Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
~The Book of Proverbs

A chance meeting at the village Christmas Ball. Love letters penned by a devoted suitor in the Springtime, their delivery anxiously awaited by the fair lady. A well-mannered courtship, the much hoped-for proposal, a grand wedding followed by a honeymoon tour of Europe, or perhaps, a month spent with each other at a countryside cottage. And, after all the pomp and grandeur, when she arrives at her new home, the Victorian lady discovers the true happiness of a lifelong companionship - the shared private smiles, steadfast mutual support, and deepening bond of the ideal love match.

Gentlemen begin to court the Victorian lady when she is fourteen or fifteen years old, where the veil of girlhood is lifted to reveal a delightful young woman. She might meet a special young man at an ice-skating party, catch a glimpse of him at her "coming out" ball, or entertain his earnest attention at a country dance. Perhaps she finds herself playing piano at a musical party when a young gentlenan steps forward to accompany her with his excellent voice. At one of the many dances she attends, her future mate's name could be scribbled among those on her dance card. When he begins to court her, after first seeking her permission as well as the approval of her parents, they will politely refer to each other as "Mister" and "Miss". And he will bring the young lady only the most proper of calling gifts - flowers, candy, a favorite book.

Rosy is the West.
Rosy is the South.
Rosy are her cheeks.
And a rose her mouth.
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

Her face blushed with rosy health, and her lips with the freshest of smiles and she had a pair of eyes which sparkled with the brightest and honestest of good-humour. ~William Makepeace Thackery

Light was her slender nose
Tip-tilted like the petal of a flower.
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

The next step of a favorable courtship is, quite naturally, engagement. A young lady's marriage proposal could happen during the magical evening hours in a hidden corner of the ballroom. Or perhaps her suitor will arrive at her home in the morning hours, rushing her into the parlor and declaring his love for her while on his knees, which is, of course, the suitable posture adopted by a young man asking this most important of questions. Proposal accepted, the happy couple exchanges rings - fashioned of heavy gold and adorned with pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, or other precious stones - and announce their happiness to the village or town.

To be accepted by you as your husband and the earthly guardian of your welfare I should regard as the highest of providential gifts.
~ George Eloit

And then comes that fairy tale moment that plays on the stage of every young girl's dreams - the wedding, that blessed event where two hearts indeed become one. The bride, "fair as is the rose in May" and dressed in white, cream or often a gown in a watercolor hue of lavender, pale peach, or apple blossom green, carries a bouquet of orange blossoms with her hair done up in a coronet of roses. The house, gardens or church are dressed for the event in their finest blossoms and greenery, and music from a majestic organ or deep cello sings out the wonder of love. The guests will present the happy pair with well-chosen and useful gifts - fine china, teapots, poetry books and paintings.

But it was a happy and beautiful bride who came down the old, homespun-carpeted stairs that September noon - the first bride of Green Gables, slender and shining-eyed, in the midst of her maiden veil, with her arms full of roses. Gilbert, waiting for her in the hall below, looked up at her with adoring eyes. She was his at last, this evasive, long-sought Anne, won after years of patient waiting.
~ Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

Love is patient, love is kind...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
~ The Book of First Corinthians

And after the vows are said with eyes starry and voices soft but true, the new husband and wife will be swept away in a horse-drawn carriage to their honeymoon journey - a tour of Italy, France, and Switzerland, a fortnight at a seaside resort, or a journey to an undisclosed but enchanting location.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight.
For the ends of being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Never meet your husband without a smile.
~ Happy Homes and How to Make Them

My heart is like a singing bird,
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
because my love is come to me.
~Christina Rosetti

The Victorian lady has promised to love and cherish her husband, and he has promised her the same. She is his confidante, his primary advisor, his chosen partner in life. They are lovers and friends, the best of companions, each thinking first of the other. Kindred spirits to explore their world hand in hand.

From The Victorian Lady - Her Customs, Her Passions, Her Life by Janna C. Walkup