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Mary, Queen of Scots, is known for her austere clothing and heart-shaped headdresses. She was also the first high-profile bride to wear a white wedding dress in 1559, although some sources state that the wedding took place in 1558. White was the colour of royal mourning in Valois France, and Mary was known to love the way black and white made her pale complexion and red hair stand out. Queen Victoria is credited with popularising white wedding gowns after wearing one to her wedding to Prince Albert in 1850.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | White |
| Date | April 1558 or 1559 |
| Husband | Francis, Dauphin of France |
| Location | Paris |
| Style | White was the colour of royal mourning in Valois France |
| Other | Mary was the first high-profile bride to wear a white wedding dress |
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What You'll Learn
Mary Queen of Scots wore white, a colour of mourning in France
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore white when she married Francis, Dauphin of France, in April 1558 (or 1559, according to some sources). This was the first time a high-profile bride had worn a white wedding dress, though white gowns would later be popularized by Queen Victoria in 1850.
However, in France at the time, white was considered a colour of mourning. It was the colour of royal mourning in Valois France, known as "Deuil Blanc". So, in choosing to wear white, Mary was inadvertently dressing as Francis's widow, rather than his bride.
Mary was known for her striking appearance, with red hair, porcelain skin, and distinctive slim white hands. She was also known for her austere clothing choices and heart-shaped headdresses. She had spent her early years in France, where she was betrothed to Francis from the age of five, and her clothing choices as a young woman may have been influenced by French court fashion.
Following her return to Scotland, Mary's clothing choices as Queen of Scotland were mostly black, with accents of white and red. She continued to wear mourning clothes at significant moments, including when she married Lord Darnley in 1565.
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She was the first high-profile bride to wear white
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress when she married the Dauphin of France in April 1558 (or 1559 according to some sources). She was the first high-profile bride to wear white, though it was Queen Victoria who later popularized the trend after wearing a white lace gown at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1850.
White was the colour of royal mourning in Valois France, and Mary's choice of dress was perhaps an inauspicious omen, given how young Francis was when he died. However, Mary's dress was also a lavish display of wealth and status, adorned with jewels, embroidery, and sumptuous fabrics.
Mary was known for her striking appearance, with flame-red hair, porcelain skin, and distinctive slim white hands. Her clothing choices reflected her spirit and personality, and she was involved in textile crafts, dressing her gentlewomen and accepting gifts of clothing.
Mary's wedding dress was just one of many notable costumes she wore throughout her life. Her wardrobe, particularly during her time in France from 1548 to 1560, is well-documented. She was also known for wearing black and white, which accentuated her pale complexion and red hair, as well as her famous heart-shaped headdress.
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Queen Victoria popularised the white wedding dress
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress when she married the Dauphin of France in April 1558. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, but her choice of colour was not without controversy. In Valois France, white was the colour of royal mourning.
Nearly three hundred years later, Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840. Victoria's dress was made of white satin with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, and it was bordered with orange blossoms, a symbol of virtue and fertility. In her journal, Victoria wrote:
> "I wore a white satin dress, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, an imitation of an old design. My jewels were my Turkish diamond necklace & earrings & dear Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch."
Victoria's decision to wear white was partly practical and patriotic. As the head of state, she wanted to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry, which was suffering due to the invention of machine textiles. White was also the best colour to showcase the handmade lace.
However, the choice of white was also symbolic. Queen Victoria wanted to be seen as an adoring and innocent bride, rather than a monarch. This image captured the public imagination, and white quickly became the standard symbol for innocence and romance in bridal fashion. 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.
Thus, while Mary, Queen of Scots, was the first high-profile bride to wear white, it was Queen Victoria who popularized the white wedding dress.
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Mary wore black when marrying her second husband
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore white when she married her first husband, Francis, Dauphin of France, in 1558. She was the first high-profile bride to do so, though white wedding dresses would not become popularised until Queen Victoria wore one in 1850. In France at the time, white was the colour of royal mourning, so Mary's choice of wedding dress could be seen as an ill omen, given how young Francis was when he died.
Mary's second husband was her cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. They married in 1565, less than a year after the death of her first husband. There is no record of what Mary wore to marry her second husband, but it is known that she favoured the colour black. The clothing she wore as Queen of Scotland was mostly black, with accents of white and red, and she was said to love the way that black and white made her pale complexion and red hair stand out.
Mary was six feet tall, with flame-red hair, porcelain skin, and slim white hands. She was strong and athletic, enjoying outdoor pursuits such as croquet, golf, hunting, and archery. She also admired the freedom of soldiers' clothing and wished she could wear similar attire.
Mary's third marriage, to the Earl of Bothwell, was deeply unpopular. Catholics considered the marriage unlawful, and both Protestants and Catholics were shocked that Mary would marry a man accused of murdering her second husband, Lord Darnley. Mary miscarried twins by Bothwell while a prisoner at Lochleven Castle.
On the day of her execution, Mary wore a black cloak, which she dropped to reveal a crimson red dress beneath—the colour of Catholic martyrdom.
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Her clothing choices reflected her tenacious spirit
Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress when she married the Dauphin of France in 1558 or 1559. She was the first high-profile bride to wear white, though it was Queen Victoria who later popularised the trend. White was the colour of royal mourning in Valois France, and Mary's choice of a white wedding dress was perhaps an omen, given how young Francis was when he died.
Mary's clothing choices reflected her tenacious spirit. She was a tall, striking woman, with flame-red hair, porcelain skin, and slim, white hands. She was also athletic and enjoyed outdoor activities, finding women's clothing restrictive. She once expressed her admiration for soldiers on night sentry duty, wishing she could "be all night on the fields and… walk the causeway with [a] buff-coat, steel helmet, buckler, and broadsword".
Mary's wardrobe has been described in several contemporary documents, and many records of her costumes have been published. She was involved in textile crafts, dressed her gentlewomen, organised costumed masques, and made and received gifts of clothing. Inventories of her clothes written in French survive in the National Archives of Scotland. These include records of fifteen embroidered skirts with passementerie, six plain skirts, and fifteen skirts of cloth of gold or silver. Mary wore skirts over a shaped farthingale, lined or doubled with taffeta, and their bell-shaped form was stiffened with "girds" of whale baleen.
Mary also wore a heart-shaped headdress, which became known as the 'Mary Stuart' cap. Her clothing as Queen of Scotland was mostly black, with accents of white and red, and high ruffs and collars. On the day of her execution, she wore a black cloak with a white veil, which she dropped to reveal a crimson red dress beneath—the colour of Catholic martyrdom.
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Frequently asked questions
Mary Queen of Scots' wedding dress was white.
White was the French colour for mourning. Mary wore white as a widow of Francis, whose bride she was about to become.
Mary Queen of Scots married the Dauphin of France, Francis, in 1558.
Philippa of England, who was the sister of Henry V, wore white when she married a king.
