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The white wedding has been in vogue for over 150 years now, but where does it come from? With most fashion trends lasting no longer than a decade, shoulder pads being a fine example, why do we still have an infatuation with white wedding dresses?
The white wedding has been in vogue for over 150 years now, but where does it come from? With most fashion trends lasting no longer than a decade, shoulder pads being a fine example, why do we still have an infatuation with the white wedding dress?
Back in the day, it was a matter of wearing your Sunday best. Splashing the cash at weddings was considered very much unnecessary. Ken Livingstone’s wedding antics – wearing a seven year old suit to his wedding and travelling by tube, would have been very much praised in the 1700’s. Brides had to be pragmatic back in the day, and white, not being the easiest colour to keep clean, would not have been favoured. Infact it was blue that was often the preferred colour as it was considered a symbol of purity.
Anne of Britanny was the first recorded bride to wear white for her marriage to Louis XII of France
Anne of Britanny was the first recorded bride to wear white for her marriage to Louis XII of France, but it was in the Victorian era when the whole white wedding concept thoroughly took off. Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress to wed Prince Albert in 1840, rather than the traditional silver gown. Her choice was an example of modesty and simplicity as well as her purity. In an age where society valued innocence, wearing virginal white became highly fashionable.
Being able to wear white was also a strong indication of your wealth, as the white dress probably wouldn’t be worn more than once. Brides who wanted to give the impression of wealth would splash out on a white dress, as it would’ve had to be bought especially for the occasion. The invention of bleaching powder in 1915 by Charles Tennant further aided the white wedding dress campaign.
This begs the question, why do we still have an infatuation with the white wedding? There were many traditions and superstitions surrounding the wedding, for example women would reject a suitor whose last name began with the same initial as hers. Then there was choosing which day to get married on, “Monday for wealth, Tuesday for health, Wednesday- the best day of all! Thursday for crosses, Friday for losses, Saturday-no luck at all!” And similarly the bride wasn’t meant to attend the wedding rehearsal, with a friend taking her place, in order to ward off evil spirits. However, none of these trends factor today.
The trend has probably stuck because white is chic, and now that it’s the norm, it is more difficult to go down the path less travelled. And … you won’t have the worry of wearing the same outfit as anyone else.
