The Historical Significance of White Wedding Dresses

White wedding dresses have long been a traditional choice when it comes to weddings. Before selecting your wedding dress and deciding whether you want to go pure white or not, find out the history of the white dress and why it may be important to you.

It all dates back to 1840 when Queen Victoria wore a white dress for her ceremony. When she appeared wearing this bridal gown it was considered elegant and beautiful. Women across England began to don a white dress for their weddings as well.

At the time, white was not regarded as a symbol of being virtuous. In fact, a white wedding dress was a sign of wealth. If you had enough money to spend on a gown that certainly wouldn’t be worn again due to its color and style, it was a sure indication of wealth. Most of the women that put their money into these white gowns still had to choose cheaper ones due to financial constraints. It took almost a decade before a white dress would be considered virtuous.

Most of the women that were getting married at the time were still stuck wearing colored wedding gowns that could be worn again later. Only the women that were trying to make a fashion statement and show their higher class were able to wear white.

During King Edward’s time, the white wedding gown took on a new look with a version that only went down to the knees. This opened the door to the middle and lower class as the prices dipped on white gowns and they could now afford them. During the Depression the women that were wearing the shorter white wedding dresses used to dye them later to get extra use out of them.

In the 50s the famous marriage between the Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly returned faith to the white dress and the sale of white wedding gowns were booming. In the 1980’s, Princess Diana wore an off-white gown and this opened the doors to colorful choices. Then, and up until present time, a white gown has not been the only option available for high fashion wedding gowns. Today’s modern bride has choice and can pick the color she feels best in. Of course, the color white will never lose its place as the symbol of virtue, but a colored gown does not indicate a life of misplaced values either.

Sharon Freeman is a professional writer who enjoys writing about weddings, fashion & music.