Hello! 
So, I’m busy planning my wedding.
My fiance and I are both avid equestrians. Our wedding is going to be entirely “horsey.”
However, I am not sure I want to sacrifice the good old white dress in exchange for my coat and breeches.
I wondered if a white or ivory side saddle habit might be a good compromise.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any idea on where to find something like this?
Thanks in advance. :winkgrin:
Well…
I had a custom off-white habit made by Alexander James for my wedding. Pics here:
http://shoot4fun.smugmug.com/gallery/4046571#224976535_tqE8E
http://www.cherryblossomfarm.net/wedding.html
What size are you?
[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;4831828]
Well…
I had a custom off-white habit made by Alexander James for my wedding. Pics here:
http://shoot4fun.smugmug.com/gallery/4046571#224976535_tqE8E
http://www.cherryblossomfarm.net/wedding.html
What size are you?[/QUOTE]
THAT is EXACTLY what I had in mind!!! Absolutely gorgeous. Forgive my ignorance, but how do habits translate off the horse? To be honest, I’ve never actually paid attention to them “on the ground” …:uhoh:
I think I’m um…about a 10-12 now and slowly losing!
Just to clarify, which you may already know, it’s not a full skirt, it’s an apron. When not riding, the apron wraps around your butt, and you fasten it to a button by your left hip. So it covers you from behind (and of course you have on matching breeches underneath). Here are 2 pics to show you what it would look like: http://www.fieldandcountryantiques.co.uk/images/h80d.jpg and http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Sidesaddle_habit_devon_pa.jpg.
My habit is ~size 12.
I bought the off-white melton wool from Woolrich’s, then met up with Alexander James at Upperville to give them the material and be measured. They made the habit, mailed it back to me, and I had it 6-8 weeks prior ot the wedding (in Nov.). I think they charged me around $850, and I paid about $120 for the material.
[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;4831933]
Just to clarify, which you may already know, it’s not a full skirt, it’s an apron. When not riding, the apron wraps around your butt, and you fasten it to a button by your left hip. So it covers you from behind (and of course you have on matching breeches underneath). Here are 2 pics to show you what it would look like: http://www.fieldandcountryantiques.co.uk/images/h80d.jpg and http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Sidesaddle_habit_devon_pa.jpg.
My habit is ~size 12.
I bought the off-white melton wool from Woolrich’s, then met up with Alexander James at Upperville to give them the material and be measured. They made the habit, mailed it back to me, and I had it 6-8 weeks prior ot the wedding (in Nov.). I think they charged me around $850, and I paid about $120 for the material.[/QUOTE]
Thank you SO much for those photos. It’s easy to read descriptions of habits, but I need to actually SEE things to understand them, sometimes!
I wonder if I can make it back to the East Coast in time for Upperville. Well, if not this year, then definitely next year.
Will definitely tell Alexander James that you referred me to them!
Gorgeous! You and the habit! lol The fall colored trees in the background make for a great setting.
I’ve also found a couple of other light colored/white habits. I just love the look of them.
http://www.sidesaddleinfo.com/attire.html
If the next two links don’t work and you have a facebook account, look up the “Israel Side Saddle Association” group. That’s where the pic’s are.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=69162&id=109882149049103
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=69164&id=109882149049103&fbid=110944975609487
There are also period dresses from the early days of the American West. They aren’t hokey-western, they’re quite pretty.
I’ll see if I can find the link I had… some really beautiful, classy stuff.
Thinking of things like this: http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=738819&type=store&category=4160 with the gibson girl skirt linked to…
I’m not All About the top with this, but…
http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=RW509&type=store&category=4150
I know they are not ‘correct’ in some ways, but they are correct for the period in America. And some are quite pretty. That’s not the store I was thinking of, they had more along those lines…
[QUOTE=pintopiaffe;4854043]
There are also period dresses from the early days of the American West. They aren’t hokey-western, they’re quite pretty.
I’ll see if I can find the link I had… some really beautiful, classy stuff.
Thinking of things like this: http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=738819&type=store&category=4160 with the gibson girl skirt linked to…
.[/QUOTE]
:eek: Well, I’m no period nazi so I won’t comment on accuracy for the period, but I want that outfit! My only concern is using a skirt like that with a sidesaddle–where does it all go? But with a nice pair of laced boots…it would look sooooo cool.
SideSaddleRider–I love your wedding pictures! So were your wedding colors your hunt’s colors?
I believe the Gibson Girl skirts are wide enough to wear SS, but I just sent off an email to my western SS guru friend about it.
They also have Western SS Split skirts, but they are weird–one leg is longer than the other so they look even mounted… I think it would be too hokey on the ground.
The walking skirts are STUNNING, but no white. 
I think you need a hat too… http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=CF4631&type=store&category=6200
Thanks! I didn’t actually have “wedding colors”, as my bridesmaids were all aside in their formal navy/black sidesaddle habits, and I just told the florist to give me pretty fall flowers at the formal hunt breakfast/reception we had in the evening. But it was a GREAT party! 
[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;4855662]
Thanks! I didn’t actually have “wedding colors”, as my bridesmaids were all aside in their formal navy/black sidesaddle habits, and I just told the florist to give me pretty fall flowers at the formal hunt breakfast/reception we had in the evening. But it was a GREAT party! :D[/QUOTE]
Those pictures are stunning. It did look like a great party!
Devon, those pictures are awesome!! That’s a sidesaddle wedding done right! What a great thing to do. Can I share those pictures with my SS group? (South East Aside)
LOVELY!
Oh, sure, share away.
OK, here’s the reply from my Western SS guru friend:
Well, the jacket is mahvelous. Love the detail in the back and the points on the front.
The skirt is, as all skirts are, a little tricky. You have to actually sit on the skirt when riding SS which takes up a lot of room. Then you need enough room to get your leg over the fixed pommel which then takes up a lot of length of the skirt. Depends on how tall she is, too and how much to right leg will take up in the skirt. Its also very tricky with skirts because in order to be totally safe in case there is something funky going on with the horse in all the commotion and you get unseated, you do NOT want a skirt wrapped around a pommel and you trailing under the horse. SO, anyone wearing any kind of skirt SS usually takes the left seam, splits it all the way up and then recloses it with velcro to make it a breakaway. Its a gorgeous skirt but it looks to me that it might be a tad tight for SS plus a little too short because you don’t want a bride with her knickers showing, at least not to the crowd. SS skirts are supposed to cover the feet and legs.
I might be able to put her in touch with one of the SS Mavens in her area who can give her better advice than I can on outfits. And also many of them sew. She could possibly have a similar style outfit made that would be appropriate AND fit ss riding better for about the same price as the store bought one. Most SS skirts are longer on the right side to make up for the leg over the pommel however, a ss skirt has a loop so that the excess at the knee, then comes around the back, buttons at the waist for walking and makes a bustle effect. Just a thought.
I can fwd her info to you if you’d like.
I loff that jacket myself…
[QUOTE=looseringsnaffle;4831818]
Hello!
So, I’m busy planning my wedding.
My fiance and I are both avid equestrians. Our wedding is going to be entirely “horsey.”
However, I am not sure I want to sacrifice the good old white dress in exchange for my coat and breeches.
I wondered if a white or ivory side saddle habit might be a good compromise.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any idea on where to find something like this?
Thanks in advance. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Just noticed you are in SP, there’s a lady in Saxapahaw that MAKES custom habits. PM me I’ll give you info.
I don’t know if there are other threads along these lines, but I’ve toyed with the idea of having a wedding on horseback. I’d just need to figure out the particulars… I was thinking of having a small ceremony at my farm anyway. I thought I could wear some sort of Renaissance-esqu flowy gown, either sidesaddle or astride. (I think sidesaddle would be neater). I think my fiance would look good in some sort of cutaway coat. Of course I’m not abiding by any historically acurate rules, just what I’d like the look of. I was thinking I might ride my black (-ish, but I have time to keep him from fading) Friesian cross, and my boyfriend could ride my friend’s white horse. I can picture my horse in a white bridle with flowers and ribbons in his mane and tail (maybe, or that could be too much…)
Both horses are quite bomb-proof and could handle the pressure. What I haven’t quite figured out is how it would work… would we both ride up from the horizon? I know my father would like to walk me down the aisle… so would he lead my horse, or would I dismount before?
Has anyone done this before or attended a similar wedding that could give me some ideas of the logistics? Oh yes, and we’d certainly have to include the dog, but since my nephew might have to be ring-bearer, I’m not sure what role the dog would play. She’s very well trained… maybe just a Bitch-of-Honor? (ha ha)
I’d love to hear ideas!!
Hope that this isn’t too late but I just finished a habit myself. I AM NOT a good seamstress, my mom had to help me with the sleaves and the lining, but the skirt was totally easy and finished in a few hours. I made it out of a nice wool, with a heavier denim/broadcloth interlining. From the patterns bought from Truly Victorian. it would work in a nice cream or off white wool.
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h377/stellatmk/tracy005.jpg
and it bustled in the back for walking.
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h377/stellatmk/tracy004.jpg
Again Im not a seamstress so I bet that you could have someone make one for you that would be just lovely.
Best wishes on your wedding, mine was at a friends farm. when we were pronounced man and wife everyone clapped and both her horses who were watching, quickly spun around and took off bucking and farting. A guest kept my dog by her side during the ceremony then he joined us for photos and the rest of the reception.
For not being a seamstress you did a beautiful job on that habit. It is lovely.
I had not seen this thread until I noticed your post. I looked at Devon’s habit and was very impressed at the beautiful tailoring.
A cream or light tan habit in linen / Polyester blend fabric is correct for a summer habit.
I saw a light top hat on Ebay a couple of months back. You could search there for a top hat to go with the cream habit.
I know another lady who had an ivory linen habit made for her wedding. I do not have photos however.
Go for it and enjoy it.
Thanks for sharing your photos.
regards, sadlmakr
The wedding dress from online shop “goodorient” is very paefect!
Re:wedding
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