George Boyle
The wedding dress has evolved over time, with the white wedding dress becoming synonymous with traditional weddings. However, the practice of wearing white only became popular in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria wore a white dress for her wedding in 1840. Before this, Victorian brides wore their best dress, which was often black, as it was a practical colour that wouldn't get dirty easily and could be worn on multiple occasions. Black was also a fashionable colour for weddings in the ancient world, with both Zhou rulers and their brides wearing black, and it was considered a symbol of wealth.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time period | Before 1840 |
| Colour | Black |
| Reason | Black was a practical colour that didn't get dirty easily and could be worn on multiple occasions |
| Reason | White dresses were unaffordable for many women |
| Reason | Black was associated with purity and innocence |
| Reason | Black was not considered bad luck |
| Reason | Black was not associated with mourning |
| Reason | Black was not considered unlucky |
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What You'll Learn
- Queen Victoria's influence: she wore white, popularising the colour
- Black symbolised mourning and Victorians were superstitious
- Weddings were an opportunity to showcase one's best dress
- White symbolised purity and innocence, rewriting the colour's meaning
- White dresses were desirable due to the advent of photography
Queen Victoria's influence: she wore white, popularising the colour
Queen Victoria's wedding dress was made of Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace. She described her dress in her journal:
> 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.
Queen Victoria's choice to wear white was widely covered in newspapers and magazines and influenced wedding trends at home and abroad. It is thought that she chose white to showcase the delicate Honiton lace, produced by the then-struggling British lace industry. White was also a symbol of wealth, as it was impractical for most people to keep a white garment clean.
White wedding dresses were not a new phenomenon in 1840, but they were uncommon. After Victoria's wedding, white dresses became popular among wealthy brides and soon spread to all economic classes, becoming a 20th-century tradition.
Dr Jennifer Steadman, curator of the exhibition "Victorian Fashion Crosses the Pond", said:
> She wanted to be seen as his wife, so she didn’t wear the red ermine robe of state. She wore white. After that, all representations in Godey's and other fashion magazines picked up on that. The white wedding dress became the standard symbol for innocence and romance.
Today, black wedding dresses have re-emerged as a symbol of modernity and minimalism.
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Black symbolised mourning and Victorians were superstitious
In the Victorian era, black was reserved for mourning. It was expected that if a loved one died, family members would wear black for a period of time. The length of time depended on the relationship of the mourner to the deceased. Queen Victoria herself wore black for the rest of her life after her husband, Prince Albert, died.
The Victorians were also superstitious, especially when it came to death. They considered it bad luck to wear black to a wedding. This belief is likely linked to the association of black with mourning. As such, wearing black to a wedding was avoided to prevent the wedding from looking like a funeral.
Before the mid-19th century, black wedding dresses were the norm. Brides typically chose any colour for their wedding gown, and a darker colour like black was preferred as it would not get dirty as easily as a white or light-coloured gown.
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress in 1840 started the trend of wearing white for brides who could afford it. The white dress was soon accepted by all economic classes and became a "tradition" of the 20th century.
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Weddings were an opportunity to showcase one's best dress
Weddings were an opportunity for Victorian women to showcase their best dress, which was often their wedding dress. This is because wedding dresses were usually dyed in a colour that reflected the bride's class and budget, and they were too expensive to be worn only once.
In the early 1800s, brides chose any colour for their wedding gown. A darker colour was preferred as it would not get dirty as easily as a white or light-coloured gown. It was also more financially feasible for women to wear their wedding dress again, rather than buying a new dress for each occasion.
Queen Victoria's choice of a white dress in 1840 was widely covered in newspapers and magazines and influenced wedding trends. Wealthy brides began to emulate her choice of a white wedding dress, and the trend soon spread to all economic classes. White wedding dresses became a symbol of purity and innocence. However, it was not financially feasible for most women to wear a dress that they would only wear once.
The Victorian wedding dress had a fitted bodice, small waist, and a full skirt made of gauze, tulle, organdie, silk, cashmere, or linen. This was in line with the general shape of women's fashion at the time, which reflected the modest values that Victorian England promoted.
Today, black wedding dresses have come to symbolise modernity and minimalism, abandoning the traditions of the past.
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White symbolised purity and innocence, rewriting the colour's meaning
The traditional white wedding dress, a symbol of purity and innocence, has become a staple in Western wedding culture. However, there was a time when Victorian brides often chose to wear black wedding dresses instead. While it may seem like an unconventional choice, there were several reasons why Victorian brides favoured black for their nuptials. By examining these reasons, we can also understand how the colour's symbolism was reinterpreted during this era.
During the Victorian era, a time of strict social norms and values, the colour white took on a very specific and powerful meaning. In the context of weddings, white symbolised not just purity and innocence but also a bride's virginal status and her transition into a new phase of life as a married woman. However, these symbolic associations were not universally accepted or desired by all brides.
Black, a colour typically associated with mourning and sadness, may seem like an odd choice for a wedding dress. But in the Victorian era, it was often chosen to signify a bride's maturity and experience. A black wedding dress could indicate that the bride had been married before, was a widow, or had other life experiences that made her a more seasoned and wise choice for marriage. In this way, the colour black served as a subtle yet powerful statement of a bride's life story and experiences.
Additionally, a black wedding dress could also signify a bride's sense of fashion and style. Victorian fashion often favoured dark and rich colours, and a black dress was seen as elegant, sophisticated, and timeless. Brides who chose black wanted to make a statement about their personal taste and their willingness to stand out from the traditional norms. The colour also flattered a variety of skin tones and hair colours, making it a practical and stylish choice for many brides.
By choosing black wedding dresses, Victorian brides were not necessarily rejecting the symbolism of purity and innocence associated with the traditional white dress. Instead, they were expanding and rewriting the colours' meanings to suit their own experiences and perspectives. The colour black allowed them to celebrate their uniqueness, maturity, and sense of style while still honouring the significance and sacredness of their wedding day.
In conclusion, while the traditional white wedding dress holds a significant and symbolic place in Western wedding culture, the Victorian preference for black wedding dresses offers a fascinating insight into how colours' meanings can evolve and be reinterpreted. Ultimately, the colour a bride chooses for her wedding dress, be it white or black, becomes a powerful statement of her personal story, values, and style, reflecting the complex and diverse nature of love and marriage.
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White dresses were desirable due to the advent of photography
Before the 1840s, black was the customary colour for wedding dresses. However, Queen Victoria chose to wear a white dress when she married her first cousin, Albert, the German Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in 1840. Her dress was made from Spitalfields cream silk-satin with a flounce of Honiton lace at the neck and sleeves. It featured a slim waist, a full crinoline petticoat, and lace embellishments. This style is still considered the classic wedding dress silhouette in the West.
Queen Victoria's wedding was one of the first heavily photographed royal weddings. Illustrations of the queen on her wedding day were widely distributed, and the rise of photography, particularly wedding portraits, helped to popularise the white wedding dress trend. White dresses looked good and stood out in the sometimes muddy-looking new black-and-white or sepia-toned photographic portraits.
The white dress also took on new symbolism as it came to signify purity and innocence, in addition to wealth. The colour white was associated with Victorian ideals of weddings, romantic love, and purity, and these associations influenced the way brides began to think about their wedding attire.
The advent of photography, combined with the spread of illustrated magazines, played a significant role in disseminating and popularising the trend of white wedding dresses. Brides in China, for example, often participate in elaborate wedding photo shoots while wearing Western white dresses. The ability to capture and share wedding portraits influenced the desirability of white dresses, as they created a lasting visual impact that reinforced the symbolism and tradition associated with the colour.
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Frequently asked questions
Before 1840, black dresses were the norm. After Queen Victoria wore a white dress in 1840, the trend for white wedding dresses spread across all economic classes and became an established "tradition" of the 20th century.
The archetypal early Victorian wedding dress had a fitted bodice, small waist, and a full skirt made of gauze, tulle, organdie, silk, cashmere, or linen. This was in line with the modest values of Victorian England.
Queen Victoria wore a white dress to showcase the delicate Honiton lace produced by the then-struggling British lace industry.
