century ~

Visit ROSSETTI COSTUMES & BRIDAL GOWNS


Back to WEDDING GALLERY

Back to FASHION INDEX

Weddings From the Past - An Index

Index to image galleries & articles of weddings from years gone by...

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress." ~ Coco Chanel

I've been fascinated with period fashion of late and discovered some great websites with dresses from various eras that have me longing for the enchanting styles of yesteryear. While perusing and ooh-ing and ahh-ing, it dawned on me that I could spend hours focused on wedding fashion alone, so I've planned a few posts which will highlight the wonderful dresses worn on that special day, whether they be museum pieces, vintage or vintage-inspired! Hope you enjoy walking down memory lane with me!

[I'll be adding to this index as I continue to update.]

Victorian Wedding Gallery

An Edwardian-themed Wedding

Rossetti Costumes & Bridal Gowns


Timeless Vixen Vintage


Wedding outfits for Jane Eyre (2011)

Paintings featured in top banner:
"Call to Arms" - Edmund Blair Leighton
"Signing the Register" - Edmund Blair Leighton
"The Wedding Morning" - John Henry Frederick Bacon
"Pamela is Married" - Joseph Highmore
"None but the Brave Deserve the Fair" - James Shaw Crompton

Victorian Wedding Gallery

I discovered some breathtakingly beautiful wedding gowns from the Victorian era as I was browsing through the collections of period costumes in various museums online. I was surprised at some of the colours used in days gone by and one of my favourite dresses below is actually a brown wedding outfit from The Met in 1897 (shown at bottom). Perhaps it caught my eye for sentimental reasons since our local paper wrote of my grandmother's wedding in 1937, "she looked charming in a costume of mahogany brown with matching accessories, and a corsage of Talisman roses."

Hope you enjoy this gallery as much as I did admiring them as I collected the images!

Imperial Victorian Wedding Gown
modelled on 1837 dress found at Frocks of Ages

1880 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hand-embroidered bustle wedding dress, c.1881
Vintage Textile

Wedding gown worn by Louise Hemingway of Baltimore in 1883
VintageTextile

Wedding footwear (1870, 1890, 1895)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Sources: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, Bowes Museum, Mint Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Vintage Textile, Frocks of Ages

~ Dresses shown in order from 1837 to 1900 ~

History of Victorian Weddings

Early Victorian (1837-1867)
Prior to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), women's wedding dresses traditionally followed the fashionable silhouettes and colors, including white, of their day. The white of choice for most brides was not a pure white, however, rather a cream or ivory color which was more flattering to the complexion.
Queen Victoria's marriage in February 1840 is often cited as the marker which began our white wedding dress tradition. Her choice of a plain white satin dress and orange blossom wreath headdress with lace veil was shockingly plain by royal standards and a significant departure from the royal tradition of a dress embroidered with silver and encrusted with jewels, a jeweled crown, and velvet robes trimmed with fur.
The Queen's daughter, Princess Alice, and the Princess of Wales were also married in white dresses with orange blossom wreath headdresses in 1858 and 1863 respectively, continuing the precedent set by Victoria. Royal weddings have always influenced the wedding ceremonies of non-royal brides and grooms, the brides often imitating the dress of princesses.

Late Victorian (1868-1901)
Weddings were celebrated during the morning hours until changes in church law in 1886 allowed afternoon weddings. In keeping with Victorian society's modest propriety for daytime dress, necklines were high and sleeves long. Wedding dresses of many socially prominent brides were altered for evening attire, or a second bodice was made for evening-one with a lower neckline and no sleeves.
Wedding dress styles generally followed the current fashionable daytime styles and were worn with either a bonnet or veil. It was not until the end of the 1860s, however, that veils were worn over the face.
Dresses could be white or colored. Socially prominent brides wore white, while those of the working or artisan classes wore a new 'best' dress which was usually a more practical color than white, and worn for more than one occasion. When in mourning, brides could wear a black, gray, or lavender color dress.
At afternoon weddings, many brides chose to get married in their going-away dresses, which were often practical traveling suits. [source: Ohio State University]

Back to WEDDINGS FROM THE PAST