08/14/2024
DID YOU KNOW??
Why is white the default wedding dress color in most Western cultures?
We can thank Queen Victoria for white wedding dresses. When she married Prince Albert in 1840 at St. James Palace, London, the Queen wore all white. Her style choice began a trend that persists to this day, almost 200 years later (see cultural context below that helps explain why the trend has endured for so long).
Before 1840, brides often chose bright and even multicolored wedding dresses. It was common for brides to use pieces of wedding gowns from older relatives. They may choose "family colors," colors representing special feelings (i.e., passion, wisdom, protection, eternity, etc.), or colors the bride liked. For those of limited means, they made due with what was available.
Before white became synonymous with "wedding dress," a wedding dress was as unique as the person wearing it. Yellow, red, silver, purple, blue....there were few hinderances. The most common exception would be black because A.) Black fabric was costly, and B.) Has often been related to mourning. Today, black wedding gowns are very en-vogue.
So why have white wedding gowns endured for so long? The color white has been connected to "purity" vis a vis the bride's virginity (which, until VERY recently, was considered something of a big deal). Even when I married back in 1990, pure white gowns were STILL considered special attire, reserved for brides who remained virgins until their wedding night.
Yes, even in 1990, an intact h***n was considered a badge of honor. Only women who had preserved their virginity until marriage were rewarded the privilege of wearing a gown of the purest snow-white.
On my wedding day, I was five months pregnant with my first and had been "living in sin" with my child's father. I was shamed into wearing an ivory dress I didn't like....and even that was considered "pushing it." Looking back, I should have worn a scarlet letter.
How far we have come in just a few decades! Very few people from Western cultures concern themselves with womens' virginity in today's world. It has become the norm for couples to cohabitate and even have children before tying the knot. For some, wearing a white wedding gown may be a way to reject the old patriarchal expectations. For those who knowingly and willingly stick with traditional bridal wear, and are fortunate enough to find a great ensemble, I salute you.
For the number of our clients (and others) who upset themselves into a frenzy because they can't find the perfect white dress found within a limited number of dedicated bridal shops, I must ask....."Why do you want to wear white?" and "Have you thought about just choosing a wedding outfit (doesn't have to even be white or a dress!) that you feel gorgeous in and is within your budget?"
**Side note....please do not mistake my talk of purity, virginity, etc as being negative toward those who choose to wait for marriage. In today's world, we can make those choices....and our choices of when to become sexually active are no longer the business of society.
See photos below.....a famous rendition of Queen Victoria's wedding; example of a medieval wedding gown from the series "The White Princess"; Marie Antoinette's actual wedding gown of gold and silver; Martha Washington's yellow wedding gown.
