Why wedding dresses are white?
If you have been to a few weddings, you might have noticed almost all of them have something in common. The theme, decoration and catering change all the time. But there’s something that is almost always the same, and that is the bride’s dress!
So, has it always been a tradition to wear this colour?
In this article, I will give you a quick recap of the wedding dress tradition through history. And finally, I will explain why the colour white is so common in western culture.
Ready?
The very beginning
The origins of wearing a white dress (or white clothing) at a wedding can be traced back to the Roman Republic about 2000 years ago. Back then, women use to wear a white tunic that symbolised purity and chastity.
After the Roman Empire fell, it was very common for brides to simply wear the best dress they already had. Or in the best cases, they would purchase a dress that could be reused after the wedding.
Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that for centuries, getting married wasn’t truly about celebrating love. Most of the weddings were arranged based on political, family or business interests.
So many things have changed since then! Today we are used to tying the knot and symbolising our love and union with big celebrations.
However, this hasn’t always been the case. Many people throughout history have simply been too poor to afford a stylish celebration as we do today.
Therefore, weddings were kept small and private. This made it quite difficult to have a written record of the type of wedding dresses that used to be worn back in the days.
The royals
In case you didn’t think about this before, It’s important to remember that we have been blessed with running water in the last few decades of our recent history.
For centuries, normal hygiene standards have been awfully low. So wearing a white dress all day wasn’t really the best and most practical idea!
So why are wedding dresses white?
Once again, the royals gave us an insight into the wedding fashion attire of the time. The first record of a white wedding dress can be traced back to Philippa of England who married Eric of Pomerania in 1406. However, her choice didn’t really influence the masses.
When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, the story was completely different. Her white gown was featured in magazines and newspapers around the world!
Her attire was copied by the masses because it symbolised wealth and status. A bit like our current influencer! Isn’t that funny?
Wedding dresses today
Since Queen Victoria’s dress was so wildly popular, it inspired many brides-to-be in Western countries.
However, the white colour became the standard for wedding dresses only after World War II, pushed by the innovation in the textile industry and fashion.
Today a wedding dress represents a mix of fashion and tradition and features many characteristics first tried by celebrities and influencers around the world.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a few different reasons why wedding dresses are mostly white.
From the ancient Roman to the Victorian royals, the white dress has commonly (but not always!) been used through centuries of western culture symbolising status, purity and chastity.
Even though those values have lost most of their meaning, the tradition of wearing white has remained.
And what about you? Was your dress white, or did you choose a different colour?
Let me know in the comments below.
Ciao!
