Wedding season is at it’s height now and while talking with a friend about all the weddings that were looming on the horizon, the topic of white bridal dresses came up; we simply could not agree on why brides wore white. I promptly decided to do some research to find out where the white bridal gown originated and how. It makes an interesting read and I urge all the brides-to-be and the ‘wannabes’ to read this article.
Before 1840 brides married in coloured wedding attire, basically the best clothing they had in their wardrobes. There really were no formal wedding dresses, the bride just wore her best dress and stepped out to be married. A wealthy woman wore a rather fancy dress in any colour she liked. What happened in this year to set the tone of change? Queen Victoria got married to her cousin Prince Albert; she wore an absolutely stunning white satin gown that required 200 women to sew the lace on; she wore a veil. This lavish wedding was widely publicised and it was soon decided by every woman who planned to marry that white was the true bridal gown colour and none other would do.
Getting a white wedding gown was not so easy though back in those days; however, all that changed with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the department store. Though brides could now buy new, white wedding gowns, not everyone could afford them, they were more a symbol of status and wealth.
With the coming of World War I people again reverted to wearing whatever was available and many brides felt it was their duty to make sacrifice. Funds were also in short supply so the dresses became more practical and functional.
Coco Chanel introduced the first short, knee length white wedding dress worn with a long train; white became the official bridal dress colour once again from then on.
Symbolically, white has been associated with purity, virginity and happiness; untainted and chaste. This also relates back to the Christian faith and the emphasis on purity. The other connection to purity came from the Victorian era, which placed great importance of feminine purity and chastity; hence the association of white with these qualities.
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