Tea at Trianon: Gown

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Gown

People have asked for a better picture of my wedding gown, which I described in my post on wedding preparations. So here it is. Share

21 comments:

May said...: Lovely!!!; April 6, 2011 at 12:48:00 AM EDT
Enbrethiliel said...: +JMJ+

You look so beautiful, Elena!

Did you carry the rosary down the nave with your bouquet?; April 6, 2011 at 1:15:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank, Matterhorn!

Yes, E., as well as my great grandmother's missal and an Irish linen handkerchief to "catch the tears." And I had a sixpence in my shoe......; April 6, 2011 at 7:30:00 AM EDT
Theresa said...: Very beautiful!; April 6, 2011 at 8:53:00 AM EDT
Dymphna said...: Oh that's lovely, absolutely lovely. You look like a classic 1930s bride.; April 6, 2011 at 9:23:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Theresa and Dymphna!!!; April 6, 2011 at 9:35:00 AM EDT
Agnes B. Bullock said...: Perfection!; April 6, 2011 at 2:55:00 PM EDT
Alice Seidel said...: Very pretty! And I love the altar as it should look. I placed a bouquet at the side altar of Our Lady on my wedding day, and she has been with me these many years!; April 6, 2011 at 3:59:00 PM EDT
Gareth Russell said...: Absolutely beautiful.; April 6, 2011 at 4:26:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Agnes! Thank you, Alice! After the wedding my husband and I drove up to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmittsburg, MD and I left my bouquet at the altar in the old chapel there.; April 6, 2011 at 4:48:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Gareth!; April 6, 2011 at 4:50:00 PM EDT
Brantigny said...: Majestic, perhaps the daughter of some European Royal Line?

I love the Altar, you are in the presence of Christ. How appropriate.
Richard; April 6, 2011 at 5:14:00 PM EDT
EC Gefroh said...: Very, very lovely!; April 6, 2011 at 5:14:00 PM EDT
Badger Catholic said...: Beautiful! My wife looked far and wide but could not find one wedding dress/gown with sleeves or shoulders covered. :\; April 6, 2011 at 5:25:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Richard, thank you. I also asked the nuns to put some of their relics on the altar. Above my head, right in front of the crucifix is a relic of the True Cross.

Thank you, Esther!

Bagder, that is why I was blessed to find a lady who could do patternless sewing. She made the gown based on the picture of a late Victorian bride.; April 6, 2011 at 5:54:00 PM EDT
Dymphna said...: Is the monastery still open? I would love to visit that chapel.; April 7, 2011 at 9:31:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: It is a sad story, Dymphna. When there were only three nuns left the Archdiocese of Baltimore closed down the monastery and claimed the property. The adjoining Academy for Girls, where I used to teach, was also taken over by the Archdiocese. How legal this was is debatable, since the property was owned by the Visitation Order. While the takeover was going on, the magnificent chapel was stripped of many of its valuables by Archdiocesan officials, just about anything that was not nailed to the floor, as was witnessed by students, faculty and friends of the nuns. I suppose since the school is still open, the chapel may still be accessible, although I have no idea what condition it is in. It is heartbreaking for all those who were used to worshiping there.; April 7, 2011 at 10:00:00 AM EDT
Beautiful Feet said...: Oh! Elena, this takes my breath away! You look beyond beautiful: you look like the Queen of Heaven who has just turned in Loving invitation as if to say: "You, too, can be a bride. I will lead you to the Bridegroom, my son, my Jesus, our king and our god, and yours!" What a beatific vision for all of us! Thank you so much for sharing this.; April 7, 2011 at 11:57:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: How kind of you, Beautiful Feet! I am humbled beyond words!; April 7, 2011 at 12:16:00 PM EDT
Unknown said...: What a breathtaking beauty! I tear up looking at that beautiful altar; I remember it so well; and thinking what has become of it, well...

May God bless those nuns, wherever they are today.; April 8, 2011 at 3:31:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Georgette, I don't think I could ever stand to go there again to see what has happened to the chapel.; April 8, 2011 at 4:12:00 PM EDT