Franklin Dean
The white wedding dress is a tradition that has been popularised by Victorian era elites, Hollywood, and royalty. The tradition is commonly credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white court dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. However, this was not the first instance of a royal bride wearing white, as Mary, Queen of Scots wore a white wedding dress in 1559, and Philippa of England wore a white silk tunic and cloak in 1406. White wedding dresses gained new symbolism in the 19th century, with the colour signifying purity, innocence, and wealth. The mass media, fashion magazines, and Hollywood films further cemented the association between white dresses and weddings in the 20th century, with the first white wedding dress being advertised in 1927.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1840 |
| Royal Bride | Queen Victoria |
| Groom | Prince Albert |
| Fabric | Spitalfields cream silk-satin |
| Details | Honiton lace at the neck and sleeves, slim waist, full crinoline petticoat |
| Symbolism | Wealth, status, innocence, virginity, purity |
| Popularised by | Hollywood, royalty, media coverage |
| Became customary | Mid-20th century |
| Percentage of US brides wearing white | 82% |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Victoria's influence
The white wedding dress is commonly credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white gown when she married Prince Albert in 1840. Victoria's choice of a white dress was unusual, as royal brides before her wore colourful dresses, with red being a popular choice in Western Europe. Debutantes had long been required to wear white court dresses for their first presentation at court, and white dresses were also associated with virginity and purity.
Queen Victoria's wedding was one of the first heavily photographed royal weddings, and illustrations of the event were widely published. As accounts of Victoria's wedding spread across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, fashionable people followed her lead, and the white dress became a popular symbol of status and purity. White also looked good in early black-and-white or sepia-toned photography. However, due to the limitations of laundering techniques in the 19th century, white dresses were hard to maintain, and so they were also a way for brides to show that their families were wealthy enough to afford a dress that could be easily ruined.
Over time, the white wedding dress became increasingly popular, with Hollywood and celebrity weddings further cementing the notion that marriage demanded a white dress. By the end of the 19th century, the white dress was the garment of choice for elite brides on both sides of the Atlantic. However, it wasn't until after World War II that middle-class British and American brides fully adopted the trend, as increased prosperity made it more feasible to purchase a single-use wedding dress.
Today, white is the dominant colour for wedding dresses in Western cultures, although it is not universal. In some cultures, white is considered unlucky for weddings, and other colours such as red, pink, blue, gold, grey, and black have gained popularity in recent years.
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Symbol of status and purity
The white wedding dress has been a symbol of status, purity, and innocence since Queen Victoria wore a white gown when she married Prince Albert in 1840. Before Queen Victoria, royal brides wore a variety of colours, with red being a popular choice in Western Europe. Debutantes were required to wear white court dresses for their first presentation at court, and Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress set a new trend.
White wedding dresses were soon associated with wealth and status, as laundering clothing in the 19th century was challenging, and white dresses were difficult to maintain. Brides from wealthy families could afford to wear an elaborate dress that could be ruined by any sort of work or spill. The white dress also became a symbol of purity and innocence, with roots in Christian symbolism. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, white is used as a symbol of purity, innocence, and cleanliness in religious ceremonies, including weddings.
The white wedding dress was popularised by Hollywood and royalty, and the trend was further boosted when Lady Diana Spencer wore an ivory silk taffeta gown when she married Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981. The white wedding tradition also includes the practice of wearing the dress only once, which became more common in the 20th century as society became more prosperous.
The white wedding dress has evolved to symbolise various values, including purity, innocence, wealth, status, tradition, and cultural influence. It also marks a rite of passage, signifying a bride's transition from childhood to adulthood and the beginning of a new chapter in her life. The colour white is often associated with new beginnings and is considered a blank canvas waiting to be written on.
While the white wedding dress is a well-established tradition in Western culture, it is not universal. In some cultures, such as Middle Eastern, African, and South American countries, the traditional bridal dress is brightly coloured, with red being a popular choice in Indian and Chinese weddings.
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Hollywood and celebrity influence
The white wedding dress is commonly credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white court dress to her wedding with Prince Albert in 1840. However, the tradition of wearing white wedding dresses only became customary in the mid-20th century, with the help of Hollywood and celebrity influence.
The rise of mass media, fashion magazines, and Hollywood films further cemented the association between white dresses and weddings, reinforcing the idea of the "storybook wedding". The portrayal of weddings in Hollywood, as well as the speed and ease with which people could see images of celebrity weddings, helped to spread the notion that marriage demanded a white dress.
Following World War II, the middle class began copying the look of the wealthy, and the idea of buying a wedding dress just for the day of celebrations took hold. Hollywood played a significant role in this, as they started featuring brides in white gowns on their wedding day in movies. They created an image of the idyllic chapel wedding, and once everyone saw this on the big screen, they wanted to imitate it.
One of the most famous examples of Hollywood influencing wedding dress trends is Grace Kelly's wedding gown in 1956, made from lace, silk, pearls, and tulle. Photographs and film footage of her dress quickly spread across the globe, inspiring brides worldwide. Similarly, Princess Diana's ivory silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot train by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which she wore during her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, further solidified the white wedding dress's place in history. The wedding was watched by 750 million people, popularizing the idea of a grand white wedding.
More recently, Meghan Markle's choice to wear a simple wedding dress for her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry brought forth a desire for simplicity in wedding dresses. Similarly, Princess Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011 sparked a trend for long-sleeve lace ball gowns. These examples demonstrate how celebrity and royal weddings continue to influence bridal fashion and reinforce the enduring expectation of the traditional white dress.
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White wedding dresses in history
The white wedding dress is commonly associated with the Victorian era, specifically Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. The fashion-conscious queen wore a white gown trimmed with Honiton lace, and illustrations of the wedding were widely circulated, leading many brides to opt for white in accordance with the Queen's choice. Prior to this, royal brides wore a variety of colours, with red being particularly popular in Western Europe. Debutantes and women being presented at court were also known to wear white.
The white wedding dress was also popularised by Philippa of England, who wore white silk bordered with squirrel and ermine when she married Eric of Pomerania in 1406, and Mary, Queen of Scots, who wore white when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France, in 1559. However, white was the colour of mourning for French queens, and Mary's choice was due to it being her favourite colour, rather than setting a trend.
In the 19th century, white wedding dresses became a symbol of status and wealth, as laundering clothing was challenging and white dresses were hard to maintain. They also carried a connotation of "innocence and virginal purity", with etiquette books turning the practice into a tradition. By the end of the 19th century, white dresses were the garment of choice for elite brides on both sides of the Atlantic, but it wasn't until after World War II that middle-class British and American brides fully adopted the trend.
The portrayal of weddings in Hollywood, as well as the widespread dissemination of celebrity wedding images, further cemented the notion that marriage demanded a white dress. Grace Kelly's wedding gown in 1956, and Lady Diana Spencer's ivory silk taffeta gown for her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981, which was watched by 750 million people, both played a significant role in popularising the white wedding dress. Today, a wedding dress for a first marriage in Western culture is usually white by default, with shades such as eggshell, ecru, and ivory included in the definition of "wedding white".
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The modern white wedding experience
The white wedding, a formal or semi-formal wedding tradition, originated in Great Britain during the Victorian era in the mid-19th century. The trend was popularised by Queen Victoria, who wore a white silk-satin gown with Honiton lace at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. This was considered unusual at the time, as white was the colour of mourning for French queens, and royal brides typically wore red or other bright colours. However, as accounts of Victoria's wedding spread, fashionable people across Europe and America began to follow her lead.
In the 19th century, white wedding dresses became a symbol of status and wealth, as they were difficult to keep clean and could be ruined by any sort of work or spill. They also carried a connotation of "innocence and virginal purity". 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 was not until after World War II that middle-class British and American brides fully adopted the trend, as increased prosperity made it possible for them to purchase single-use wedding dresses.
The white wedding experienced another significant boost in popularity in 1981, when 750 million people watched Lady Diana Spencer marry Charles, Prince of Wales. Diana's ivory silk taffeta gown with an 8-metre train inspired brides worldwide and solidified the place of the white wedding dress in history. Today, white is the most widely worn colour for wedding gowns, with 82% of US brides choosing to wear white.
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Frequently asked questions
White wedding dresses started gaining popularity after Queen Victoria wore a white court dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840.
Although Queen Victoria is often credited with starting the trend, white wedding dresses have been worn for thousands of years. In the Roman Republic (509 B.C. - 27 B.C.), brides wore white tunics to symbolise purity and chastity.
Before white dresses became popular in the mid-19th century, brides typically wore their best dress or purchased a new gown that could be worn again. This gown could be of any colour, including blue, yellow, black, brown, or grey.
White dresses became popular among the elite as they were a way to display wealth and status. White dresses were hard to maintain and keep clean, so only wealthy brides could afford to wear them. The colour white also became associated with purity and innocence, further cementing its popularity.
White dresses became popular among the middle class in Europe and the US after World War II. Increased prosperity and the development of synthetic fabrics in the 1930s and 1940s made it more affordable for women of any class to wear a white wedding gown.
