Question: 1920's weddings

[saylee.livejournal.com]

I'm doing research for a fic, and find myself up against a brick wall trying to find information on weddings in the 1920s. All my google-fu is turning up are links on planning a flapper-themed wedding, and a few pages on wedding dresses from the period, which while slightly more useful, is not the sort of thing Bertie would notice.

So, does anyone know anything about weddings in the 1920s, especially in Britain, as opposed to America? Traditions we had then that we don't have now, or vice versa? What the reception would be like? Would they do a rehearsal dinner? Would the spongebag trousers Bertie talks about be something worn to all weddings, or only upper class ones? Why doesn't my library seem to have any books on this? Any tidbit is appreciated.

(And don't worry; I promise I'm not marrying off Jeeves or Bertie.)

Comments

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

http://www.edwardianera.org/edwardian-weddings-edwardian-era-wedding-gowns.html

Maybe this link will help. I imagine that wealthy families kept to the old way of doing things even if less well-off people started to change. I can imagine elaborate Edwardian-style weddings for the upper class well into the 1920s, especially those who were relatively unaffected by the war.

[m31andy.livejournal.com]

That link contains some inaccurate information - most importantly the wedding breakfast is the first meal of the new married couple's life. It was never given before the wedding (the meal at the reception after a wedding in the UK is still known as the wedding breakfast, in fact)

(Whether folk met beforehand for an informal meal, I'm not sure. But it would probably actually be considered bad luck in England. We don't, as a rule, like to count our chickens before they are hatched. This is the main reason why English girls think American baby showers are a bit... previous.)

The history of posh white dresses for weddings arose from the debutante weddings, who would wear their coming out dresses (white) as their wedding dress.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

That's good to know. I wonder if the rest of the info on the site contains inaccuracies.

It does make sense, as the bride isn't supposed to see the groom before the wedding.

[saylee.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. Inaccuracies aside, I'm sure it'll be useful. Any thoughts on whether the trend of afternoon rather than morning weddings would have carried over into the twenties? It's the norm now, but the trend could have died off and then come back.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking the upper crust would have carried on this traditions of morning weddings. The well-to-do would be eager to preserve traditions, especially in the face of so much social uncertainty. And really, Wodehouse's world was untouched by war, so having his circle of friends and enemies adhere to the morning-wedding tradition would not be far-fetched.

In the last Jooster episode, it appears to be a morning wedding. Bertie is wearing gray, which was considered a morning color, I do believe. I would think that you'd be safe in keeping the tradition of a wedding in the ack emma.