Junior Rasmussen
Queen Victoria is commonly credited with starting the tradition of wearing white wedding dresses. On 10 February 1840, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and chose to wear a white wedding dress made from heavy silk satin. She was one of the first women to wear white for her wedding, and her choice of colour was influenced by various factors, including the desire to showcase the delicate lace on her gown and support the Devon lace-making industry. Victoria's decision to wear white quickly gained popularity among wealthy and fashionable brides, and the colour became associated with innocence, purity, and romance. However, it is important to note that Victoria was not the first royal to wear white, and white dresses had already been associated with wealth and status due to the difficulty of keeping them clean.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Queen Victoria's wedding | 1840 |
| Colour of Queen Victoria's wedding dress | White |
| Fabric of Queen Victoria's wedding dress | Satin |
| Detail on Queen Victoria's wedding dress | Honiton lace |
| Jewellery worn by Queen Victoria | Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and Albert's sapphire brooch |
| Popularity of white wedding dresses before Queen Victoria | Varied; white was uncommon |
| Influence of Queen Victoria's wedding dress | Popularised white wedding dresses |
| White wedding dress as a symbol | Wealth, status, purity, innocence, new beginnings, virginity |
| White wedding dress tradition | Became standard in the mid-20th century |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Victoria's wedding dress
Queen Victoria wore this white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840. At the time, it was unusual for brides to wear white—a variety of colours were common, with red being particularly popular in Western Europe. White dresses were not popular as they were exceedingly difficult to keep clean, so they were viewed as a sign of wealth.
There are several theories as to why Queen Victoria chose to wear white. One theory speculates that she chose the colour to highlight the delicate lace on her dress, supporting lace makers in England. Another theory suggests that Victoria was aware of the public perception of white dresses as a symbol of innocence, purity, and virginal romance, and that she wanted to be seen as Prince Albert's wife, rather than a queen.
Following Queen Victoria's wedding, fashionable people across Europe and America began to follow her lead. The widespread publication of Victoria's wedding portrait further popularised the white wedding dress, as women sought to imitate her style. By the end of the 19th century, white dresses were the garment of choice for elite brides. However, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that white became the standard choice for brides, with the rise of mass media, fashion magazines, and Hollywood films further cementing the association between white dresses and weddings.
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White as a symbol of wealth
The tradition of wearing white wedding dresses is often attributed to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown during her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. However, Victoria was not the first to wear a white wedding dress, as white had been associated with wealth and status for centuries. In the past, maintaining a white wardrobe was challenging due to the limitations of laundering techniques. As a result, only the wealthy could afford to wear and maintain white outfits, making it a symbol of extravagance and status.
Before Queen Victoria's wedding, it was common for brides to wear colourful dresses, with red being a particularly popular choice in Western Europe. Royal brides often opted for opulent and embellished gowns, with silver and gold embroidery, adorned with jewels, and made from rich fabrics. These details served as a display of wealth and status. However, when Queen Victoria chose to wear a simple white dress, it stood out as a departure from the usual opulence associated with royal weddings.
The white dress that Queen Victoria wore captured the public's imagination and set a new trend in bridal fashion. As accounts of her wedding spread, fashionable people, particularly elites, followed her lead. Etiquette books further promoted the practice, and the white wedding dress became a symbol of status and innocence. The perception of white as a symbol of purity and virginal innocence also contributed to its popularity in bridal fashion.
While Queen Victoria is often credited with popularising the white wedding dress, it is important to note that she was following a tradition that already existed among royalty and wealthy women. For example, Mary, Queen of Scots wore a white wedding gown when she married Francis Dauphin of France in 1558 or 1559. Additionally, English Princess Philippa wore a white wedding dress when she married King Eric in 1406, which is believed to be the earliest recorded instance of a white wedding dress in Western culture.
In summary, the white wedding dress has become a timeless and iconic symbol of love and commitment. While it may have originated as a symbol of wealth and status due to the challenges of maintaining white fabrics in the past, it has evolved to represent new beginnings, purity, and innocence in the context of weddings. Today, brides have more options than ever, but the expectation of the traditional white dress remains influential in bridal fashion.
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White as a symbol of purity and innocence
The tradition of wearing white wedding dresses is often attributed to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown when she married Prince Albert in 1840. Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress was unusual at the time, as wedding dresses typically featured vibrant colours and heavy embroidery to showcase wealth and status.
White wedding dresses were not popular before Queen Victoria's wedding, as keeping a white dress clean was exceedingly difficult due to the limitations of 19th-century laundering techniques. As such, white dresses were viewed as a sign of wealth and status. In the context of weddings, the colour white came to symbolise "the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one". This symbolism is further reinforced by the tradition of wearing the dress only once, which became more common in the 20th century with increased prosperity.
While Queen Victoria is often credited with introducing the white wedding dress, she was not the first to wear white on her wedding day. Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding gown when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France, in 1558 or 1559. However, Queen Victoria's choice of a white dress, accented with Honiton lace, captured the public's imagination and set a new standard for bridal fashion. The widespread publication of Queen Victoria's wedding portrait further popularised the white wedding dress, as women sought to imitate her style and elegance.
The white wedding style received another significant boost in 1981, when 750 million people watched the wedding of Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales, where Diana wore an elaborate white taffeta dress with an 8-metre train. Today, the white wedding dress remains a timeless and iconic symbol of love and commitment, and while brides have more options than ever before, the expectation of the traditional white dress endures.
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White wedding dresses before Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria is often credited with starting the tradition of white wedding dresses. On her wedding day in 1840, she wore a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace. Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress was widely publicised, and white wedding dresses quickly became the norm. However, she was not the first to wear a white wedding dress, and the tradition has a history that predates Queen Victoria.
White wedding dresses were already a popular choice for brides before Queen Victoria. For centuries, white was seen as a sign of extravagance and status, especially due to the difficulty of keeping garments white after wear. White formal garments were considered impractical, and wearing a white dress to a wedding indicated that the bride's family was wealthy enough to afford to have the dress cleaned. The colour white also was a symbol of purity and innocence.
The earliest recorded white wedding dress in Western culture was that of English Princess Philippa, who wore white when she married King Eric in 1406. Mary, Queen of Scots, also wore a white dress when she married Francis II of France in 1558. Other examples of white wedding dresses before Queen Victoria include the empire-waisted wedding gown worn by Princess Charlotte of Wales in 1816, which was covered in silver and gold metallic threads.
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress was influenced by various factors. She wanted to be seen as her husband's wife rather than a monarch, and white was a symbol of purity and innocence. The colour white also highlighted the delicate lace on her gown, and she wanted to support the British lace industry, which was facing competition from machine-made textiles.
In conclusion, while Queen Victoria is often credited with starting the tradition of white wedding dresses, the tradition has a longer history. White wedding dresses were already a popular choice for brides before Queen Victoria, especially among the wealthy, as a symbol of status and purity.
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The spread of the white wedding dress trend
The white wedding dress is often associated with Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown when she married Prince Albert in 1840. At the time, wedding dresses typically came in a variety of colours, with royal brides choosing rich, jewel-toned dresses with gold embroidery. However, Victoria opted for a simple white dress, accented with Honiton lace, and a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle instead of her crown.
Victoria's choice of wedding attire was considered surprising and underwhelming, as royal weddings were often an opportunity for brides' families to display their wealth through the bride's attire. White was difficult to keep clean, so it was seen as a sign of wealth and status. Victoria's decision to wear white was therefore interpreted as a symbol of her prudence and good sense, rather than a symbol of purity, as is commonly believed today.
Following Victoria's wedding, etiquette books and fashion magazines began to promote the idea of the white wedding dress as a symbol of status, innocence, and virginal purity. As the concept of the "storybook wedding" gained popularity through mass media and Hollywood films, the white wedding dress became increasingly associated with love and commitment. The widespread publication of Victoria's wedding portrait further popularized the trend, as women sought to imitate her style.
By the end of the 19th century, white wedding dresses had become the garment of choice for elite brides on both sides of the Atlantic. However, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that white became the standard choice for brides across all social classes. The white wedding trend received another significant boost in 1981, when Princess Diana wore a white dress for her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales, which was watched by 750 million people worldwide.
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Frequently asked questions
White wedding dresses have been popular since Queen Victoria wore a white gown to marry Prince Albert in 1840. Before this, brides wore a variety of colours.
There are several theories as to why Queen Victoria chose to wear white. Some sources suggest that she wanted to showcase the delicate lace on her dress, or that she wanted to support English lace makers. Other sources suggest that she chose white because of its connotations of innocence and purity.
Queen Victoria is often credited with starting the tradition of wearing white wedding dresses, but she was not the first royal bride to wear white. Mary, Queen of Scots, wore white when she married Francis Dauphin of France in 1558/1559.
Accounts of Queen Victoria's wedding spread across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, and fashionable people followed her lead. White dresses were also a symbol of wealth, as they were difficult to keep clean, so wearing white was an opportunity for conspicuous consumption.
