In the early to mid-nineteenth century, cream or white silk waistcoats were popular for wedding wear. They were often embroidered, sometimes by family members or even by the future bride. A hand-written paper label sewn into this waistcoat links it to the marriage of John Montefiore and Julia Norman on the 28th January 1845. We have the white and silver figured silk waistcoat that John wore for the ceremony (see T.668-1919), so perhaps this waistcoat was embroidered by Julia as a wedding gift for her new husband.
The choice of forget-me-nots, which signify fidelity, would have been appropriate for a wedding waistcoat. John and Julia Montefiore's marriage lasted 50 years, ending only with their deaths in 1895.