Ring Bearer and Page Costumes: Modern Trends

Figure 1.--Here we see a ring bearer displaying the ring at a fashionable Alabama wedding. The boy wersa blouse with a blouse with alarge fancy collar white short pants, and bare feet. These bare foot ring bearers and flower girls in summer weeatherr have become very popular. WEe suspct thzat the wjitd outfits and bare feet suggest an image of innosence. .

We have noticed a range of modern trends. In more recent years, the ring bearer often wears a white velvet or satin suit with knickers rather than short pants These outfits are with white knee socks and black patent strap or buckle shoes. In the 1990s when formal dress is selected, knickers or rather long shorts are usually selected instead of the fairly short length velvet or satin shorts once common. Blouse outfits have become much more common. Sometimes instead of a suit a white blouse with lace collar is worn with short pants. Increasingly in he 21st century, boys are wearing formal long pants suits rather than the more common junior Eton short pants suits once so common for ring bearers. Another modern trend is for the younger children involved to go barefoot, both the ring bearers and flower girls. This is sometimes the case even with formal weddings.. Here the boys often wear blouses and short pants and the girls petty dresses. We see this quite a bit in Spring and Summer weddings. A reader writes, "Why do mothers choose to have their sons photographed in bare feet? I think this may be a Southern tradition. This is an attendant at a nice wedding wearing what is now the heirloom look in formal weddings (figure 1). Blouse over shorts. Gathered lace trim Peter Pan collar blouse, matching turn-up cuffs, finished hem. My Mother in the 1960s would have a stroke! God Rest Her Soul. My sisters told me that even when it was summer when we went out for dinner or to church, I wore outfits that displayed the collar outside of "something": for example, during summer, a seersucker eton jacket, or wide suspender bib shorts. The latter I am told, would have the collar placed over the wide suspenders. There were other little predilections Mother had about all of our dressy outfits. Mother was very particular it seems!"

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Created: 3:23 AM 9/21/2023
Last updated: 3:23 AM 9/21/2023