Ah weddings. Marrying a couple in holy matrimony. The groom and his groomsmen in tuxedos while the bridesmaids all playing supporting role for the bride. And then the bride gets walked in with her opulent, pure white dress. What a magical time.
[caption id="attachment_19084" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Why do brides wear white?[/caption]
But have you ever wondered why the brides always wear white and never anything else? “It’s to symbolize her purity!” you may have been told. But little do you know, that’s actually incorrect. You see, with so many interesting facets of human history changing, so too did the history of the wedding dress. For instance, did you know that…
Weddings weren’t always about love
Just like in Game of Thrones, weddings weren’t about love, but about politics and power. In fact during the middle ages up until perhaps 100 years ago, weddings were made strategically between royal families and nobility. By joining two families together in holy matrimony, this symbolized the ultimate alliance, as the alliance was now made in blood. [caption id="attachment_19040" align="aligncenter" width="662"]
White was a bold choice
During the middle ages and on into the time of the renaissance, white was used to symbolize the mourning period after death. So when Philippa of England got married in a tunic with a white silk cloak fringed with ermine and gray squirrel fur way back in 1406, people were in an uproar! [caption id="attachment_19039" align="aligncenter" width="661"]
Queen Victoria
It wasn’t until Queen Victoria of England got married to Prince Albert in 1840 that white really became a wedding staple, and before that, brides got married in any color they want! Yet Queen Victoria had quite a following (it was called the Victorian age for a reason!), and whatever she did people tried to emulate it – especially in the United States. [caption id="attachment_19037" align="aligncenter" width="562"]
White still isn’t universal
Many cultures still don’t wear white on their wedding day – it is mainly a western European cultural tradition. Many brides still wear black on their wedding day in Sweden and Norway. Meanwhile, in more eastern cultures such as Indian and Chinese culture, the bride will almost always wear red as red is considered to be good luck and the color most likely to ward off evil spirits. In these countries, white is only to be worn at funerals. [caption id="attachment_19041" align="aligncenter" width="770"]