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How Would Your Wedding Have Looked 100 years Ago?

Updated on May 03, 2023. Originally added on Feb 14, 2018 by Kathy Pinna

Wedding photos capture a significant milestone in the lives of those who took part. They tell us not only about the wedding day itself but also about the people in them, their personalities, and the relationships they shared.

These family photos of weddings taken generations ago are a valuable record of the past, providing a window into the world of our ancestors. Check out these photos of lovers getting married, and at the end the couple celebrating 50 years of love.

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Share and discover the people and places from your past

Wedding Photos from Decades Ago

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For once, the bride is sitting!

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All of those photos of a sitting groom with the bride standing - it's nice to see the bride sitting for once!

Love in the 1930’s?

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Photo of Jeri Spano Jeri Spano
15 favorites
shared on 04/22/2013

Not all weddings involve formal dress

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Audrey Kirkendall
4 favorites
shared on 04/16/2013

Especially during the war years.

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But some involve fancy headgear

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Jennifer Allen
16 favorites
shared on 01/20/2016

Love this 1930 headdress!

1900 wedding in white dress and high collar

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Mel King
15 favorites
shared on 11/21/2015

. . . for both the bride and the groom.

1920 - simple but elegant

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Photo of Alice McCord Alice McCord
13 favorites
shared on 11/01/2015

Holding the groom in 1922 France

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Photo of Sébastien Brice Sébastien Brice
16 favorites
shared on 10/24/2015
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Happy to be wed in 1924

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Photo of Heart Reale Heart Reale
15 favorites
shared on 09/22/2015

Showing their love in 1946

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Wedding day jitters?1931

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Elena Ramon
72 favorites
shared on 08/24/2015

They’re beaming love in 1954

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Photo of Phillip Anteski Phillip Anteski
22 favorites
shared on 04/26/2015

The uniform wedding - wartime?

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Photo of Deborah Moore Deborah Moore
19 favorites
shared on 08/04/2015

People often married at home

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Photo of RTedd Carlsen RTedd Carlsen
3 favorites
shared on 03/11/2015
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Looks like she could do the jitterbug at the reception

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Striding into a new life together

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In 1874, touching elbows showed affection

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Photo of Lori Sloan Lori Sloan
10 favorites
shared on 04/13/2015

Remember, they couldn’t smile in 1854

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Photo of David Berry David Berry
4 favorites
shared on 03/31/2015

But they could in 1950

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Straight from the wedding to the honeymoon?

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Celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss

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Anthony Corrao
43 favorites
shared on 03/15/2012

Fifty years! Don’t they look proud?

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Still dancing after 50 years

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Norway in 1949 -there’s so much love in this golden anniversary

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The results of 50 years of loving . . .

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Wedding photos are also a way to keep memories alive for future generations. They serve as a link to the past, connecting us to our family history and the stories of those who came before us. They allow us to share our heritage with our children and grandchildren, passing down the values, traditions, and beliefs that have shaped our family over the years.

Did you know? Anthropologists believe that the first family groupings consisted of several men and women forming loose alliances, creating tribes where sexual unions were shared. The first known recorded marriage was around 2350 B.C. in Mesopotamia, although for thousands of years the definition of marriage varied. In Europe and Asia, especially, the idea of one man and multiple wives was popular for centuries.

In the modern era of course, romantic love has usually been the basis for marriage.

Have photos that you'd like to see included? Share your photos or see how photography has changed in the past century on the next page.

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