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Queen Victoria is often credited with starting the tradition of wearing white wedding dresses. At the time of her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, it was common for wedding dresses to come in a variety of colours. However, Victoria chose to wear a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace. There are several theories as to why she chose to wear white. Some believe it was to showcase her support for the English lace industry, while others suggest it was to symbolise her purity and innocence as a bride. Whatever the reason, Victoria's choice of dress had a lasting impact on Western bridal fashion, with white becoming the standard symbol for innocence and romance in weddings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | White |
| Fabric | Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace |
| Jewellery | Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, Albert's sapphire brooch |
| Train | Over six yards long |
| Attendants | Twelve people carried the train |
| Neckline | Wide and open |
| Sleeves | Short, puffed, off-the-shoulder |
| Waistline | Deep v-shaped, pointed, basque shape |
| Lace | Trimmed the neckline and sleeves |
| Skirt | Floor-length, seven widths of fabric in forward-facing pleats |
| Symbolism | Wealth, status, purity, innocence, virginity, romantic propriety |
| Designer | Queen Victoria |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Victoria's wedding dress was made of Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace
Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840. This choice broke from royal custom and set a new trend for Western bridal fashion. There are several theories as to why Victoria chose to wear white. One theory suggests that she wanted to be seen as Albert's wife and not as a queen, with the white dress symbolising innocence and romance. Another theory is that she chose white because it was the perfect colour to highlight the delicate lace. White was also a symbol of wealth, as it was a rare and expensive colour before the mastery of bleaching techniques.
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White was a symbol of wealth and status
When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, she wore a gorgeous white wedding dress that sparked a trend and changed bridal fashion forever. White was a symbol of wealth and status, and Victoria's choice of a white gown reflected her sense of fashion and influence as a monarch.
At the time of Queen Victoria's wedding, the industrial revolution was well underway, and new technologies were being developed that transformed the way clothing could be created. One of the most significant innovations was the introduction of new, chemical methods for creating pure white fabrics. These fabrics were difficult to produce and required skilled labour and expensive materials, driving up their cost. As a result, only the wealthy could afford to wear pure white garments.
The process of creating these white fabrics was intricate and reflected the skill and artistry of the era's dressmakers. It involved intricate embroidery, lacework, and other delicate techniques that were time-consuming and labour-intensive. This attention to detail and craftsmanship further added to the expense of the dress, making it a true luxury item. By choosing a white wedding dress, Queen Victoria was not only making a fashion statement but also showcasing her wealth and status as a monarch.
The symbolism of the colour white added to its appeal as a status symbol. White conveyed purity, innocence, and virtue, making it an ideal choice for a bridal gown. In choosing white, Victoria was also making a statement about her own virtues and the values she wanted to embody as a monarch. The colour white also stood out in contrast to the more colourful and elaborate fashions of the time, making Victoria's dress a bold and memorable choice.
The trendsetters of the time, including Queen Victoria, played a significant role in promoting white wedding dresses as a symbol of status and fashion. Victoria's choice of a white gown influenced not just bridal fashion but also the trends of the time. As Queen, her style choices carried weight, and her wedding dress sparked a trend for white gowns that continues to this day. Her influence extended beyond bridal wear, as she also favoured white clothing for other formal occasions, further cementing the colour's association with elegance and refinement.
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White highlighted the delicate lace
Queen Victoria's wedding dress was made of Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace. The gown featured a structured, eight-piece bodice with a wide, open neckline, short puffed sleeves, and a deep v-shaped basque waistline. The lace trim on the neckline and sleeves, as well as the deep flounce of lace on the skirt, were key features.
The choice of white for her wedding dress was significant. While it was not the first time a royal bride had worn white, Queen Victoria's decision to wear white popularised the colour for bridal gowns. There are several theories as to why she chose white. One theory suggests that she wanted to be seen as Prince Albert's wife, rather than a queen, and so chose white as a symbol of innocence and purity. Another theory speculates that she wore white to support the English textile industry, particularly the lace makers in Devonshire, as handmade lace was facing competition from machine-made textiles.
Julia Baird, author of "Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire", supports this idea, writing that "Victoria had chosen to wear white mostly because it was the perfect colour to highlight the delicate lace". White was also a symbol of wealth and status, as it was difficult to keep a white dress pristine, and the colour was more expensive to produce before modern bleaching techniques.
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress had a lasting impact on bridal fashion. Wealthy brides quickly adopted the colour, and it became associated with purity and innocence in the context of weddings. White wedding gowns became a symbol of romantic propriety and a representation of the bride as a "pure virgin".
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White symbolised purity and innocence
Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert in 1840. She described her dress in her journal as follows:
> "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."
White wedding dresses were uncommon at the time, and it was not the norm for brides to wear white until decades later. So, why did Queen Victoria choose to wear white?
Firstly, it is important to note that Queen Victoria was not the first to wear a white wedding dress. In Western culture, the earliest recorded instance of a white wedding dress 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.
However, Queen Victoria is credited with popularising the trend and making it fashionable. There are several theories as to why she chose to wear white. One theory suggests that she wanted to support the English textile industry. The fabric of her dress was made in Spitalfields, and the lace in Devonshire. By wearing a dress made by local artisans, she also distanced herself from the Royal Family's reputation for extravagance. Another theory is that she chose white because it was the perfect colour to highlight the delicate lace.
However, the most popular theory is that Queen Victoria wore white because it symbolised purity and innocence. Historian Jennifer Steadman believes that Victoria was aware of the media's perception of white as a symbol of innocence. She writes:
> "She wanted to be seen as [Albert's] wife, so she didn’t wear the red ermine robe of state. She wore white. After that, all representations in...fashion magazines picked up on that. The white wedding dress became the standard symbol for innocence and romance."
This theory is supported by Agnes Strickland's 1840 biography of Queen Victoria, in which she wrote that Victoria was dressed on her wedding day:
> "not as a queen in her glittering trappings, but in spotless white, like a pure virgin, to meet her bridegroom."
In the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, white became even more strongly associated with purity and female virtue. During this time, it was common for young unmarried women to wear white from head to toe, and this eventually transferred to wedding dresses. Thus, Queen Victoria's choice to wear a white wedding dress solidified the colour's association with purity and innocence in Western bridal fashion.
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White was a practical choice for showcasing lace
Queen Victoria's wedding dress was made of Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace. She wore a long satin train that was carried by 12 attendants. Victoria treasured her lace flounce and veil, and she continued to wear them on special occasions throughout her life. She also wore her wedding lace to the weddings of two of her children, in 1858 and 1882, and her youngest daughter was permitted to wear it as part of her wedding gown in 1885.
White was a practical choice for showcasing the lace. Julia Baird, author of Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire, writes that "Victoria had chosen to wear white mostly because it was the perfect colour to highlight the delicate lace". White was also a symbol of wealth and status, as it was a fragile colour that was difficult to keep clean. Before bleaching techniques were mastered, white was a rare and expensive colour.
Queen Victoria wrote in her journal:
> I wore a white satin gown with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old. I wore my Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and Albert’s beautiful sapphire brooch.
Victoria was a shrewd queen, and she chose to wear white to support the English textile industry. The fabric was made in Spitalfields and the lace in Devonshire. She wanted to support skilled artisans who were facing poverty due to the invention of machine textiles.
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Frequently asked questions
Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress as a symbol of purity and innocence. She wore a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, a Turkish diamond necklace, and earrings, and Prince Albert's sapphire brooch.
No, Queen Victoria was not the first royal to wear a white wedding dress. Mary, Queen of Scots wore white when she married Frances II of France in 1558. The earliest recorded white wedding dress in Western culture was worn by English Princess Philippa when she married King Eric in 1406.
Yes, Queen Victoria is credited with popularising the white wedding dress. After her wedding, white wedding gowns became a symbol of wealth and status.
Queen Victoria chose to wear white to support the English textile industry. The fabric of her dress was made in Spitalfields and the lace in Devonshire. She also wanted to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry, as skilled artisans were facing poverty due to the invention of machine textiles.
In the Victorian era, middle and working-class women wore wedding dresses in a variety of colours, such as red, yellow, blue, green, and brown. They wore the nicest dress they could afford.
