Does anybody else remember the tradition of the bridal trousseau?
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m so familiar with the concept – because it definitely wasn’t a “thing” when I tied the knot 27 years ago!
Maybe it was reading my mum’s old bridal magazines (she got married in 1964).
Or maybe it was just all the historical romances I’ve devoured over the years 😉 .
What is a Bridal Trousseau?
Like another almost forgotten tradition, the glory box, the intention was to help the bride prepare for married life.
The French word “trousseau” is roughly translated as “to truss, tuck, or bundle”, so while the glory box ensured that the new bride had all the goods needed to set up a new home, the trousseau involved clothes, more suited to her status as a newly married woman.
I guess this was back in the days when you could tell if a woman was married or not, simply by how she wore her hair, or the clothes she wore. Plus, clothes had to be made by hand, rather than purchased off the rack.
Over the years, it dwindled to being about packing some new and glamourous lingerie for the honeymoon, to celebrate the woman’s transformation from innocent maiden, to married woman. (Oh, and I guess it was to please the new husband, too!)
These days of course, many couples live together long before they are married, so I guess it is all a bit old hat.
The hubster and I were old school – we didn’t live together until we got married. Paying for our own wedding cost so much I didn’t really have the funds to splash out, so my lame half-hearted attempt at a bridal trousseau, was indulging in was some lacy knickers for under my wedding dress, and a new nightie for our honeymoon.
Looking at it now, it wasn’t terribly sexy or glamourous, but at least it was a step up from the tired old t-shirt nightie I wore before I got married!
I’m curious – did you buy any new lingerie before your wedding, or think about putting together a bridal trousseau?!