When we talk about weddings, pictures of the bride looking sophisticated and every inch beautiful in her white wedding gown always come in our mind. Bridal gowns in white never fail to make any woman look stunning, but did you know that this particular bridal dress hue did not just come into being? It has a long and rich history that every bride-to-be ought to know. Believe me; this will be interesting, as interesting as your wedding day.
It used to be that wedding gowns were colored and white ones were not the priority. However, when Queen Victoria, one of the most popular names during her time, married her cousin Albert of Saxe in 1840 in her white bridal dress, such trend then started to emerge. In fact, in 1849, fashion editors and other influential persons started to claim through their writings that the white wedding dress is the most fitting hue for such big occasion. They supported their claim by saying that it signifies purity and wholesomeness of the woman, which she has greatly surrendered to her husband-to-be. An appropriate wedding dress should be in white and its material does not necessarily matter. Because of these claims, wearing white gowns started to become the custom of the land. But the story did not end there.
Fashion took over even in the bridal gown industry and lengthy gowns became shorter pieces that highlight the woman’s legs and footwear. Some even started wearing colored dresses and some even go for riskier tones such as black. However, when World War 1 erupted, styles went simpler though the short skirt still remained. Coco Chanel, one of the most influential designers in the 1940’s was the one who first introduced short wedding gowns and styles that showed off girls’ corsets. The majority of her wedding dresses were white and that brought back the custom of wearing white wedding gowns again. Though a lot of women still opted for the colored dresses, some would still choose to go for the white hue, claiming that it looks more appropriate for the event. But this halted during World War II when women only had a short span of time to make their best wedding dress. The use of white gowns continued since it was easier for them to rent or buy one with such hue than a colored piece. Such move even continued when Grace Kelly married the Prince of Monaco in 1950 in a fairy tale wedding in her silk, white gown.
Today, white bridal dresses are a picture of perfection, grace, and purity. During the Victorian era, royals also view white gowns as the color of the bride-to-be who comes from a royal family. A lot of people then deem it as the choice for women from an upper class in the society.