We regularly feature amazing wedding films on a Saturday as part of our wedding cinema, but today I just had to interrupt regularly scheduled posting for something really special - I just discovered that British Pathe have posted their entire archive of newsreels to youtube, and among the treasures are some utterly brilliant wedding films from the 1920s & 30s. True vintage wedding cinema you might say! The wedding films from the 1930s come complete with amazing uber-British clipped vowels, utterly hilarious when describing weddings in Rath-mines and "mind that elbow Bridget". They're too funny & cute to miss...
I particularly adore this wedding - Dermot McGillycuddy (son of The McGillycuddy of the Reeks don't you know) and Patricia Kennedy who had 22 bridesmaids! One for every year of her age apparently. They were clearly the BOD and Hubes of their day. Love it.
The earlier films from the 1920s are silent, but the fashion is a-maz-ing. The ladies are fully bedecked with utterly gorgeous "vintage" or as they thought - super fashionable - ensembles, but it's the gentlemen I really adore - full morning suits, top hats, spats, the works... Lordy, lordy, Irish men have really lost their formalwear groove. Bring it back I say! The wedding of Mr Louis Elliman and Miss Ettie Robinson at the Adelaide Road Synagogue is a perfect example...
The narrator is brilliant - not sure we'd use his descriptions for our real wedding features - he's too hilarious, great example is the wedding of table tennis champion Ms Bunny Heron to Mr Charles Cooper...
It reminds me of my Grandma and Grandad's wedding - I posted their Tatler wedding feature from 1950 just before my own wedding two years ago. It might be 60 years later but not much has changed really.
If you liked these, there are a few more to view over on the British Pathe channel on Youtube, here's a shortlink to the 17 Dublin weddings. My fave is Ms Doris Britain in her full 30s silk satin glam, amazing bridesmaids but then you notice, she's got her specs on - she's a dote!
