Many of the trappings associated with the American "white wedding" stem from the Victorian Era (including white as the standard color for bride's dresses, per Queen Victoria's own wedding attire.)
Now some intrepid cultural explorers are retooling the Victorian zeitgeist to enhance everything from their living room furniture to their weddings with a retro-futuristic style called "steampunk."
Steampunk arose in the 1980s as a subgenre of speculative fiction, often drawing inspiration from the Victorian science fiction works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. The steampunk aesthetic hybridizes elements of Victorian design--corsets, brass gears, polished dark woods--with modern technologies, or fantastical re-imaginings of same. A maker movement has sprung up around creating Neo-Victorian objets d'art, and several mainstream television and film projects (such as The Wild, Wild West, The Golden Compass, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) have introduced steampunk sensibilities to a wider audience.
As a result, the web is teeming with steampunk-themed wedding accoutrements, most handmade and many quite beautiful to behold.
Steampunk heart pendant by Vaughn and Sean Saball
The exquisite steampunk wedding cake above is by Amanda Macleod of Venus Cakes; it's detailed with high-gloss edible gel and shimmery dusting powders which provide a metallic feel (but fortunately not metallic taste) to the decorative elements. Like a true Victorian bride, the back of the cake is primly laced up like a corset--with teasing tassels for visual spice.
If you're seeking more steampunk wedding inspiration, at OffbeatBride.com you'll find steampunk wedding stories and attendant photo spreads, including this wedding featuring gear-festooned invites, wedding cakes, and groomsman ties.
Jake von Slatt, a designer and steampunk provisioner at Steampunkworkshop.com, stated in this New York Times article, “To me, it’s essentially the intersection of technology and romance.” As more weddings utilize modern technologies--everything from digital slideshows to webcasting to iPod playlists--often without grace or style, it might be possible for the steampunk movement to embed its ethos of elegance, adventure, and craftsmanship in current wedding culture.
Can steampunks re-engineer our stale array of Victorian wedding traditions and resurrect the Victorian spirit of exploration and innovation before we're lost to commercialized cookie-cutter weddings forever?
Steampunk heroes and heroines of the modern era, don't delay--pack your steamer trunks and sally forth to save us! Give our best to the other worlds, and good luck chappies....oh, and I say: don't forget your petticoats, cake toppers, and infallible aether oscillators, pip pip!
Until next time, a sweet and long life to you all (and long live Victoriana!)
National Wedding and Marriage Examiner Elizabeth Oakes welcomes your feedback at weddingexaminer@gmail.com; please share this story or subscribe by clicking on the Tweet This! button at the top of this column or the "Share This!" button below, or read more of Elizabeth's stories by clicking here.
Become a Facebook fan of the National Wedding Examiner or follow her on Twitter to receive instant notifications of new articles with her unique take on weddings, marriage, and culture. She's also happy to answer your questions about getting married in Los Angeles (check out her work and inquire about availability at MarriageToGo.Com and RosePedalsBikeWeddings.Com.)
National Wedding Examiner articles ©2010 by Elizabeth Oakes; reposts permitted with copyright notice and link back to original article. All other rights reserved.
Comments
how incredibly refreshing to think about a wedding where there's some emphasis on something other than... look what i got for only this little. at last a wedding that reflects! (both in metallic glitter and in personal tastes!) Great! Thanks!
Very interesting & I thought my ideas were punkish. What next; wed in the buff? One way to find out who your real friends are!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!