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The trousseau is an ‘ancient’ tradition that has been handed down for centuries, in most Italian families and which, over time, has undergone changes.
Most Italian women have seen, since childhood, that their mothers and their grandmothers bought sheets, tablecloths, towels, explaining that all these objects would make up the wedding trousseau bride that would go to them as a gift on their wedding day.
Tradition had it that the pieces of the trousseau were twelve or multiples of twelve, the more the trousseau was ‘rich’ the more the bride had value. Fortunately, now, the bride is no longer valued on the basis of the dowry she brings, but the tradition of the trousseau is still very strong and heartfelt, despite having evolved over time.
What are the changes compared to the past?
Now, when making a wedding trousseau, the main objective is to satisfy the needs of the couple and to buy ‘practical’ linen.
Before, in fact, the trousseau was composed only with the bride in mind; this is demonstrated by the fact that the creation of the trousseau began when the potential bride was at an early age, that is, when she did not even know her future husband and the wedding was still a very distant event.
Nowadays, however, the wedding trousseau is created when the wedding has been established and to make it happen you buy linen that can be useful to both members of the couple. Furthermore, unlike in the past, all the garments that make up the kit are made with more practical fabrics that are also easy to wash and iron; for example, cotton percale sheets are preferred over silk ones as they are easier to manage, or cotton towels are chosen and no longer linen ones as they absorb more water and crease less.
Creating a wedding kit for a modern couple is easier than you might think; we have drawn up a small guide, divided by rooms in the house, in which we suggest the necessary linen.
bedroom
The bedroom has always been the protagonist of the wedding trousseau, it is the environment for which more products are purchased. Unlike in the past, now cotton sheets are preferred, perhaps with patterns and no longer in rigorously white silk or linen.
Below is the list of bed linen needed:
- Four pairs of sets of sheets
- Double wool blankets
- Winter bed quilt
- Bed quilt (for use in autumn and spring)
- Two bedspreads, which can be used both in summer directly over the sheets and in other seasons to cover the quilt or quilt
Bathroom
In the bathroom too, the watchword is practicality.
Here is the linen you can’t do without:
- Eight towels with guest
- Two bathrobes
- Two bath towels
Kitchen
Even in the kitchen, linen is important and necessary, below is the list of pieces that can make up a kit:
- Four everyday tablecloths, that is, more practical and less ‘precious’ tablecloths
- Two elegant tablecloths, to be used on the most important occasions and possibly with matching napkins
- Four breakfast placemats
- Eight dish towels (i.e. tea towels)
- Four pot holders and two oven mitts
- Two aprons
It is well understood that the principles to follow, to compose a wedding trousseau, are simplicity and practicality: modern couples have less time to devote to the house and the linen for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen must be beautiful but easy to manage. Household items are also included in some kits, ie sets of plates, cutlery, glasses and a set of pots; these are obviously very useful accessories for any future married couple. The advice we can give to all the mothers and grandmothers of the betrothed is to indulge the couple’s tastes, after all they are the ones who will use the kit!
