Deborah Chan
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress has been widely regarded as the catalyst for the now-common tradition of brides wearing white. At the time of her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, wedding dresses came in a variety of colours, and white was not a popular choice as it was exceedingly difficult to keep clean. However, Queen Victoria opted for a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, which she described in her journal. There are several theories as to why she chose white, including the belief that it was to highlight the delicate lace of her gown, to symbolise her purity and innocence, or to showcase her support for the English lace industry.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1840 |
| Colour | White |
| Fabric | Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace |
| Style | Structured, eight-piece bodice with a wide, open neckline, short puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves, a deep v-shaped pointed waistline, and a full floor-length skirt |
| Train | Satin, over six yards long |
| Jewellery | Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, Albert's sapphire brooch |
| Reason for choosing white | To highlight the delicate lace, to support the English lace industry, to symbolise purity and innocence, to be seen as Albert's wife and not a queen |
| Influence | Popularised the trend of wearing white at weddings, which was picked up by fashion magazines and elites |
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What You'll Learn
- Queen Victoria's choice of white was to symbolise her role as Albert's wife, not Queen
- White highlighted the delicate English lace, supporting lace makers
- White symbolised purity and innocence
- White was a symbol of wealth and status
- White was a practical choice, as red could be seen as a political statement
Queen Victoria's choice of white was to symbolise her role as Albert's wife, not Queen
Queen Victoria is commonly credited with the wide-scale popularity of the white wedding dress. On her wedding day in 1840, she stated that she would make her vows as Albert's future wife, not as the monarch. She chose to wear a white satin court train, bordered with orange blossom, a symbol of virtue and fertility, instead of the crimson velvet robe of state. This romantic gesture, and the notion of the Queen as an adoring and innocent bride, captured the public imagination.
Victoria's choice of white was also influenced by her desire to showcase the delicate English lace on her gown. White was the perfect colour to highlight the lace, and before bleaching techniques were mastered, white was a rare and expensive colour, a symbol of wealth. As head of state, Victoria also wanted to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry, which was facing poverty due to the invention of machine textiles.
The visual ideal of the bride clad in pure white spread quickly, largely due to the rise of print media and newspapers, and their descriptions of society weddings. Fashion plates, adverts, valentine cards, and sheet music sold the image of the white dress and lace veil as a model of romantic propriety and purity. As a result, if a bride could afford it, a white wedding dress soon became the norm.
However, it is important to note that Queen Victoria was not the first to wear a white wedding dress. Royalty and women from wealthy backgrounds had been wearing white wedding dresses for many years, as white was seen as a sign of extravagance and status due to its fragile nature. For example, Mary, Queen of Scots wore a white wedding gown when she married Francis Dauphin of France in 1559.
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White highlighted the delicate English lace, supporting lace makers
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress in 1840 was a significant departure from the traditional colours worn by royal brides, who typically wore silver or gold to signify their royalty. Victoria's dress was made of Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace, and the colour white highlighted the delicate English lace, supporting lace makers.
The white satin gown featured a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old, and was bordered with orange blossoms, symbolising virtue and fertility. Victoria's choice of white was influenced by her desire to be seen as Albert's wife and not as a queen. She chose white to highlight the delicate lace, and this decision had a significant impact on the wedding fashion industry.
The white wedding dress became a symbol of innocence and romance, and lace makers across England benefited from the surge in popularity for their handiwork. Victoria's decision to wear white also carried a sense of practicality and patriotism, as she wanted to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry. Skilled artisans were facing poverty due to the invention of machine textiles, and Victoria's choice of a large piece of handmade Honiton lace, showcased with white, sent a powerful message of support.
The influence of Victoria's wedding dress spread widely, with illustrations and descriptions in magazines and newspapers contributing to its popularity. White wedding dresses became a lasting trend in Western bridal fashion, with wealthy and fashionable brides quickly adopting the colour. While the choice of white by royal brides like Victoria was not solely about purity, it carried a sense of symbolism and significance that resonated with brides and grooms across the Western world.
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White symbolised purity and innocence
Queen Victoria is commonly credited with the wide-scale popularity of the white wedding dress. On her wedding day in 1840, she wore a white satin court train, bordered with orange blossom, a symbol of virtue and fertility, instead of the crimson velvet robe of state. Victoria herself described her choice of dress 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."
The white wedding dress became the standard symbol for innocence and romance. In Agnes Strickland’s contemporary biography of the Queen, published in 1840, she wrote that Victoria was dressed: “not as a queen in her glittering trappings, but in spotless white, like a pure virgin, to meet her bridegroom."
However, some sources suggest that Victoria chose white to highlight the delicate lace on her dress, and to support lace makers in England. Before bleaching techniques were mastered, white was a rare and expensive colour, more a symbol of wealth than purity. Victoria was not the first royal bride to wear white, but her choice popularised the colour for bridal wear in the Western world.
The idea of the white wedding dress as a symbol of purity and innocence was further popularised by print media and fashion magazines. In the 1850s, the influential American magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book asserted: “Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue [for brides], whatever may be the material. It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one.”
While the popularity of the white wedding dress has persisted, its symbolism may have changed. In an age of accessible fashion and social freedoms, a modern bride who chooses white may be aspiring to a cultural image, rather than espousing the virtues of purity and innocence.
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White was a symbol of wealth and status
Queen Victoria is commonly credited with the wide-scale popularity of the white wedding dress. On her wedding day in 1840, Queen Victoria wore a white satin court train, bordered with orange blossom, a symbol of virtue and fertility, instead of the crimson velvet robe of state. This romantic gesture, and the notion of the Queen as an adoring and innocent bride, captured the public's attention. Victoria herself described her choice of 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."
White was also the perfect colour to highlight the delicate lace on Victoria's dress, and she chose to wear it to support lace makers in England. Before bleaching techniques were mastered, white was a rare and expensive colour, more a symbol of wealth than purity. Victoria was not the first to wear a white wedding dress, but she made it popular by example, and lace makers across England were thrilled by the sudden surge in the popularity of their handiwork.
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White was a practical choice, as red could be seen as a political statement
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress in 1840 was a significant departure from the colourful gowns typically worn by royal brides, who often chose silver or gold to signify their royalty. Victoria's decision to wear white instead of the traditional red robe of state was a practical choice that had several implications.
Firstly, it was a deliberate choice to present herself as Albert's wife, rather than as the monarch. The colour white, being a simple and pure colour, was a perfect backdrop to highlight the delicate and expensive lace of her gown, which was a symbol of wealth. Victoria, as head of state, wanted to support and stimulate Britain's lace industry, which was facing competition from machine-made textiles. White was also a rare and expensive colour at the time, as it was difficult to maintain its pristine appearance after wear.
Wearing white also conveyed a message of innocence and purity, which was in line with the romantic notion of the Queen as an adoring and innocent bride. This image of purity and romance was quickly picked up by fashion magazines and spread across the Western world, with brides from wealthy backgrounds soon adopting white as the colour of choice for their wedding gowns.
Thus, Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress was a practical decision that had far-reaching consequences, shaping bridal fashion and reinforcing certain societal ideals about romance and purity that continue to resonate today.
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Frequently asked questions
Queen Victoria chose to wear a white wedding dress to present herself as Prince Albert's wife, rather than as the Queen. She chose to wear white, the colour of purity and innocence, to symbolise that she was a virgin and had an unsullied heart.
Queen Victoria wore a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, a Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and Prince Albert's sapphire brooch. The dress had a wide, open neckline, short puffed sleeves, and a deep v-shaped pointed waistline. The full skirt had seven widths of fabric in forward-facing pleats, and the satin train was over six yards long.
Before Queen Victoria's wedding, royal brides wore heavy brocaded gowns embroidered with silver and gold thread. In Western Europe, red was a particularly popular colour. Wedding dresses could also be blue, yellow, black, brown, or grey.
Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress was widely publicised in magazines and newspapers, and white quickly became the colour of choice for wealthy, fashionable brides. White was seen as a symbol of wealth and status due to its fragile nature.
