History of Wedding Dress, Not What You Think

For most people, the traditional white wedding dress represents purity and virtue.  A bride is said to wear a white wedding dress to represent her untarnished, virgin nature.

Em hmm.  I was totally pure and virtuous on my wedding day, too.

But the real history of the wedding dress tells another story…

When Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe way back in 1840, she wore a white wedding dress.  The white didn’t represent purity and virtue at the time…it showed that she had MONEY.  Few women could afford to buy a dress they could only wear once, and since white was much more difficult to clean back then (no steam cleaners or chemical dry cleans for those poor girls) wearing a white wedding dress was the height of extravagance and WEALTH.

Basically, Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress because she could.  1800’s Diva Dame that she was.

Of course, all the ladies at court wanted to imitate her…and the tradition of the white wedding dress was born.

For more of that story and photos of some charming…and some not so charming…vintage wedding dress photos, check out The Fabric of Marriage: Wedding Dresses.

It’s become increasingly popular to add color to the wedding gown.  I’ve personally seen blue and red accents in bodice, beading, lacing, or sash in just the past year.  Not to mention wedding dress color options in champagne, ivory and ecru.  We’re no longer locked in to the traditional white wedding dress.  Hallelujah!

Will you wear a white dress?  Go for a bold splash of color on your shoes?