When it comes to weddings, there is no doubt that white dresses are the most popular choice. But if you prefer not to, there are plenty of elegant options for your big day. You can wear Carrie Bradshaw in a vintage suit (with a lot of love, SJP), or opt for the casual and feminine combination of a jersey-type sweater and a tulle skirt like this bride. While a white dress may seem synonymous with weddings, that's not the case.
If you're just starting to look for your wedding day outfit, it may be useful to know all the history behind this popular tradition, but it's not mandatory. Why do brides wear white? Keep reading to find out. Throughout most of history, marriages had more to do with family, business and political alliances than with true love, which meant that lavish wedding celebrations were usually reserved for the nobility, who provide us with a clearer window into times past and probably influenced the rest of society. Although there are some cases in which the rulers of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece wore pleated white sheets for celebrations, for centuries it was common for brides to simply wear their best dress for the occasion.
The first recorded white wedding dress in history was worn by Philippa of England, who married Eric of Pomerania (Erik av Pommern) in 1406 and became queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. But the concept didn't really catch on until Queen Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. Definitely not, and that applies both to white garments and to dresses in general. What you wear on your wedding day is a completely personal decision. A bride's sexual behavior before and after the wedding day is a private matter, and the idea that the color of her wedding day attire should connote “purity” in this area is old-fashioned, old-fashioned, and, quite frankly, none other than the bride's business.
While the media has popularized white suits at courtroom weddings, they're definitely not the only option. If you feel more like a bride in a dress, even a floor-length one, consider that this route is completely appropriate. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the color white is used as a symbol of purity, innocence, and cleanliness, particularly in religious ceremonies such as baptism and temple ceremonies, including weddings. If you're wondering what to wear for your wedding and want to stick with the tradition, check out these dress etiquette tips. Even after white became the dominant color, for a period of time wedding dresses adapted to the styles of the time. A Pueblo bride wore a cotton garment tied over her right shoulder and secured with a belt around her waist.
Most wedding dresses could rightly be called formal, but ball gowns combined with long cathedral-height veils are generally considered to be the most elegant. Traditionally, a Hopi bride had the groom and any man from the village who wanted to participate weave their garments. The indigenous peoples of the Americas have diverse traditions related to weddings and, therefore, to wedding dresses. For example, in the 1920s they were usually short in the front with a longer tail at the back and wore cloche-style wedding veils. Nowadays white wedding dresses are a mix of fashion and tradition, with styles that mimic and are heavily influenced by what appears on red carpets and runway shows. For an outdoor wedding in the afternoon with pots of wildflowers, food fresh from the grill and a lively bluegrass band an elegant suit for him and a white summer dress for her would be lovely.
In Western cultures and in Anglo-Saxon cultural spheres, the wedding dress is usually white; a fashion popularized by Queen Victoria when she married in 1840. The traditional aspects of weddings were established in the early 1940s and have barely evolved since then. A white nightgown can be used instead of a black one for a wedding in summer or in warm weather. No matter what you choose to wear on your special day - whether it's an unconventional outfit or something more traditional - remember that it's your day! You don't have to follow any rules or traditions if you don't want to; it's all about expressing yourself as authentically as possible.
