White Wedding Dresses

The Significance of Wearing White

White wedding dresses are commonly thought to signify the purity and the innocence of a virgin bride. However, the real secret behind the bride wearing white can, in fact, be found in the history of the western monarachy.

The idea was conceived when Queen Victoria decided to marry her cousin Alber of Saxe-Coburg. Queen Victoria shose to wed in pure white as a display of power, wealth and affluence.

However, now white is no longer a show of power or wealth, but rather symbolizes purity, innocence and virginity.

While many modern brides today choose to go for wedding gowns with color, white wedding dresses are still by far the most popular choice.

A Strapless Layered A-Line Chiffon Gown with gathered bodice and belt detail is very slenderizing.

The elegant layered skirt give this gown a flowing romantic look.

Deeply inbedded are the traditions of the color of the bride's weddng dress in folklore and fables. Here is a classic one:

• "Married in white, you will have chosen right.
• Married in grey, you will go far away.
• Married in black, you will wish yourself back.
• Married in red, you will wish yourself dead.
• Married in blue, you will always be true.
• Married in pearl, you will live in a whirl.
• Married in green, ashamed to be seen.
• Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow.
• Married in brown, you will live out of town.
• Married in pink, your spirits will sink."

Inspite of such deep rooted beliefs, the Industrial Revolution of the 1890's heralded the arrival of department stores, which made it possible for every woman to be married in a "new" white wedding dress.

A One Strap Chiffon Gown is elegantly unique.

The flower accent on the hip gives this dress a glamorous design.

Even though white wedding dresses were forever popular, some brides, especially the frontier brides, chose dresses which were more practical and could be worn later on as well.

As the years went on, the fashion styles became more extravagant and progressive, but the outbreak of WWI put a stop to it all.

Styles became simpler, and more reflective of the changing role of women in the new social set-up.

Hems got shorter and tightly laced corsets became a thing of the past.

Then Coco Chanel came along and as the most powerful force behind women's fashions at the time, officially cemented white as the universal color of the wedding dress.

As the war ended, a new wave of prosperity made the dream of 'larger than life' weddings inspired by the Victorian era a reality again.

Grace Kelly's marriage to Prince Monacco brought on much publicity because of it's grand fairytale wedding.

She wore a white silk and lace gown completely inline with royalty and the high social standing, and spared no expense.

By the turn of the century, white wedding dresses were the color of choice. These followed the trends and style of their day and continued to do so a century later.

In fact, although color wedding dresses are becoming more popular, it is very rare for a bride in Europe or the USA to get married in a color other than white.

An Embroidered Halter Taffeta Gown is a classic halter top design with a dramatic flower accented back.

You'll definiteley want to show this one off by wearing a shorter fingertip length veil.

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