Beauty and opulence of Ukrainian bridal wreaths

Brides in Ukraine traditionally wore very large, ornate, and beautiful wreaths for their wedding. Today, women prefer veils or hats as bridal headwear, but in the 17th-19th century, all of them used wreaths, which showed their marital status. We’d like to show you a nice collection of such headdresses of various shapes, designs, made from different materials, using different techniques. These pieces are modern but very accurate replicas of authentic bridal wreaths from the 19th century.

The wreaths were presented in Ukrainian national center of folk culture “Ivan Honchar Museum” in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Delicate wreath with long vines at the front. The headpiece is made from wax beads and artificial flowers and leaves

Comparatively simple but elegant wreath made from wax beads and artificial flowers and leaves. This headdress is worn on top of a kerchief or scarf

Gorgeous wreath of rather unusual shape. It is made of artificial flowers and leaves, wax beads, and fabric

Magnificent wreath of a large size. It is made from yarn pom-pons, artificial flowers, and threads

Pretty wreath made of wax beads and artificial flowers and leaves, and decorative springs. This headwear looks very maidenlike

Little girl’s festive wreath. Girls often started to wear wreaths when they were reaching the age of 14-16 (marriage age) – it showed the boys that she’s a potential bride. This particular headgear is made from wax beads and artificial flowers. It is also worn on top of a scarf

Ornate wreath made from artificial flowers, wax beads, and glass beads. The construction is pretty complicated