Tags
Spring is in the air, and as the dreary colors of the winter begin to make way for the lush, lively palette of spring, we’re bound to see weddings pop up all across the country. Reports by USA Today show that many of today’s brides are now ditching tradition in favor of more modern wedding practices, but how exactly are they different from weddings of old?
For this comparison, we look at the wonderful Grace Kelly, whose marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 set the tone for weddings in the next few decades.
The Dress
Grace Kelly’s dress was the epitome of prim and proper: full-length lace sleeves, a beautiful veil with delicate lace detailing and trimmings, and a full bodice that complimented her hourglass-shaped body. The whole length of the gown was embroidered with fine lace details, giving the image of the perfect bride.
We put that into contrast with today’s wedding dresses, which are now trending towards the casual, and laid-back. We no longer see the detailing that had been present in the dresses of the 1960s, and we now sometimes see even two-piece dresses with detachable trains.
The Bridal Bouquet
Grace Kelly’s bridal bouquet was quite simple: an elegant drape of lily of the valley. While this had been a trend for decades and continues to be popular in high-end weddings (Kate Middleton was seen holding a similar bouquet at her wedding), this trend has, for the most part, dissipated.
Nowadays, a simple, plain white bouquet is quite rare. Many brides have taken M&S floral product developer Simon Richards’ advice and opted for bouquets in colors that they believe work well together, resulting in brightly-colored bouquets of different structures.
The Ceremony
Of course, Grace Kelly’s wedding took place in a time when women were expected to be nothing but prim and proper, and often, weddings became a place to show their husbands-to-be how well-mannered they were. Grace Kelly’s wedding, like many of the weddings in the 1960s, was all about class and sophistication.
Today’s weddings, however, have wedding guests participating in all sorts of modern practices. While the guests of old were expected to stay in their seats and preserve the solemnity of the wedding, today’s guests are even encouraged to snap photos of the whole ceremony to upload to social media.
Weddings surely have changed since the time of Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier III. What vintage wedding trend do you miss the most?
woodstockwardrobe 
Yes the weddings of the 60’s sure were more prim and proper, but they also were a lot of fun if you were from that time as I was. It seems that you caught the feeling just right with the wonderful wedding of Grace Kelly. Love the post.