Let the nice day for a white wedding begin...

I have been thinking about weddings a lot lately. They are crazy expensive and I doubt I will ever have the type of period/film type wedding reception that I have always wanted. But I started looking back at my favorite white wedding dresses from period films and I just had to make a list of the most beautiful white wedding gowns that are inspiring as I plan this long overdue reception. 
Did you know that brides started wearing white gowns and dresses until Queen Victoria of England wore white to her wedding to Prince Albert? Before Victoria set the stage and caused a long standing tradition that is even followed today, women wore gowns of color, brocaded and embroidered heavily with silver and gold thread. Red dresses were commonly worn by brides since dyed fabric was difficult to come by and showed the wealth of the family. Hollywood, of course, ignores this and has historical/medieval brides in white since it connects to the current perception of weddings.  With Victoria's wedding, however, the use of white gowns symbolized the family's wealth even more since it is such a delicate and easy-to-ruin color.

 

1. Genevieve Bujold's court dress (right) and coronation gown (left) in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) has always been my favorite version of a white gown. The coronation dress with the gold underlay and the pearls on the bodice has always been my absolute favorite. I hate the puffed up sleeves underneath the bell cap sleeves but that could easily have been remedied with simple long lace sleeves. 

 2. Marrying a vicious-looking horse-lord, she had no language in common with, didn't stop Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) from looking amazing at her wedding. The light flowy silver fabric was perfect for the hot temperatures of the vast grasslands across the Narrow Sea in Game of Thrones, Season 1 (2011). The perfect touch was the brooch like pendant holding the fabric together right in the middle of the bodice as well as the hanging sleeves around the arms.


 

 3. The lady that began it all, nicely portrayed by Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria (2009), is seen here with a traditional Victorian dress covered in lace, modestly covering the upper chest, and flowing widely over the hips. I especially love the flower wreath with the veil. I dislike the idea of flowers for decoration in a room but flowers on a person can make a difference at such a joyous event.

 

4. Two thumbs up for the most original and exquisite of the dresses used in recent film goes to Legend of the Seeker's series (2008-2010) portrayal of Kahlan (portrayed by Bridget Regan) and Richard's wedding. The very sexy and delicate looking gown is a corset tied with a simple ribbon and flower arrangement at the waist, and flows down the legs with an A-line mixture of a mermaid skirt. I especially like that it isn't simply white but a mixture of golden white giving it an old rustic feel.  And to top it all off, the gown is covered in lace on the back and follows the bride everywhere she goes. Lace just makes everything prettier! 

 

5. Finally, Bella and Edward's wedding in the Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) takes the cake for the most simple yet elegant look. The use of lace and buttons on the sleeves and back make the simple looking dress so much more elegant and ethereal. The use of the veil in the film is not to my liking but in general I dislike the idea of wedding veils and prefer flower wreaths or accessories.

Let the Mother of Dragons win...

How I hope Daenerys will conquer the Seven Kingdoms!

Dear George R.R. Martin, 

Don't Kill Daenerys Targaryen! Your book series A Song of Ice and Fire is amazing. You have great characters, rich histories, complex characters, and real heart! But, please don't kill the possibly last Targaryen in that world and leave all of us fans in deep depression for at least as long as it has taken you to write the series. If Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, Rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass, Chainbreaker of Slaver's Bay, Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the Silver Queen, the Bride of Fire, the Dragon Queen, Princess of Dragonstone, Queen of Meeren, Blood of the Dragon, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, and the Slayer of Lies, never wins the Game of Thrones then what was it all for? Who the heck is Fire in your series if not her. You killed Ned, you killed Mormont, over half of the Starks are gone and separated, the Baratheons are nearly extinguished, and Winter has yet to come!? What can we even expect in winter? Winter is coming! has been proclaimed since the very first book. We are five books later and the series has yet to make any crazy impact that brings Dany closer to Westeros. When will her dragons grow big enough for her to control them and rule the Seven Kingdoms with? Just don't kill her. 

Sincerely, 

An Anxious Fan Waiting for Winds of Winter

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys in "Game of Thrones"

Let the month of May continue...

It is May 14. Every year around this time, I feel very compelled and emotional by the events that transpired 477 years ago on May 19. For the first time in English history a queen was executed, beheaded for treason and unceremoniously buried in a chest box in an unmarked grave. Anne Boleyn, the second wife, and crowned consort of Henry VIII was charged with adultery, treason, and incest against her beloved husband Henry Tudor, the eighth of his name. Was any of it true? Or did Henry simply want to erase his past with a woman he once passionately adored to marry wife number three in the hopes of a son?

The love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII is one of the most perplexing, attractive, and enigmatic stories in history. Was it love? Was it lust? Was it ambition? Hollywood always likes to pick one of those reasons and exaggerate it to the extent that PG13 ratings will allow it. This is perhaps why the series "The Tudors" was one of my favorite Tudor England representations on film. Yeah, it was inaccurate. Yeah, it was a bunch of pretty costumes and unnecessary nudity at times. But it was deep, complex, and ironic in its usage of imagery, poetry, and symbolism. The character development of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII was my favorite. Two young people with dreams and hopes for a better England, starting as confidantes, lovers, and friends with things in common, become the bitterest enemies and strangers. Historically, I think this was a fair picture of Anne and Henry because it was documented that they were close friends and they had many things in common (music, poetry, theology, literature, hunting, and politics). Henry waited for her for seven years before consummating the relationship and finally marrying her to be his queen. He had her, this descendant of noble merchants and dukes, crowned as queen with the ancient crown of British history.  He abandoned his faith in the Pope, his friends, and his country's well being for her love. And this was perhaps their doom from the start. To love is good enough, but to love while hurting others tarnishes that love and the black stain simply grows with every argument, with every resentment, with every longing for what was promised and failed to be given. Henry wanted a son. Anne bore a daughter. It simply was not good enough. Henry never heard the Beatles play "Love is all you Need!".

What especially saddens me about May and Anne's execution is her manner of disposal. She was once the beloved lady of the monarch, a woman who could do no wrong, and suddenly slanders and truly heinous accusations were thrown at her. Not only was Anne the woman killed, but her name was marred and disdained for the years to come. It was this stain on her name which would affect her only legacy, her 2 year old daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth grew up to be queen, yes! Elizabeth ruled and led with brilliancy and cunning, yes! But Elizabeth lost so much, gave up so much, and never experienced the many joys of being a woman. Elizabeth never grew up with a mother. Elizabeth never married. Elizabeth never bore her own children. With Elizabeth died the Tudor dynasty and the whole point of what Henry was trying to establish by marrying six different times.

Sadly, Elizabeth grew up with a ghost, a faded memory of a laugh, of long black hair touching her cheek, of a sparkling eye looking over her clothing, but was any of it real? Did Elizabeth know that her mother was innocent? Did she perhaps think of her at times when things became difficult? Did she blame her like others did and maybe even believed in her treason? History is so uncertain, it is all conjecture. The only real proof anyone has of Elizabeth's love for Anne is the locket ring with Elizabeth's image and that of another woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and a french styled hood which was commonly attributed to Anne Boleyn and popular in the 1530s. To commemorate and honor these women, I present my video tribute to Anne Boleyn's fall, Elizabeth's rise, and the very different but interwoven lives they led.

(My youtube name used to be historygirl23 hence the logo on the bottom and this was a fanvideo I created for them last year) Enjoy!

Song: Christina Perri "The Lonely"
Films: The Tudors, Elizabeth, Elizabeth: Golden Age

http://youtu.be/4sCrU-0t2Nc

Let the dissection begin...

"Grumble all you like, this is how it’s going to be"
-Anne Boleyn

Those are the words of a queen; it was her chosen motto, for a time. And now, those words inspire my title for this blog site. I have never blogged before, but I love to write. I don't think that I write well. I mostly write what I think, and when I think it all comes tumbling down in small clumps of moments, of memories, and hopes. 

Why would I be inspired by the words of a woman as infamous as Anne Boleyn? Why would a home wrecker, a usurper, a temptress, a witch with six fingers, and an adulteress inspire a random person from Los Angeles?* Why not? She was more than that. Everyone is more than meets the eye, everyone is more than the few seconds spent with them and later judged on for hours. 

The real question is, why wouldn't a woman from history inspire? History is the blood of the future and if we ignore that, then we are dooming the future to be catastrophic. I am no Eric Ives nor a self proclaimed Anne Boleyn expert, but she is definitely one of the most interesting historical figures I love. This blog site will not only focus on her, but on other rulers and leaders, in literature and history. This blog site might be personal and completely random at times, especially since there are days when my life takes a turn and it reminds me of something from the past. In these moments, I hope to gain the inspiration to seriously continue this blog. You can say this will be a dual dissection of both history and literature along with the crazy grumblings of a geek-for-life. 

*Note: Those are all the stereotypes, the inconsistencies, and the labels that have been given to Anne Boleyn over time because no one really knows who she was- life is all about hearsay.