The Daily Globe from Ironwood, Michigan • Page 12

Page 8 THE DAILYGLOBE, Ironwood, Ml Wednesday. Jan. 21,1998 Blame Queen Victoria for the rise of the wh ite wedd i ng ress By BARBARA for AP S.peciat Features it seem odd that most brides begin what's meant to be a lifelong relationship wearing a fragile white; dress only once, for four or five hours? The single-occasion wedding dress, once rarely handed down to a daughter or grarddaughter, was dreamed up by the affluent in the late 19th century and pop- es the 20th century: For most of past hisUry, a wedding dress was simply thi best dress a woman could afford to buy or already owned and was made of virtually any material in any color. We can thank, or blame. Queen Victoria for the rise of the white wedding dress, says Phyllis Magidson, costume curator at the Museum of the City of New York and caretaker of the museum's targe collection of wedding attire and memorabilia.

Queen Victoria was not the first bride to wear white, according to the curator, One of the earliest known references to a white wedding dress appears in 1818 in an English style magazine known as Ackermann's Repository. But Victoria was the one who popularized the custom when she wore a white satin dress overlaid with Honiton a Honiton lace veil, and a wreath of orange soms in her hair for her .1840 wedding to Prince Albert. The dress was illustrated in publications throughout the western world, and set a fashion that is recognizable as classic wedding attire even today. After Victoria's wedding, lace became the most consistent element on late 19th century wedding gowns. Expensive, dresses incorporated yards pf handmade lace, while less expensive dresses had inset bands or medallions of machine-made lace, Magidson says.

More recent royal connections also have influenced fashion. The dress worn by Wallis Warfield Simpson when she married the Duke of Windsor in 1937 was almost immediately copied, no doubt inspired by her role as "the woman I love" for whom King Edward Vm abdicated the British throne. Wallis Simpson's simple dress, designed by the American Main-; bocher, was suitable for any dressy occasion. One version of the dress was carried by Klein's Cash and Carry on 14th Street in New York City, with an $8.90 price tag. More recently, the dress that Lady Diana Spencer wore in 1981 for er wedding to Prince Charles inspired numerous copies.

not likely that later brides walked down the aisle in exact replicas of the bouffant antique white silk taffeta dress with its cathedral-length train. But details were incorporated into many mass market designs. It takes only months or sometimes even weeks for imitations of dresses worn by noteworthy brides to come onto the market. The slip dress worn by Carolyn Bessette at her wedd'ing John Kennedy in 1996 was followed almost instantly by copies. It's not just wedding dress styles that trickle down.

The public picks up pn menus and other wedding elements chosen by well-knovm people as soon as the information is publicized. This has been true at least since the early 19th century, when popular magazines included stories detailing the weddings of the rich and famous. "Editors knew early on that the general public wanted to know what celebrities were wearing and doing," Magidson says. With the advent of department stores, women no longer had to resort to magazine engravings for high-style dresses to copy. The stores bought Parisian numbers by fashion designers and then adapted them at various price points They would exhibit the originals, and customers could come in to see them and have the dress of their choice copied in the fabric they selected.

Displays in the windows of the shops meant that even those brides who couldn't afford a. store-bought dress could copy the style at home. The wedding dress specialty designer arrived on the scene after World War II. Among the first was Priscilla Kaneb, who in 1946 started Priscilla of Boston. The bridal dress salon is another postwar phenomenon that took hold starting in the 1960s.

"In the '90s, people are trying to include a personal and a family statement in their wedding and there has been an upsurge of special clothing reflecting ethnic traditions," Magidson says. "The latest trend in bridal clothing in New York is ethnic dress." Wedding blunders can happen A NEW YORK (AP) For both bridal couple and wedding guests, blunders happen and someone's embarrassed and someone else suffers hurt fool- ings. Most goofs are easy to avoid, says Cele Lalli, editor-in-chief of Modern Bride magazine. Here's her list of the most common blunders, and their antidotes: Noting on the wedding invi tation that cash is preferred. Don't do it, Lalli says.

Mont of the people you know well enough to invite will know money is the most practical and appreciated gift. Enclosing anything about gift registry with the wedding invitation. This.information should be included only with shower invitations. Expecting the bride's parents to pay for everything, or assuming the groom's parents will pay half. Neither is a given, says Lalli.

Soon after the engagement, a budget and who will pay for what should be discussed and agreed on: This will keep you from setting your heart on an unrcalisti- cally expensive wedding. Inviting friends to be bndal attendants without discussing costs they'll be expected to cover. Friendships can be destroyed if the bride assumes attendants will pay for anything she wants, Lalli says. Bringing anyone not named in an invitation to the wedding. The people named on the inside envelope are the people invited.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith," the children are not invited. If a single person's invitation doenn't in elude guest," the person's date is not included. Sending formal invitations to the ceremony to a wide circle of friends and relatives but limiting the number invited to the reception.

If the reception is to be limited, then invitations to the cere- mony should be- extended only personally and verbally, says Lalli. That make it clear that you would like them to witness the wedding but that the invitation doesn't include the reception. This will keep them from feeling obligated to send a gift. Waiting too long to acknowledge gifts. Thank-you notes should go out as soon as possible for all gifts, including money.

All gifts should be acknowledged with a hand-written note within three months. Failing to do a sufficient vendor search and reference check. Meet with at leant three vendors for each service to compare services, prices, and personal styles. Then try to see their work at a wedding, or at least check references with former customers. Overlooking air-conditipning during warm-weather outdoor weddings.

Tents should have cooling facilities. Forgetting that music should appeal to guests of all Gifts to and from the couple are long-lasting memories By The Associated Moet bridal expenditures go toward creating a memorable one- day event, but from the couple are meant for long-tasting memories: which created the famous 16-prong diamond solitaire engagement ring design, also offers china, crystal and flatware for the couple, all of which can be ordered through its bridal, registry wor to brides finom design director John Loring is to list items in a wide variety of price ranges, so guests can select gifts within their budget. Among recommendations are Tiffany's Cobalt Band china ($240 for a five-piece place setting), a simple classic design; hand-crafted Swedish crystal stemware ($32 per stem) from the Classic Wine Collection, designed in shapes to accent the bouquet and taste of wine; and Audubon flatware ($610 per five-piece place setting), with designs of birds, foliage and flowers the company's most popular pattern, first introduced in 1871. For information about the Tiffany Bridal Registry, call 1 (800) 526-0649 or the nearest Tiffany store. attendant's gifts, Bulgari suggests sleek leather cosmetic cases in black leather, black and chocolate brown nylon and amber leather that are so elegant that they can double as evening bags.

Also at Bulgari are a silver keyholder ($220) or letter opener are more variations on the silver gift theme than flatware and tea services, points out the Silver Information Center. For example, you could select a finely tooled sterling silver picture frame for a favorite wedding photo qr perhaps the first baby to come: Choices include a lattice- pattern frame ($495) from the John Hardy Collection; a triangle design ($2,625) from Buccellati; a small oval ($35) from Lunt; and an embossed design ($150) from Wallace. Or perhaps bar equipment will be appreciated. Suggestions are a martini shaker ($315) and four stackable shot glasses ($350 the set), both from the John Hardy Collection; a coaster ($190) and long bar spoon ($350) from Georg Jensen; a tray ($390) from Lunt. Other possibilities suggested by the SIC are items such as candlesticks and new or vintage vanity accessories.

of the little ceramic couple atop the wedding cake, consider a pair of Silver Crystal Swans from Swarovski. Swans, the company points out, are an enduring symbol of love since they choose one. mate for life. The faceted crystal birds have detailed feathered wings and smooth graceful necks. couple is inheriting silver, china, crystal or other collectibles in patterns that are dis- continued.

Your gift could be replacements for missing pieces or to expand the set. Check with Replacements, a company that stocks millions of current and discontinued pieces, drawing from a network of independent suppliers who regularly scout flea markets and estate auctions to find these treasures. 417 W. Main Ashland, WT 682-6333 Luxurious Designer Gowns and Tuxedos Exquisite Mother ol the Bride Gowns A Dazzling Prom Wear and Accessories Professional Alterations VEIL All New Styles.