197 ' MARRIAGE tion with the pictorial effect of the men who line the aisle. The floral decorations, more- over, must also be considered in their relation to the costumes. Perhaps the most success- ful brides are those who adopt the picture style, and abandon any attempt to follow present fashions. Sometimes the arrangements are taken in hand by some- one with expert knowledge. This obviates many diffi- culties, for, with a definite person in command, objec- tions and hindrances will be less numerous. When Miss Eden married Lord Brooke, for example, ^ Lady Eden took the whole Dress Rehearsals WM | Mill matter of the bridal pro- The idea of a set rehearsal ^tf I Jm 1 m§ cession into her hands. She of the wedding, such as is ^%k ' ^ m'W designed a marvellous gown frequent in America, is re- '-«*ii»»_. Jp " • ■« ' ** ^ on mediaeval lines' for her pugnant to English notions, There is a delightful quaintness about a Princess daughter, and for the bridcs- but, none the less, a stage- Elizabeth costume for a child bridesmaid j^^^^^g ^^iQ invented a most all her friends to see her married, she must altogether banish self - consciousness. The so-called " best girl " is simply the chief, or the sole, bridesmaid, only she waits at the chancel instead of following the bride up the aisle. Where the maids number from two to fourteen — twenty-four have been known to follow the bride — the fiancee must remember that what is very charming in a single frock is sometimes dull when duplicated, irri- tating when quadrupled, and hopelessly insignificant when repeated in any larger numbers. manager's eye is necessary in choosing the costumes for the procession. Further, the church in which the ceremony is to take place must also be considered. A colour which is lovely in the dim, religious light of some old church will be crude and unpleasing in the blank glare of a new one ; a large number of bridesmaids in enormous hats will present a crowded appearance in a small church with a narrow aisle, and at military or naval weddings the brides- maids' dresses must be considered in coniunc- A Puritan dress is a becoming costume for child bridesmaids ingenious adaptation of Middle Age costumes in white and silver. Even the page's dress was mediaeval, the chain mail being cleverly suggested by silver tissue. Miss Drexel, afterwards Lady Maidstone, designed her bridesmaids' dresses. They consisted of white chiffon tunics caught together with marguerites, in honour of the bride's name, over white satin, and flowing mediaeval veils held by clusters of the same flowers. White Bridesmaids' Dresses Many brides have elected to dress their brides- maids in white, so that the whole procession is a shimmer of inno- cence and purity. It must be ad- mitted that the bride's father, in immaculate grey coat and carrying his tall hat, rather interrupts the effect. But this cannot be helped ; he would certainly refuse to dress himself in a white satin Cavalier suit, for instance ; and the bridegroom, however devoted, would almost certainly jilt his betrothed if she insisted on his appearing in a snowy fancy The Directoire page smart always looks
