Wedding Dresses: When Traditional White Became Popular

Did you know that white wasn’t always the traditional color for wedding dresses? In fact, it didn’t come into style until the mid-1800s, coinciding with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Prior to this, brides wore various colors, for various reasons.

Perhaps the biggest consideration then remains just as relevant today: Expense. A modern-day wedding dress is probably the most expensive single purchase made by a marrying couple, but such has become the standard. The wedding gown is like the crown jewel.

However, in the not-so-distant past, such an indulgence was rarely seen. Most brides would simply wear their best clothes for their special day or if a dress was purchased, it would be one she could wear after the wedding still. Hence, the color was usually anything but white, such as grey, brown, or blue.

Indeed, only the very wealthy would consider a white wedding dress. Obviously, the lighter the color, the more difficult it is to keep pristine. Thus, white was simply impractical for everyday use. For the privileged however, this fact was the very reason why the color was chosen. It was the ultimate in luxury: To have a dress that was to be worn only once. Such was the case with Queen Victoria.

When the queen chose to wear white on her wedding day, it heralded an unstoppable trend. Suddenly, mindsets of women began to change. Though brides were still married in various colors after Victoria, her choice became the dream color for most brides. Her photograph? Their inspiration. By the turn of the century, the trend had caught on around the world. And by the 1950s, the United States too had truly embraced white as the color of choice.

Did You Know: During the Revolutionary War, brides wore red to symbolize national independence, as well as purple to signify courage in honor of soldiers. … While white is often associated with purity, blue was actually the symbolic color of the day: “Married in blue, you’ll always be true”. … During the Depression, many brides (who still wanted to be married in white) would purchase a dress that could be dyed after the ceremony, so that it could be worn more than once. … For variations on a theme, consider stark white, silk, diamond, ivory, rum, and/or champagne.