Deborah Chan
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress in 1558 or 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, and her choice of dress was a clear indication of her social standing, as white fabric is difficult to bleach and maintain and would be unlikely to be worn again. At the time, white was the colour for mourning in France, but it was also Mary's favourite colour. Although Queen Victoria is credited with popularising the white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840 or 1850, Mary, Queen of Scots, set a precedent for royal brides three centuries earlier.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Mary Queen of Scots' wedding | 1558 or 1559 |
| Colour of her wedding dress | White |
| Husband | Francis Dauphin of France |
| First recorded princess to wear a white wedding dress | Philippa of England, 1406 |
| Royal who popularised the white wedding dress | Queen Victoria, 1840 or 1850 |
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What You'll Learn
Mary Queen of Scots wore a white wedding dress in 1558/1559
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France, in 1558 or 1559. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, and her choice of dress was a clear indication of her social standing. At the time, white fabric was difficult to bleach and maintain, and it was unlikely to be worn again. White was also the colour for mourning in France, but Queen Mary insisted on wearing it because it was her favourite colour.
Mary was the granddaughter of one of Henry VIII's sisters, and she seemed to embody the famous Tudor style. Her wedding dress was described in some detail, and we know that pageants at her wedding in April 1558 were designed by Bartolomeo Campi of Pesaro. Campi had previously worked for Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, and designed costumes for two court festivals in Urbino.
Mary's clothing choices are well-documented, particularly during her time in France from 1548 to 1560. Her wedding dress in 1558 was described in some detail, and more detailed records of her costumes survive from her time in Scotland. For example, we know that she wore a "great mourning gown of black" with a "great wide mourning hood" when she married Lord Darnley on 29 July 1565.
Although Mary, Queen of Scots, was the first high-profile bride to wear a white wedding dress, the tradition is commonly credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white court dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. However, it is important to note that Victoria was influenced by the earlier choice of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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White was her favourite colour
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding gown in 1558 or 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France. White was chosen because it was Mary's favourite colour, but it was also a clear indication of her social standing as white fabric is difficult to bleach and maintain, and therefore unlikely to be worn again. In France at the time, white was the colour for mourning, but Mary insisted on wearing it.
Mary was the first high-profile bride to wear a white wedding dress, and her choice set a precedent for royal brides. Before her, royal brides did not typically wear white, opting instead for heavy brocaded gowns embroidered with white and silver thread. Red was a particularly popular colour in Western Europe.
Although Mary was the first royal to wear white, the tradition of wearing a white wedding dress is commonly credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white court dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840 or 1850. Victoria's choice was influenced by the perception of white as a symbol of innocence, and her dress was designed to highlight the delicate lace. As accounts of Victoria's wedding spread across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, fashionable people followed her lead, and white wedding dresses quickly became the norm.
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White fabric was difficult to maintain
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding gown in 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, and her decision was influenced by the fact that white was her favourite colour. However, white fabric was difficult to maintain, and wearing a white wedding dress was a clear indication of her social standing.
White fabric is challenging to keep clean and pristine, especially in the context of the 16th century, when laundry methods were less advanced than they are today. Without modern washing machines and detergents, removing stains and keeping white fabrics looking bright was a tedious task. Additionally, in the past, white clothing was often bleached using harsh chemicals or left in the sun to fade, which could be time-consuming and damaging to the fabric.
The difficulty of maintaining white fabric meant that a white wedding dress was a luxury that not everyone could afford or maintain. Only those with a certain level of wealth and social status, like Mary, Queen of Scots, could manage the upkeep of a white gown. For those who could afford it, a white wedding dress became a symbol of status and wealth. It showed that the wearer had the means to acquire and maintain such a delicate garment.
Furthermore, the choice of wearing a white wedding dress by Mary, Queen of Scots, also carried cultural significance. In some cultures, white was the colour of mourning, so wearing white was a bold statement that set her apart from traditional norms. It is also worth noting that in the 16th century, brides typically wore special occasion dresses that could be worn to any formal event, and these dresses could be various colours except for black, which was reserved for mourning.
While Mary, Queen of Scots, was the first high-profile bride to wear a white wedding dress, the tradition of white wedding gowns became widely popularised by Queen Victoria, who wore a white lace gown to her wedding in 1840 or 1850. As the head of state, Victoria's choice of a white dress was a deliberate statement, and white soon became a symbol of patriotism, innocence, and virginal purity in the Western wedding tradition.
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White symbolised wealth
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding gown in 1558 or 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, and her choice of dress colour was a clear indication of her social standing. White fabric was difficult to bleach and maintain and was unlikely to be worn again, making it a symbol of wealth.
In France at the time, white was the colour for mourning, but it was also Queen Mary's favourite colour. She was not the first royal woman to wear white, as Philippa of England wore a white gown to her wedding in 1406. However, Queen Victoria is credited with popularising the white wedding dress when she wore a white lace gown to her wedding with Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840 or 1850. Victoria's dress was one of the first to be widely circulated among the public, and many brides in Europe were influenced by her choice.
Before Queen Victoria, wedding dresses came in a variety of colours, with red being a particularly popular choice in Western Europe. Etiquette books turned the practice of wearing white into a tradition, and the white gown became a popular symbol of status, purity, and innocence. By the end of the 19th century, the white dress was the garment of choice for elite brides, and white wedding dresses became the norm following Victoria's nuptials.
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Queen Victoria popularised the white wedding dress
While Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress in 1558 or 1559, it was Queen Victoria who popularised the trend. On her wedding day in 1840, Queen Victoria wore a white satin court train, bordered with orange blossom, a symbol of virtue and fertility. She chose not to wear the robe of state, instead making her vows as Albert's future wife, and not in her role as the monarch.
Queen Victoria's choice of dress was a romantic gesture, and the notion of the Queen as an adoring and innocent bride captivated the public imagination. The visual ideal of the bride clad in pure white spread quickly, largely due to the rise of print media and newspapers, and their detailed descriptions of society weddings. Fashion plates, adverts, valentine cards, and sheet music, all sold the image of the white dress and lace veil as a model of romantic propriety and purity. As a result, if a bride could afford it, a white wedding dress became the norm for first marriages.
Queen Victoria's decision to wear white was also influenced by her desire to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry. She chose a large piece of handmade Honiton lace, and white was the best colour to showcase this. As head of state, she also wanted to make a political statement and demonstrate her patriotism.
The white wedding dress trend was further conventionalised after Empress Eugenie, Princess Victoria, and Princess Alexandra all wore white to their weddings. White wedding dresses became more popular with the mass market during the 20th century, with the advancement of the garment industry.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Mary, Queen of Scots wore a white wedding dress in 1558 or 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France.
No, the first recorded princess to wear a white wedding dress was Philippa of England in 1406. Mary, Queen of Scots was, however, the first high-profile bride to wear white.
Mary wore white because it was her favourite colour. White fabric was difficult to bleach and maintain at the time, so it was a clear indication of her social standing.
