If you’ve been following along with us throughout this series exploring the reasons behind why we do what we do at weddings, you will know by now that most of the wedding traditions and superstitions that we practice are deeply rooted in our history, stretching back as far as medieval times or even the ancient Romans.
(To get caught up on this series, you can start with Rain On Your Wedding Day here)
Tania & Umberto’s Playa del Carmen wedding
So I’ve gotta say, this week on my quest to understand why Brides traditionally wear white on their wedding day, I was surprised to learn that this has only been the norm for less than 200 years! Prior to the Victorian era, brides were married in almost any color, with black and red being the most popular choices. Red is still the most popular color in Indian and Chinese weddings, symbolizing prosperity, joy, passion and love. White was actually regarded as the color of mourning, and still is in many cultures.
But in 1840, when the fashionable Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg, she did so in a gown of white satin to incorporate some prized white lace she valued. That wedding photo set the tone for generations to come, with brides furthermore opting to wear white like the Queen.
Contrary to popular belief that white is worn as a symbol of the bride’s purity and virginity, (Ahem, right ladies?) that symbolism is actually reserved for the color blue! Hence why we incorporate something blue into our wedding day.
Want a bit more background story? Here is the history of the white wedding dress.
Get beach wedding dress inspiration in our Brides gallery
The moral of the story? Colors have different meaning across cultures and generations. So if you want to break from tradition and rock a bright, bold color on your wedding day, do it! Like Queen Victoria, maybe years from now your style will be seen as avant-garde.
Will you wear white on your wedding day? Why or why not? I want to hear about it in the comments below!
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