A Dublin Wedding Trousseau

Advertisement page for June brides in the Irish Independent 1940.

While I’ve been planning my post-lockdown wedding for the end of July I have been enjoying the opportunity to research bridal fashion history in Ireland.  I feel I can sympathise (in a small way) with WW2  brides in terms of some of the restrictions imposed on us because of Covid-19 in 2020. The image above is from The Irish Independent, showing a full page advertisement of wedding suppliers in Dublin in June 1940,  which was just at the very beginning of The Emergency in Ireland (also known as WW2). I love how it gives us insight into the places a bride would go to for her wedding needs. These were the crème de la crème of wedding suppliers with wedding dresses from Brown Thomas, furs from Barnardos, champagne from Gieslers, stationery from Hely’s, cakes from Johnston, Mooney & O’Brien, photography by Ross, honeymoons in the Salthill Hotel and new homes on Merrion Ave, Blackrock. Some establishments will still be very familiar, while others are ones which have faded into the mists of time, but all allow us to see how the 1940s bride planned her wedding…

Wedding Customs

The feature itself explains some of the ‘proper’ wedding customs of the time. I loved what they say about why these customs continued to be popular in 1940 as they do in 2020. “Despite the unconventionality which prevails today there is still one ceremony at which the rules, rites and regulations of generations ago are scarcely changed. It is the wedding ceremony, the modern bride faces what is the greatest day of her life in very much the same way as her mother and grandmother faced it, for the rite of marriage is hedged about with customs and observances that have grown through the years, and are recognised as necessary if the occasion is to pass smoothly and beautifully.”

Wedding Trousseau at Brown Thomas

First stop is to Brown Thomas to sort your Wedding Trousseau (your wedding wardrobe) who advertise in June 1940 that they are “famous for Fashions for nearly a Hundred Years,” (and can still hold that claim 80 years on now). The advert looks to their romantic heritage to appeal to the 1940s bride saying that: “The Grandmothers of many of this year’s brides can look back with pleasure at the thoughts of their Wedding Gown made by Brown Thomas. When lavender and old lace were more important than utility, when the taking off of the train transforms it into a Gown for Afternoon or Evening wear. Brown Thomas’ experience counts. Offering a fashionable utility look and the idea that the money you spend will mean you can wear the dress for day or evening wear afterwards.

“To allow Brown Thomas to make your Wedding trousseau is an assurance that in this most important particular, your wedding will lack nothing in distinction, freshness and charm.”

Barnardos, Famous for Furs

Next up, a wedding fur from Barnardos,  making as they say, an ideal gift for the Bride, you could choose from Silver fox jackets and capes, perfect for your going away look and were thought of as an item that would see you well past the wedding into your new life. Another business still present on Grafton Street and offering unique furs for evening wear. How I wish I could see their ‘special’ wedding window from this time.

HELY’S The Wedding Stationers

Hely’s of Dame Street were the leading stationers of the time – their printing premises is now the Fumbally Exchange on Dame Lane which was behind their store on Dame Street. Here their advertisement plays on the language of the wedding invite, “requesting the pleasure of a visit from the June bride.” Joyce gave this company and its location an amazing position in his novel Ulysses. Hely’s was the work place of Leopold Bloom, the hero of the story. The fictional character of Bloom had begun working in Hely’s the year of his marriage in 1888 and held the position for 6 years.

The Perfect Cake from Johnston, Mooney & O’Brien

Known today for their sliced pan Johnston, Mooney & O’Brien were one of the go-to people for wedding cake in Dublin from the 1890s, while the newspaper image is very cloudy it looks like they made some very stately cakes. On their history page Johnston Mooney & O’Brien say, “In 1835, The Johnston family set up a bakery in Dublin before coming together with master bakers Mooney and O’Brien to share their baking expertise and craftsmanship to form Johnston Mooney & O’Brien. By the 1890’s Johnston Mooney and O’Brien started to specialise in made-to-order birthday and wedding cakes that were made by master craftsmen, many of whom have passed on their baking skills to the next generation of master bakers. By the 1920s, we had 10 Bread and Cake shops all around Dublin to keep up with demand: Finglas, Cabra, Kimmage, Camden Street, Rathmines, Parnell Square, Dominick Street, Capel Street, Stillorgan and Dun Laoghaire.”

Giesler’s Vintage 1930s Champagne

No wedding is complete without bubbles, Giesler Champagne produced in Avize in France had a Dublin office on 39 Dame Street (now the Millstone Restaurant) and a London office in East London.

Wedding Bouquets

Knowles & Sons at 26/27 Grafton Street were the specialised bouquet makers. Just send  Grams (telegrams) to Pineapples, Dublin. It’s now the store & Other Stories.

Wedding Photography by Ross

Ross was much sought after for wedding photography, here they highlight their highly skilled photographers and their finest equipment in Ireland in their advert. Their sign could be seen still on their building on Grafton Street up until very recently. You can find out more on the excellent blog Jacolette by photo historian Orla Fitzpatrick who gives more insight into Ross photography and their glamorous portraits here.

Grafton Street in the 1940s

A scene a 1940s bride would have recognised. Grafton Street in 1947,  image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.