The History of Black Wedding Dresses

In the 1800s, brides often wore wedding dresses in everyday colors, such as green, pink, blue, burgundy, dark brown and black, according to the Vintage Wedding website. The bride wore the best dress she had, whatever the color. Black wedding dresses sometimes held a special significance.

Function

Dark and black wedding dresses were practical for brides to wear in the 1800s. A practical bride often chose black so she could wear the dress on many occasions---not just on her wedding day. It was easier to keep a black dress looking clean, especially along the bottom.

Warning

In the 1800s, some people believed that wearing a black wedding dress was bad luck, according to the Vintage Wedding website. An old saying from those days spoke of wishing you could go back if you got married in black.

Significance

Sometimes, a bride would wear a black wedding dress if she were marrying a widower. According to the Vintage Wedding website, the Goodwill Museum in Washington has a black wedding dress from 1870, worn by a 16-year-old girl who married a widower.

Fun Fact

By the 1870s, women were beginning to wear white wedding dresses. By the 1880s, most women wore white or ivory, but some women still wore black.

References

• Vintage Wedding: Wedding Gown Traditions
• Patches From the Past: The Fabric of Marriage: Wedding Dresses