Originally published February 1, 2009 by Tamara Colloff-Bennett
An ornate white dress is what most people in the West associate with weddings. This isn’t surprising since white is universally regarded as the color of purity, and weddings are all about celebrating and cementing a monogamous, loving relationship.
However, the tradition of wearing white wedding dresses in fact only started in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria of England wore a white wedding gown when she married her consort Albert in 1840.
Before then, in previous centuries in the West, other colours were chosen for wedding gowns. For example, before Queen Victoria popularised white, brides may well have been thinking of the proverb, “Marry in blue, lover be true.”
Because Christianity generally portrayed the Virgin Mary in blue, purity was also associated with this colour just as it is these days with white.
And outside of the West, a range of colours has always dominated the wedding day. For example, in ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolise love, modesty, and fidelity. And in ancient Israel a blue border on a wedding dress symbolised those same virtues.
In other countries, red is popular. It is the colour that brides wear in China.
Some brides also wore red in the United States during the Revolutionary War in the 18th century to symbolise the independence the Colonists were fighting for. And to pay tribute to the dead, some American brides during the Civil War wore purple because it represents honour and courage.
In Korea, brides have two types of dresses to choose from, including a simple lime-green gown called a wonsam. It is embroidered with flowers and butterflies and worn over the hanbok, the doll-like traditional wedding dress made of patterned silk. The other type of dress that brides wear in Korea is the more elaborate gown called a hwarrot, or “flower robe.”
Because it is the colour of nature, Moroccan brides there wear green gowns thinking it brings good luck. They might also wear yellow instead of green because yellow is said to scare away the evil eye.
During the 16th century, Roman Catholic brides in Spain wore black gowns and lacy mantillas to show their devotion to their spouse until death.
In Japan, women wear two colours; a white, silk kimono lined with red that symbolises happiness and a new beginning. While women in Japan begin their wedding wearing a white kimono lined with red, they often wear gowns of silver or gold as the special event progresses.