Engagements and the Breach of Promise

• Large diamonds and intricate detailing are the hallmarks of Edwardian engagement rings.Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
  
  From medieval times until 1969, the British government enforced a policy called Breach of Promise, which ensured that men would marry their betrothed after an engagement was struck. However, this was rarely enforced during the Edwardian period unless the woman was pregnant. Therefore, many women wanted proof that their men were serious about the engagements. Men began buying diamond rings to prove their devotion, resulting in the classic engagement ring. This resulted in a great boom in the sale of diamond rings -- a trend that grew and levelled off until the DeBeers diamond company paid young celebrities to wear diamond rings in the 1930s, resulting in a second boom.
  
  

Preparing for the Wedding

• Brides could wear their bridal gowns for six moths after their weddings.Digital Vision./Retrofile/Getty Images
  
  In the months leading up to her wedding, an Edwardian bride would put together her trousseau, which was a more modern form of a dowry. Trousseaux were large trunks filled with everything that a new wife would need to begin her household. These included wedding gifts, and gift-giving often turned into an event of ostentatious generosity. Additionally, her family would help her purchase her wedding gown, which she would wear for formal events in the following months.
  
  

The Press

• Before the wedding commenced, presses would publish pages of information on their local brides. The brides' gowns, trousseaux and general wedding plans were laid out for the public to see. Wedding announcements ran for three weeks prior to the ceremony, and married couples would write to the newspapers with bits of marriage advice that their words might appear with the information about the brides. Even those who were invited to the wedding ceremonies devoured the newspaper descriptions.
  
  

Wedding Ceremonies

• Though it was not permitted at that time to hold a church wedding outside of the hours of 8 a.m. and noon, the fashionable wedding time for Edwardian couples was 2:30 p.m. Therefore, couples applied for special permits to enable them to marry at any time of the day and, at £30 each, this was the first time that ordinary couples were able to afford them. To their weddings, grooms and groomsmen wore morning suits and brides usually wore a white gown. Bridesmaids wore gowns in a similar style to the bride in a different color.