Here's What Weddings Looked Like the Year You Were Born

Overseas in Britain, where many of the country's young men had been sent off to war, young couples began forming romances through letter writing. Many of these couples became engaged without ever having met face to face, a phenomenon that resulted in a large number of "hasty war weddings."

Queen Victoria kicked off the tradition of wearing white on your wedding day in 1840, and by the early 20th century the chaste hue was the color of choice for society brides. However, the trend didn't take off with middle-class brides until after World War II ended and laundry techniques became more advanced.

After World War I, as formal weddings became more popular, those without full-time social secretaries realized they needed help wrangling the caterer, the invitation printer, the florist, and the seamstress—and so, the wedding planner was born.

Royal wedding alert! In February 1922, Princess Mary of England married Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey in London, considered by many to be the wedding event of the year. Here, workers prepare ornamental silhouettes of the happy couple for decoration (just imagine if Mary had had access to Pinterest!).

Three models wear wedding dresses typical of the 1920s, with slim lines, short hemlines, and cloche veils.

The black-and-white silent film Troubles of a Bride, produced in 1924, apparently sought to answer the question "At what age should a girl marry?" (No word on what the final answer was, though the median age for a woman's first marriage in 1920 was 21.2.)

During the Jazz Age, wedding vendors began to see the profit potential of marketing to brides, and stores began opening bridal departments that offered all kinds of merchandise geared toward weddings, including white bridal dresses.

Marshall Field's invented the wedding registry in 1924, and the idea quickly caught on at other department stores in the following years as a way for couples to let their friends and family know which china, silver, and crystal patterns they preferred. Here, a collection of wedding gifts sits on display in 1927.

The first fully automatic photographic film developing machine was patented in 1928, paving the way for wedding photography as we know it today. In the late 19th century, some couples began hiring a photographer to come to the wedding venue in order to pose for a formal wedding picture, but it wasn't until after World War II, once film roll technology was available and lighting techniques had improved, that photographers began capturing the entire wedding event.

After a series of stock market crashes in 1929, the Jazz Age came to an end, and in the years that followed, the Depression led many women to return to the less expensive traditions of their grandmothers, choosing to simply wear their best dresses on their wedding days.

Prince Monolulu and his bride surrounded by crowds on August 19, 1931. Prince Monolulu (1881-1965) was a popular figure at British racecourses in the 1930s and 1940s.

Proof that couples have been attempting unique and quirky weddings for decades: This couple seals the deal with a kiss on a surfboard on December 3, 1932, just off Catalina Island, California.

Bring on the open bar! Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933, meaning wedding guests could now legally raise a glass to the newlyweds.

The Bride of Frankenstein hit theaters in April that year, giving moviegoers everywhere a look into the disaster than can ensue when one tries to force a woman into a marriage she doesn't want.

At Grosvenor House in London, a model shows off a luxury gown made of 48 yards of satin and 22 yards of tulle. On average, 1930s brides paid $1,092 in today's dollars for their dresses.

With the start of World War II, bridal fashions became more modest. Weddings were often planned in a few days, to accommodate men who were on short-notice leave. Pictured above, professional golfer Henry Cotton and his bride, Mrs. M. I. Moss, on their wedding day. A sign in the background points to an air-raid shelter.

Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt wed movie producer Pat DiCicco in Beverly Hills on December 28,1941. Even back then, the future fashion designer was ahead of her time: Even though cake toppers (reportedly) made their debut during the Victorian era, they didn't become popular until the 1950s.

Actress Carole Landis may have danced the Jitterbug to big band music, as was customary at the time, during her 1943 reception. Landis married Air Force captain Thomas Wallace on January 23.

Wartime weddings, such as this English couple's town hall ceremony, often saw the groom wearing his military uniform, while the bride donned her best dress in lieu of a gown.

With the war over, Americans were ready to eat, drink and be married! Their celebratory mood sparked the Baby Boomer generation.

The Godfather was released in 1972, and Don Corleone's famous line, "You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to do murder—for money," would go down in film history. The film's wedding scene showed off some popular trends of the time—lots of color, big headpieces attached to veils, shoulder pads, and lots of lace.

While the nuptials of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were nowhere near as influential as Princess Diana's wedding would be eight years later, their wedding did embody some classic '70s wedding style—just check out Anne's turtleneck style dress.

During the '70s, the desire to have a unique wedding went beyond distinctive wedding attire. The ceremony itself also became more personalized including the choice of venue. Weddings were starting to move out of churches, and the concept of having a destination wedding took off.

What would have been on a wedding playlist in 1975? Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, and the Beatles were favorites, while Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful" was released the year before, quickly becoming a popular wedding song selection. Disco was all the rage, too, and the most popular songs were slowly making their way onto wedding playlists, like Carl Douglas's "Kung Fu Fighting."

At a royal wedding in Germany, the bridesmaids sported high-necked green dresses accented with flower crowns adorned with baby's breath, a trademark of bridesmaid fashion in the '70s.

Another trademark of bridesmaid style in the '70s? Lots of color, and floppy hats, as seen in this still from the 1978 movie A Wedding.

This year marked the first time couples could capture their wedding on film, with Sony's release of the consumer camcorder. The rise of wedding videography, combined with brides wanting to replicate Diana's extravagant wedding, meant the cost of weddings soared.

Though it wasn't quite as legendary as Princess Diana's big day, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York's marriage to Prince Andrew, Duke of York on July 23 became an iconic wedding moment of the '80s.

Tearjerker Steel Magnolias came out in 1989, which was memorable not only for Julia Roberts' character's over-the-top wedding ceremony, which looked like it had been "hosed down with Pepto-Bismol," but also for bringing attention to the Southern tradition of groom's cakes shaped like armadillos.

Vera Wang introduced her first bridal collection in 1990 and opened her flagship bridal salon in New York City, instantly cementing herself as an icon in the bridal fashion industry.

Sleek and simple was definitely not the name of the game when Celine Dion wore an ornate seven-pound crystal tiara for her wedding to her manager Rene Angelil on December 17th, 1994. The tiara was a big trend for '90s brides—although most brides chose much simpler tiaras for their big days.

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette wed in an incredibly private ceremony held inside a tiny on Cumberland Island chapel on September 23, 1996. Her simple bias-cut Narcisco Rodriguez wedding dress cemented Carolyn as the bridal fashion icon of the decade.

More than 2 million wedding cakes included Precious Moments bride and groom wedding toppers, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Long before Instagram existed, disposable cameras were a trendy wedding accessory in the 1990s—couples placed them at tables so guests could capture moments throughout the reception.