Wedding dress
Garment worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony.
A wedding dress, also called a bridal gown, is the garment a bride wears at her wedding ceremony. In Western cultures, white is the most common color, a trend that became widespread among the upper classes during the Victorian era after Queen Victoria chose a white dress for her marriage to Prince Albert. In Eastern traditions, such as those in China and India, brides often wear red to signify good fortune.
Historically, weddings frequently represented strategic alliances between families, businesses, kingdoms, or nations. Brides dressed according to their social standing: wealthy women wore rich colors and luxurious fabrics like furs, velvet, and silk, while brides from lower classes wore their finest church dress.
The first recorded royal bride to wear a white wedding dress was Philippa of England in 1406, who wore a white silk tunic and cloak trimmed with squirrel and ermine for her marriage to Eric of Pomerania. Mary, Queen of Scots, also wore a white wedding dress in 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis, the Dauphin of France. However, this was not a common practice before the Victorian era; brides married in any color, with black being popular in Finland. The white dress gained popularity after Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding, where she wore a white gown with Honiton lace. Illustrations of her wedding were widely circulated, and many elite Victorian brides followed suit.
In the early 1900s, wedding dresses featured many decorations like lace and frills. By the 1920s, dresses were often short in front with a longer train in back, paired with cloche-style veils. This trend of following current fashions continued until the late 1960s, when long, full-skirted designs reminiscent of the Victorian era became popular again. Since the mid-20th century, white has been the dominant color for Western wedding dresses, though “wedding white” includes shades like eggshell, ecru, and ivory.
In Eastern cultures, a Kurdish first-time bride traditionally wore a red dress to symbolize postcoital bleeding from losing her virginity, while a previously married Kurdish bride wore pink. Many Kurds now associate red wedding dresses with impoverished rural society, and the practice is no longer common. In India, brides typically wear a wedding sari, usually red with golden brocade, as red is the color linked to married women. Other colors, such as red-white checkering in Tamil Nadu, appear in some regions and castes.
- dominant_color_since
- mid-20th century
- eastern_tradition_color
- red
Lore & Background
Historically, weddings have often symbolised a strategic union between families, businesses, kingdoms, or nations. Brides were expected to dress according to their status, with women from wealthy families donning rich colours and exclusive fabrics, such as furs, velvet, and silk. Brides from lower social strata wore their best church dress on their wedding day. This was not a widespread trend, however: prior to the Victorian era, a bride was married in any color, black being popular in Finland.
Reader's Guide
Illustrations of the wedding were widely published, and many elite Victorian brides donned white dresses at their weddings. In the early 1900s, clothing included a lot of decorations, such as lace or frills, which were adopted in wedding dresses. In the 1920s, dresses were typically short in the front with a longer train in the back and worn with cloche-style wedding veils. This tendency to follow current fashions continued until the late 1960s, when it became popular to revert to long, full-skirted designs reminiscent of the Victorian era. Since the mid-20th century, white has been the dominant color for Western wedding dresses, though 'wedding white' includes shades such as eggshell, ecru, and ivory. In Eastern cultures, traditionally a Kurdish first-time bride would wear a red dress to symbolize postcoital bleeding, while a previously married bride would wear pink; many Kurds associate red wedding dresses with impoverished rural society and it is no longer commonly worn. In India, brides wear a wedding sari, usually red with golden brocade, as red is the color associated with married women; other colors appear in some regions and castes, like red-white checkering in Tamil Nadu.
Did You Know?
- Prior to the Victorian era, brides were married in any color, with black being popular in Finland.
- In Kurdish tradition, a first-time bride would wear a red dress to symbolize postcoital bleeding, while a previously married bride would wear pink.
- Since the mid-20th century, white has been the dominant color for Western wedding dresses, including shades like eggshell, ecru, and ivory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Wedding dress?
A Wedding dress is the formal garment a bride wears during her wedding ceremony. It functions as the central piece of bridal attire and is recognized across virtually every culture as the defining outfit of the bride on her wedding day.
Do all cultures use white for the Wedding dress?
No. In many Eastern traditions, including Chinese and Indian weddings, brides traditionally wear red to symbolize auspiciousness and good fortune rather than white.
Why is the Wedding dress culturally significant?
It visually marks the bride's elevated status and the ceremony's importance, setting the wedding apart from ordinary life. The chosen color and style often encode deep cultural values, from Victorian ideals of purity to Eastern symbols of prosperity.
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