Deborah Chan
Wedding dresses come in a variety of styles and colours depending on the cultural and regional context. In Western countries, the colour white is often associated with wedding dresses, thanks to Queen Victoria, who wore a white lace dress to her wedding. However, in many other cultures, wedding dresses are flamboyant, colourful, and vibrant, with unique styles and symbolic meanings. From India's lehengas and sarees to China's qipao and cheongsam, each culture has its own unique take on the wedding dress, showcasing the beauty and diversity of global wedding traditions.
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What You'll Learn
Indian wedding dresses
Indian weddings are known for their vibrant colours, with the bride's dress holding a great deal of meaning. Common colours include red, yellow and green, which symbolise power, prosperity and new birth. Indian wedding dresses also feature opulent fabrics, delicate handwork, and strong colour palettes.
Indian bridal looks are often adorned with jewellery, with each piece holding cultural or spiritual significance. For example, the placement of a maang tikka on the bride's head signifies that she is married. Indian brides also traditionally have their hands and feet covered in mehndi, or henna, to complete the look.
For those who want a modern twist, Indo-Western dresses combine modern cuts with traditional embroidery. Salwar kameez is another option, offering comfort and elegance with light, airy designs and finely embroidered elements.
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Chinese wedding dresses
Some modern US brides of Chinese heritage choose to wear multiple outfits, opting for a Western wedding dress for the ceremony and changing into a Qipao for the reception. Others choose to wear a Qipao for their tea ceremony, a common element of Chinese wedding festivities. Modern interpretations of the Qipao include ivory silk with red embroidery, custom cuts with open backs or slits, or fusion designs that blend Western and Eastern details.
In Hong Kong and other parts of Southern China, brides wear a Qun Kwa, or Kwan Kwa in Cantonese. This is a simple two-piece ceremonial garment consisting of a dress and jacket. The Qun Kwa may be considered more timeless than the Qipao, as it is worn strictly for weddings, whereas the Qipao can be worn at any time.
Gold and yellow are also significant colours in Chinese wedding attire, seen as imperial and lucky.
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Malay wedding dresses
In various cultures, wedding dresses are often designed in bold, bright hues with varying silhouettes. For example, in India, weddings are known for their vibrant colours, with red, yellow, and green symbolising power, prosperity, and new birth, respectively. Similarly, in Pakistan, brides wear wide-legged pants and a gharara, a brightly coloured tunic, often in gold, yellow, purple, pink, or red, with jewels in their hair.
In China, red is also a significant colour, representing happiness, life, and a deterrent to evil. Chinese brides traditionally wear a cheongsam, or qipao, made of silk with a mandarin collar, often featuring a phoenix or dragon, which symbolise good luck and a harmonious marriage. In contrast, in Tibet, traditional wedding dresses are made of wool with colourful aprons, or vibrant robes may be worn instead.
Other notable wedding dress traditions include the habesha kemis, a formal Eritrean dress, and the hanbok, a traditional Korean dress customised for weddings, often in shades of pink or purple. In Peru, although some adopt the classic white dress, those in the countryside uphold older traditions with colourful dresses featuring geometric shapes outlined in various colours. Finally, in Nigeria, each of the 371 distinct tribes has its own set of traditions and clothing, with large, boisterous weddings spanning two to three days, including an engagement party, a traditional wedding, and a Western-style white wedding.
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Korean wedding dresses
The hanbok is a vibrant and colourful garment, with delicate fabrics and elaborate decorations. It is typically made from a lightweight balance of silk and cotton. The dress is also often embellished, with intricate embroidery and beading.
In addition to the bride, the groom also wears a hanbok, with the couple's attire representing the balance of energy between them. The groom's hanbok is blue, while the bride's is red. The mothers of the couple will also wear specific colours to symbolise their new familial relationship.
Korean weddings are known for their colourful and celebratory nature, with traditional practices like symbolic rites, gift-giving, bowing, and vows. The pyebaek ceremony, for example, involves the couple serving tea or soju (Korean wine) to their elders, who then offer blessings and wisdom in return.
While some modern Korean couples opt for Western-style wedding ceremonies, many still incorporate traditional elements like the hanbok to pay homage to their heritage.
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Pakistani wedding dresses
Zuria Dor, a bridal dress brand, offers a range of contemporary Pakistani bridal dresses that blend opulence and modernity. Their designs incorporate intricate embroideries and sumptuous fabrics, handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail. Similarly, Andaaz Fashion provides a wide range of Pakistani wedding dress options, including bridal lehengas, shararas, ghararas, and anarkalis. They also offer customisation services, allowing customers to tailor their outfits according to their preferences.
Pakistani weddings are often multi-day celebrations, and bridal dress brands offer collections catering to each occasion, ensuring that the bride looks stunning throughout the festivities. Pakistani wedding dresses are known for their elegance and attention to detail, reflecting the bride's unique style and taste.
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Frequently asked questions
Brides in many Asian cultures wear flamboyant wedding dresses. In China, brides traditionally wear a cheongsam, or qipao, a one-piece dress made from silk with a mandarin collar. These dresses are often red, symbolising luck, fertility, and good fortune. In India, brides often wear lehengas, a traditional type of dress with impressive embroidery, or sarees, a long piece of fabric draped around the body. These dresses are often pink or red, and the colour and dress style can symbolise the bride's wealth and status in society. In Japan, brides usually wear two or more dresses during the ceremony, usually white and red. In Korea, brides wear a hanbok, a traditional two-piece ensemble consisting of a long jacket and skirt, often in shades of pink or purple.
In Nigeria, brides often wear brightly coloured wedding clothes, along with a Nigerian head tie called a Gele. In Ethiopia, the Hamar people have a unique wedding dress style. Unmarried women wear large collars made of red, green, and black-coloured beads, while married women wear two distinct metal collars. First wives also wear a leather band with a large visible disk attached. In Kenya, many people keep traditions alive with ceremonies before a more Western-style wedding. For these ceremonies, the bride and groom, and sometimes the bridal party, wear matching modern 'African' looks, including printed fabrics from West Africa or embroidered kaftans inspired by Arabic and West African influences. In South Africa, brides may include shweshwe, a type of printed fabric popular in the country, in their dress design.
In the southern Philippines, Yakan women wear wedding dresses with heavy but vibrant fabrics and geometric shapes. In Peru, brides in the countryside uphold older traditions, wearing layered skirts with geometric shapes outlined in red, yellow, blue, green, and white. In Hungary, brides wear embroidered dresses with floral patterns and three bright colours, along with an elaborate head-dress with wheat woven into it. In Russia, the traditional wedding clothes of the Hutsuls, an ethno-cultural group living in the Carpathian mountains, are very colourful, and the weddings themselves are lively and full of dancing, games, and jokes.
