How the White Wedding Grown Came About
Wedding fashion has not always dictated that a bride has to wear white. Traditions like the white gown and engagement rings have evolved over time. Pre-1900s there were still many brides who wore all sorts of colors for their wedding, including blue and red. In fact, many marriage customs varied by country so that one bride wore in one country could be completely inappropriate in another country. It wasn’t until the mid 1800s that Queen Victoria of England popularized the now modern white wedding dress and it became a tradition later on as it caught on. What Brides Word Pre-1900
Egyptians were the first to formalize the marriage ceremony. The bride even had an engagement party prior to the wedding. On the day of the wedding she wore a floor length linen or cotton that was embroidered in gold. White was considered the symbol of fertility, so it did show up quite a bit in early wedding gown designs, but many cultures had their own ideas.
African brides could wear a “buba” which was a print dress that could include all manner of design. You might find a pre-1900 bride decked out in a red dress with gold embroidery. Red in the Chinese culture is for good luck. Korean brides also wore a red dress, but it had a blue silk lining. Mexican brides wore traditional bridal dresses with floral embroidery.
Royalty Influence Wedding Fashion
Just like modern day celebrities influence fashion today, royalty in the past would influence wedding fashion trends. Queen Anne Boleyn wore a yellow wedding dress to her wedding to King Henry VIII. King Henry IV’s bride, Marie de Medici, wore a silk gown with gold embroidery. The dresses were getting shorter by then, and cuffs becoming less angular.
Later, the fashion for wedding dresses turned towards empire waists and scoop necks. The sleeves became short and puffy either ending at the elbow. While some people claim it was Anne of Brittany, bride of King Louis XII that started the white wedding dress trend, it really didn’t take off until Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert.
Queen Victoria: The Trend Setter
In February of 1840, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. She wore a white gown with gold embroidery. The design had an off the shoulder neckline with short, puffy, sleeves. The look was so popular that other royals copied it even 20 years after its debut. Princess Alexandra of Denmark had her white silk wedding dress designed in the same fashion with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a lacy full-length skirt. Once other royals copied it, it started a trend, and the idea of having a white wedding gown took hold of Europe and spread elsewhere. Now, the tradition has become a favorite for all brides who associate the white color with purity and innocence. It speaks not only of elegance, but also of hope and a new start in life. The fabrics may differ on various white wedding dresses, but the color remains the same, just the way it’s been since when it first became popular with Queen Victoria.
