The History of Wedding Dresses
Weddings are an iconic symbol of love and commitment. The bridal dress or gown is simply a piece of clothing the bride chooses to wear on her wedding day. Ceremonial gowns were first worn by Chinese princesses. These colorful Phoenix dresses symbolized good luck.
The first white wedding dress made its big debut in 1406 by Philipa who was made Queen of England during her royal ceremony to Eric of Pomerania. Over 100 years later Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white dress because it was her favorite color.
White dresses didn’t originally represent a virgin. Blue was always the color for purity.
Philippa, Queen of England
White dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria who raised the standards in the 19th century with her honiton lace gown and exaggerated sleeves. White gowns of all styles became the trend for western cultures. Rich, bold colors, exclusive fabrics, velvet layers and silk represented wealthier families.
The earlier 1900’s were notorious for their variety of lace and trims down the lining of white dresses. Brides in the 1920’s and 1930’s gloated about the length of their ridiculously long trains.
The Victorian style made a come back in the 1960’s whose long, full skirted designs stole the show! America today still promotes most wedding dresses in tones of white including eggshell and ivory.
