Dressing for the time and place
Photos are from our wedding, ostensibly set in the same era.
Dressing in period costume is certainly not required, but we encourage you to consider it as a fun and creative way to express yourself.
Don't worry about fitting a particular decade or being historically accurate; we're broadly and loosely interpreting the time period. Most experts date the "Golden Age of Riverboating" from about 1840 to 1890, but some say it started a decade or so earlier, and others extend it as far as the 1930s. So, don't worry about the specific date of the look you choose. The only essential is to have fun, look good, and be comfortable in whatever you wear.
Although hoop skirts would normally fall in the "looking good" category for most women, we have to discourage them for this occasion. Their large bells and rigid hoops would substantially restrict your movement on the very narrow stairways leading to and from the upper decks of the boat.
And, despite the fact that they were considered socially acceptable as everyday attire at the time, the Captain will prohibit anyone from boarding with a "modern firearm" (interpret "modern" as meaning "using metallic-cartridges") or with live munitions for any type of firearm.
If you need costuming ideas, you may find some of the following links helpful in getting your creative juices flowing.
Suggestions based on the Tall Stacks celebration:
Tall Stacks is a popular triennial event in Cincinnati when dozens of operating riverboats from all across America converge on the Ohio River for a week of historical re-enactments, demonstrations, concerts, and partying. It happens again this October, and its time period is, not coincidentally, the same era as our party.
A recap of a more academic costuming exhibit
Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840 covers a period that reaches into the early years of the riverboating era. Although it includes only a limited number of costumes, the fact that it includes multiple angles and details of each of these costumes could make it useful to a seamstress who wanted ideas for freelancing a costume.
A full page of links to 19th Century costume suppliers
The sources on the following list, compiled by the Living History Society of Minnesota, sell 19th Century authentic or reproduction clothing, period patterns, cloth, supplies, or wares. They offer reproductions that vary in degree of accuracy.