Bridal Dress Traditions

The white wedding gown was not always traditional.

Misconceptions surround the iconic wedding gown. Though white, ivory and cream-colored dresses are a contemporary tradition, bridal attire of the past varied in color and ornamentation. Depending on the cultural atmosphere and economic climate, dresses also differed in terms of lavishness and simplicity.

History

Fabric trumped color in terms of importance during the Middle Ages.

During medieval times, wedding gowns were a symbol of status. The type of fabric used to create the dress was paramount since sumptuous materials such as velvet, damask, silk and satin had to be imported from the East. Color was next in importance, for only the very rich could afford to have gowns dyed purple and red.

Poorer brides made do with coarse linen and wool dresses that they would then wear again on special occasions. A girl of this lower class eschewed white for the practical reason that white was impossible to keep clean.

White Wedding Gowns

Courtesy of Queen Victoria, the white wedding dress gained in popularity.

Though white wedding dresses were rare before the 1900s, there are two well-documented cases of brides donning white during the medieval era.

The first mention of a white wedding gown was in 1406 when Princess Philippa, daughter of Henry IV of England, wed Eric of Pomerania, (later King Eric III of Norway), in a white silk tunic and cloak, both of which were lined with grey squirrel and snow-white ermine.

A second famous instance describes Anne of Brittany wearing white in her 1499 wedding to Louis XII of France.

These were isolated incidences, however, for it wasn't until Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840 that white became standard bridal garb. Once the royal photo of her simple gown (with the exception of its eighteen-foot train) was circulated, it caused a frenzy among brides-to-be, thus setting a new standard.

Time Frame

The corset top was de rigueur for the 1990s bride.

After Queen Victoria popularized the white wedding dress, the following century's gowns were sharply influenced by economy and current events.

After World War I, brides, embracing freedom in all areas, rejected tight undergarments and let waistlines drop in favor of the gamine, boyish look popularized by the Flapper Girl. Hemlines rose (in some cases as high as the knees) and it became traditional for brides to wear dresses embellished with beaded chiffon and rhinestones.

The Great Depression ushered in the era of the frugal bride. With the economy in a tailspin, designers hesitated to risk new styles, and so brides returned to a more traditional, feminine silhouette that included a cinched waist and an abandonment of ornamentation.

Two bridal traditions emerged in the 1940s. Rationing forced many brides to share dresses while those women in the service wed in military uniforms. Civilian brides also followed the 'uniform' tradition, and wedding attire often consisted of a simple, tailored jacket and knee-length skirt that could be worn again. In the aftermath of the war, bridal fashion returned to elegant, long gowns.

With an emphasis on women returning to domestic duties in the 1950s, feminine curves became popular again. Bridal dresses took on a ballerina look with small waists, flared skirts and cinched corsets that flaunted bosoms.

Despite the hippie revolution, the 1960s saw little change to bridal traditions, except that veils were constructed in a bouffant shape to match the hairstyles of the day.

In the 1970s, peasant-style wedding gowns became popular with an emphasis on loose, long sleeves.

The cultural ostentation of the 1980s caused wedding gowns to return to extravagance with an emphasis on puffy shoulders and cathedral-length veils. The typical gown of 1990s had corset-like sculpted tops and princess-like skirts

Icons

Elizabeth Taylor helped to make the attachment of a tiara to a wedding veil a popular tradition.

Demonstrated by Queen Victoria, women in prominent social roles are often used as inspirations by future brides. A fashion trendsetter, Jacqueline Kennedy inspired the wearing of grand wedding gowns with her own gown, which required fifty yards of ivory silk taffeta.

When Elizabeth Taylor wed Conrad Nicholson "Nicky" Hilton, Jr. (son of the founder of the Hilton Hotels), in 1950, her gown was a sensation. It was so popular that brides all over the country mimicked its sweetheart neckline and seed pearl embellishments. Elizabeth's wedding ensemble also created a tradition of adding tiaras to wedding veils.

As a polar opposite, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's 1996 slip-like wedding dress sparked a trend of simple elegance.

Geography

Brides in Japan switch from white ceremonial kimonos to red for the reception.

While the white wedding gown's popularity is seen around the world, certain cultural traditions endure. Japanese brides traditionally wear a white kimono for the ceremony but change into a brightly-colored kimono for the reception. Typically, this second kimono is red, a lucky color not only in Japan but in China as well. In Germany, it is rare to have a train on the white wedding gown, and brides tend to make the skirts more voluminous by wearing a crinoline underskirt. While modern-day Irish brides have adopted the white wedding dress, during the Middle Ages they were among the few brides to wear green, a color that other cultures deemed unlucky.

References

• DressFinder: A Brief History Of The Wedding Dress In Britain
• PerfectWeddingDay: The History of Bridal Gowns
• Squidoo: Iconic Wedding Dresses
• Weddings: Wedding Superstitions and Traditions