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The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, February 15,1984 3 Carob Flavored Diamonds? Section Three Brief history of wedding attire (^Throughout the annals of man it has been customary for grooms to don their most splendid raiment for their wedding ceremonies, according according to the American For- malwear Association. Of course, the higher the rank and the greater the wealth of the groom, the more splendid splendid was his garb. However, even the lowliest wore their "best" for their Marriage contracts have changed A very colorful example of an old marriage contract is one that was drawn up by a Scottish sea captain during the 19th century. In nautical terms, he outlines his and his spouse's duties to each other which include include the traditional concepts concepts of wifely obedience in exchange for a husband's husband's care and protection. "...I explained to her the conditions under which we were to sail in company on life's voyage:" states the sailor. "She is to obey signals without question when received. received. "She is to steer by my reckoning. "She is to stand by as a true consort in foul weather, weather, battle or shipwreck. "She is to run under my guns if assailed by picaroons picaroons or privateers. "I am to keep her in due repair and see that she hath her allowance of coats of paint, streamers and bunting bunting as befits a saucy craft. "I am to take no other craft in tow, and if any be now attached to cut their hawsers (lines.) "Should she be blown on her beam ends by wind or misfortune, I am to stand by and see her righted. righted. nuptials and, if possible, made sure that their wedding garments garments differed in some degree from their everyday clothes. In biblical times, grooms of the elite wore exquisite robes made of fine linens and lawns shot through with threads of silver and gold and bordered with intricate embroidery. The color story As there were no "formal colors" in those days, those robes could range anywhere from pure white to jewel-like hues of brilliant red, blue, yellow yellow and green. The only colors eschewed were purple, which was reserved reserved for wear by royalty, and black which then was only worn for mourning. . The use of brilliantly colored colored formalwear declined during during the early Greek and Roman eras. Both in Athens and in Rome the elect wore' pure white, sometimes bordered in friezes of gold and silver to differ-, entiate them from the slaves and craftsmen. As the Roman Empire came to dominate the then-known world, its mode of dress set the standard for all of what we now know as Europe with the exception of Scandinavia. The next important change in wedding attire occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire and during the medieval period when the chivalric orders, the kingdoms and the duchies held sway over all of Europe. At that time, the royalty, the knights and the nobles wore splendid wedding attire of fine silks and velvets. Those exquisite fabrics, many of which were either embroidered or quilted, were often worn in conjunction with dress armor which was either intricately chased or studded with coats of arms. The elite didn't wear trousers, trousers, but rather long hose of colored fine cotton. Renaissance regalia It was during the Renaissance, Renaissance, particularly in the Latin countries, that grooms decked themselves in great splendor. Silks, brocades and velvets in virtually every color of the rainbow were worn. The dress swords worn with those outfits were actually works of art, examples of which can be seen in modern museums. In the late 18th century, Beau Brummel, a young officer officer in the British 10th Hussars Hussars and a close friend of the Prince of Wales who later became became George IV, was known at Court as a perfectionist in manners and dress, and he became became the style-setter for the English. His dress influence eventually eventually affected all of Europe, and to some degree its effect is reflected reflected in modern menswear, particularly in formalwear. Up to the time of Beau Brummel, the custom of wearing wearing gaily colored formalwear was firmly established. It probably reached its peak at the French court where satins, satins, velvets and brocades were embellished with lace, expensively expensively buckled shoes and the powdered wigs which then marked the attire of the gentry. However, Brummel revolutionized revolutionized formalwear when he appeared at court dressed in stark black, relieved only by white shirt and white bow tie. His only ornamentation was jeweled shirt studs, cuff links and rings. His tailcoat was essentially essentially the same as those worn today except that it was of silk. The tail-less evening jacket cut along the lines of the modern modern business suit was introduced introduced by Griswold Lorillard atTbxedoPark, N.Y., in 1886. Thus was born the"T\ixedo:' For some time the tuxedo was thought of as a novelty not to be worn at affairs where ladies were present. To this day, the French refer to the tux or dinner jacket as "Le Smoking. " Of course, the dinner jacket (tux) is now considered considered to be eminently correct for wear at events which ladies attend. In the strictest interpretation interpretation of the rules of dress, the tuxedo is considered to be "semi-formal"-- "formal" indicating that white tie and tails are required for evening wear. For daytime formal weddings, weddings, the "cutaway coat" and gray striped trousers are correct. correct. The "stroller" (a (lark gray coat cut like a business suit) worn with gray striped trousers trousers is accepted for daytime semi-formal weddings. In Mexico, some grooms wear white intricately embroidered embroidered and pleated "wedding shirts" in lieu of a jacket, topping topping off white pants. A similar style of wedding dress is used in the Phillipines, too. In parts of Europe such as Scotland, Bavaria, Hungary, Poland and the cantons of Switzerland, it is not uncommon uncommon for both brides and grooms to wear their traditional traditional native costumes for wedding ceremonies. Today dieters and natural natural food lovers are well acquainted acquainted with the virtues of the carob seed, but in times past, the Jewelry Industry Council tells us, the carob seed was indispensable to gem merchants. Carob seeds are so uniform uniform in weight that they were used to measure diamonds. diamonds. From "carob," the word "carat" has been derived and is the universal measure measure of diamond weight. But today's carat isn't based on seeds; each carat weighs 200 milligrams or 1/142 of an ounce. Make it a Day to remember! Largest selection of custom-made wedding cake ornaments to make your cake a part of the memories you'll cherish! We also: * rent wedding cakes * do individual cake wrapping * have a supply of sugar pieces * party favors * cake decorating supplies * cany chocolate molding supplies SUGAR CHALET King St. -- Newcastle 987-5428 You chose ooly one mon for the wedding - and you should choose only one store to plan it. Val's Place Bridal Salon. Val's expert staff will guide you through a perfect selection of wedding gowns for bride, bridesmaids, and mother. The groom and his ushers can make a terrific choice from many ensembles for the day... Meanwhile you can match up Val's invitations, napkins, matches, even arrange for flowers and the photographer - all with one stop! Val's Place Bridal Salon. When it comes to weddings, there should be only one! Vtufs $[(l oo 1415 King St. East, Oshawa Telephone 728-0710