A WHITE WEDDING THAT SET A TREND

When Victoria first discussed her wedding outfit with her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, she told him she did not wish to wear her usual cumbersome state robes. He suggested getting married in white and she agreed, as seen in last week’s episode. One of her reasons was that it would make her more visible when she rode in a carriage to and from the ceremony.

In doing so she set a trend. Until then it had not been traditional for any bride to wear white. White material was expensive to produce and hard to keep clean and was not a practical choice for poorer brides who, in the main, wore coloured dresses at their weddings.

At the time, Victoria was criticised for her refusal to wear a more elaborate, traditional dress – no velvet or ermine or a fancy tiara. There were also complaints about her choice of colour because girls and unmarried women often wore white as mourning. But Victoria always made her own choices and stubbornly stuck to them.

She insisted her dress should be made of British-manufactured fabrics, in this case white silk satin made in Spitalfields, east London, with a broad flounce of lace from Devon overlaying the skirt and adorning the sleeves. It was decorated with orange blossom flowers (a symbol of fertility), and complemented by a necklace and large drop earrings of Turkish diamonds. On her bosom Victoria wore a blue sapphire brooch, a wedding present from Albert. Her simple bouquet contained sprigs of myrtle, the symbol of everlasting love.

The actual dress survives and is on show in Kensington Palace, but has been altered slightly and the lace removed. The coat Albert wore for the wedding is there too but has also been changed. After he died, Victoria had embroidered embellishments put on it, saying ‘My beloved Albert’.

The couple on their wedding day in the series