A Brief History Of The White Wedding Dress

And why many brides wear white on their wedding day

Before the 19th century, it was customary for a bride to wear her best dress on the day of her wedding. Regardless of whatever colour of dress she chose, she was allowed to wear what she considered suitable. Different colours were used by various brides, depending on their preferences.

Red, brown and russet were popular colours used by brides.

Since it wasn’t considered prudent to purchase a dress that would be worn only once, many ladies simply got what they could afford to re-wear to other special occasions.

The richer the bride, the more fanciful the dress.

Myths associated with white wedding dresses

The history of the white wedding dress is quite interesting as various myths are associated with it.

Having come into popular fashion in the mid- 19th century, the white dress trend became more customary to use in the mid- 20th century.

In most western societies, white colour has always been associated with purity. This is why many brides choose to wear white dresses. However, contrary to public opinion that white signifies purity, this wasn’t always the case because blue was more connected to faithfulness, purity and piety.

It is also believed that attaching white to purity was merely sentimental and traditional because white colour only became associated with purity as it gained more dominance.

Apart from purity and traditional values, white was a least preferred colour for many brides because it wasn’t easy to maintain or clean and wasn’t ideal to repeat.

The beginning of the white wedding dress trend

In history, the first white wedding dress was worn by Philippa of England in 1406 when she got married to Eric of Pomerania.

However, the white wedding gown tradition didn’t become so fashionable or gain popularity until 1840 when Queen Victoria of England got married to Prince Albert. It was a highly publicized wedding that attracted heavy attention from the press.

She wore an eight-piece bodice with an open neckline. The sleeves and neckline were well-trimmed, it had a visible off-shoulder dress with short, puffed sleeves. It also had a deep v-shaped waistline. Her satin dress had a full floor-length skirt and was over 6 yards long.

The dress was carried by about 12 attendants as she walked down the aisle.

A Portrait of Queen Victoria on Her Wedding Day in 1840 ; Source: Vogue

While describing her dress which was made with strictly British materials, Queen Victoria had said:

“I wore a white satin gown with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old. I wore my Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and Albert’s beautiful sapphire brooch.”

The queen treasured her veil and lace flounce so much that she continually wore them to special events during her lifetime. She also repurposed her wedding dress so much that 56 years later, it was also used for her diamond jubilee.

Queen Victoria’s white wedding dress contributed largely towards the transition to and massive popularity of white wedding dresses. She broke the status quo by sticking to a lacy white gown.

An illustration of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Albert in their bridal and monarchial regalia ; Source: Mental Floss

Queen Victoria’s style and choice was massively copied across several continents by women who fancied her look and aspired to be like her.

At that time in England, there was a growing middle class that had the eagerness to display their wealth and they followed the trends, especially of their queen as seen in her pictures splattered all over the magazines.

Since the royal family was widely photographed, more people saw them and were heavily influenced by their fashion choices.

It is believed that Queen Victoria’s choice of a white wedding gown was based on two reasons; she wanted to wear only British-made materials and also sought to support the lace industry in Bevon, which was at the point of decline at that time.

There are also reasons to show that she chose to wear a white wedding gown because it reflected innocence, purity and good sense. For her, white was most preferable to show off a lace maker’s artistry.

After Queen Victoria made the use of white wedding dress popular, her daughters and her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, also did same at their weddings.

The white wedding dress was a status symbol

In the early 20th century, a white wedding dress was perceived as a status symbol because it spoke volumes about the bride’s wealth.

While several wealthy americans and europeans adopted the white wedding dress trend as quickly as it came, it only became popular amongst the middle class after the second world war II.

During this period, there was a slight increase in the production of synthetic materials. The economic affluence that came post-world war II also made it easy to produce enough nylon and rayon to make bountiful wedding dresses for more brides.

Evolution and trends

Although various wedding trends and styles have continued to evolve, the white wedding dress has stayed constant.

It continues to be prevalent amongst contemporary brides and as Wedding Wire, a popular wedding company reports, about 85 percent of brides still choose to wear a white wedding dress because in its typical fashion, it has remained steady through the years.

The white wedding dress continues to maintain its pride of place as a foremost wedding wear and as a popular wedding dressmaker, Vera Wang notes,

“A white wedding gown represents far more than just a dress. It is also the embodiment of a dream.”

Over the years, different brides have made various fashion statements. Bridal fashion has evolved so much, and spectacularly too. As the BBC reports, white wedding dresses have remained in fashion and survived different seasons due to constant re-invention and change.

“The reason the white wedding dress has survived is because it can evolve and remain fashionable –it persists because it can be reinvented.” — The British Broadcasting Corporation