Rhiannon Hendricks
The colour of a wedding dress is often a highly personal choice, influenced by various factors such as cultural traditions, fashion trends, and individual preferences. While white wedding dresses have become a popular choice in Western cultures, symbolising purity and grace, this tradition is relatively recent. Historically, brides wore a variety of colours, including red, pink, blue, brown, and black, with colour choices often reflecting personal taste, cultural beliefs, or economic circumstances. Today, brides continue to embrace diverse colours and shades, such as ivory, champagne, mocha, and blush, challenging the traditional notion of a purely white wedding dress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Most popular colour | White |
| Other popular colours | Ivory, champagne, blush, mocha, silver, antique white, black, red, blue, brown, purple, gold |
| White symbolises | Purity, virginity, wealth, grace |
| White was introduced by | Queen Victoria in the 1800s |
| White replaced | Blue |
| White includes shades such as | Eggshell, ecru, diamond white |
| Ivory includes shades such as | Cream |
| Champagne includes shades such as | Gold |
| Red symbolises | Future success and prosperity |
| Black symbolises | Mourning |
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What You'll Learn
White wedding dresses
White remains a popular choice for wedding dresses, with many brides still opting for this traditional colour. Some brides choose to wear white for their second marriage, despite this going against the old-fashioned belief that only "pure" brides should wear white.
There are many variations of white wedding dresses, from pure white to ivory, antique white, and diamond white. Ivory, a softer, warmer shade of white with a slight tint of cream, has been rising in popularity in recent years, perhaps because it is more flattering to a range of skin tones than bright white. Diamond white, on the other hand, can appear harsh on the skin, although this can be softened by incorporating tulle into the dress design.
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Non-white wedding dresses
The tradition of wearing a white wedding dress is a fairly recent one. For centuries, brides wore a range of colours, with the colour often reflecting their social status. Wealthy brides wore rich colours and exclusive fabrics, while brides from lower social classes wore their best church dress. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress, which was widely publicised, and the colour came to symbolise wealth and later, purity.
However, white is not the universal colour of wedding dresses. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, white symbolises purity, innocence, and cleanliness. In Asia, red is the traditional colour for wedding dresses, while in Finland, the traditional colour was black.
Today, many brides are opting to break with tradition and wear non-white wedding dresses. From soft tones such as blush, icy blue, champagne, and lavender, to more dramatic hues like red, black, and gold, a coloured wedding dress allows brides to express their individuality and choose a shade that suits their complexion. For instance, a bride getting married among the fall foliage might opt for a warm hue, such as champagne or blush, to maximise the romance of the setting. Alternatively, a bride might choose a dramatic black gown for an ultra-modern and moody black-tie affair.
There are countless colours to choose from, and coloured wedding dresses are often paired with intricate embroidery and floral appliqués, creating a romantic and whimsical bridal look. Ultimately, the most important thing is for the bride to feel like herself on her wedding day and to wear what makes her happy.
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Wedding dress colours in Asia
In China, red is a traditional wedding dress colour, with the shade representing happiness, vigour, life, and joy in Chinese culture. It is believed that wearing red on your wedding day brings good fortune and drives away evil spirits. The tradition of wearing red wedding dresses dates back over 650 years to the Ming Dynasty, when it was also customary for brides to wear a phoenix crown, a symbol of honour and beauty. Today, the Longfenggua, a Chinese wedding dress patterned with a dragon and phoenix, is a popular choice for Chinese couples.
In addition to red, gold is another popular colour for Chinese wedding attire, as it represents wealth, power, and success. In ancient China, gold was reserved for the royal family, making it a symbol of nobility.
In modern times, the influence of Western culture has led to some Chinese brides choosing to wear white, a colour that symbolises purity and simplicity in Western culture. White wedding dresses became popular after Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress to her wedding in 1840, with the colour also coming to symbolise social status, as only the wealthy could afford to wear a dress just once. However, in Chinese culture, white is associated with death and sadness, and it is considered bad luck to wear this colour to a wedding.
In Japan, brides typically wear white, while grooms wear black, regardless of whether the wedding is Western or Shinto-style.
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Wedding dress colours in Europe
Wedding dress colours vary across Europe, with a range of cultural and historical influences shaping the choices of brides over time. While white is currently the most common colour for wedding dresses in Europe, this is a relatively recent tradition.
In the past, European brides wore a variety of colours, with black being a popular choice in Finland and other parts of Europe before the late 19th century. During the Middle Ages in Europe, blue was the preferred choice as it symbolised fidelity, purity, and the Virgin Mary. The colour blue was also believed to ward off evil and demons, making it a popular choice for royal brides and the wealthy elite, who could afford rich, jewel-toned blues made with expensive dyes. Poorer brides opted for lighter shades of blue, using cheaper dyes like woad or indigo.
The shift towards white wedding dresses in Europe is often attributed to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown for her marriage to Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. Illustrations of the wedding were widely circulated, inspiring many brides to follow the Queen's example. While white was initially a symbol of wealth, as only the wealthy could afford a dress for a single-use, it later became associated with virginity and purity.
In recent times, there has been a move away from the traditional white wedding dress, with some brides opting for other colours like champagne, ivory, blush, mocha, silver, or antique white. In some European countries, there are regional variations in wedding dress colours. For example, in Bulgaria, while white is the most common colour, champagne-coloured dresses are also gaining popularity. Additionally, traditional weddings with regional dress are becoming more fashionable, resulting in a variety of dress colours and styles depending on the region.
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The history of wedding dress colours
The colour of a wedding dress often holds significant meaning, with different cultures and religions ascribing varied importance to the hue. In Western cultures, white wedding dresses have traditionally symbolised purity and grace since the 19th century. This symbolism is attributed to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown when she married in 1840. As the story goes, the colour white was chosen by Queen Victoria as a symbol of wealth, as only the wealthy could afford a dress to be worn once. However, this meaning shifted over time, and by the early to mid-1900s, it was associated with purity and virginity.
Prior to the Victorian era, wedding dresses in the Western world were not limited to the colour white. Brides from wealthy families often wore rich colours and exclusive fabrics, such as bold colours and layers of furs, velvet, and silk. The attire of the bride reflected her family's wealth and social standing. Black was a popular choice in Finland and other parts of Europe, while blue symbolised purity and was associated with the Virgin Mary.
In Eastern cultures, wedding dresses are often elaborate and colourful, with red being a particularly popular choice. In Chinese culture, red symbolises life, luck, and celebration, and dresses often have mythical roots. In South Sudan and Singapore, red is also considered an appropriate colour for traditional brides.
In the early 20th century, wedding dresses followed contemporary fashion trends, with decorative frills and lace being common. During the roaring '20s, hemlines rose, and brides became more adventurous, even opting for dresses that cut just below the knee. In the 1930s, silk or satin dresses with long sleeves and small trains were popular, while the 1940s saw more austere styles due to the war.
Today, while white is still the dominant colour for Western wedding dresses, "wedding white" can include shades like eggshell, ecru, and ivory. Additionally, modern brides are embracing a range of colours beyond traditional white, such as champagne, silver, blush, and mocha, reflecting their personal expression and cultural traditions.
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Frequently asked questions
White wedding dresses have been the traditional choice in Western culture since the 19th century, when Queen Victoria wore a white dress for her wedding.
White wedding dresses are often thought to symbolise purity and virginity, although this association was originally with the colour blue. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, white is used as a symbol of purity, innocence, and cleanliness.
In Eastern cultures, wedding dresses are often colourful and elaborate, with colours and styles imbued with symbolic meanings unique to each region. In India, brides often wear red, which symbolises future success and prosperity.
There are many colours to choose from if you don't want to wear white. Popular alternative colours include ivory, champagne, blush, mocha, silver, and antique white.
Before the 19th century, brides would often wear red, pink, blue, brown, or black. In the early 1900s, wedding dresses often followed current fashion trends, with decorations such as lace or frills.
