The significance of a white wedding gown

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"I know they have both put a tremendous amount of effort in to the planning of this wedding, and can only hope that, apart from this speech, everything has ..."

White has long been expected as the traditional color of wedding gowns, most commonly in Western cultures. The dress is usually new and can be customized or rented, though certain embellishments can be handed down from the bride's mother or grandmother for sentimental reasons. The style and elaborateness of design depend on the bride's preferences and personal taste, and symbolisms associated with the dress details vary from country to county, but the meaning of the color is basically the same worldwide.

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1. Symbolism

   • White has long been accepted as the universal color of wedding gowns as white symbolizes purity of heart, childlike innocence and exemplary virtues. Later meanings also suggest that white represents a deeper kind of purity--that of a woman's virginity, since a woman is supposed to be pure until her wedding night.

   Variations

   • Contemporary wedding gowns in western cultures are available in slight variations of the color white, such as cream, ivory, eggshell, ecru and mother of pearl. Most second marriage brides go for these creamy shades, considering that white is no longer appropriate since they are not "pure" in the sexual experience sense of the word as when they were wedded for the first time.

   Historical Influence

   • Wedding gowns have not always been white. The marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840, in which she chose to wear a white wedding gown, set the wheels of influence in motion. After the official wedding portrait was widely published, many brides started to wear similar wedding dresses. Today, the tradition of white wedding gowns continue, with variations in style and fabric.

   Fashion Lull

   • Edwardian brides took to more elaborate gowns and more extravagant wedding fashion until the dawn of World War I. Suddenly, wedding dresses became much simpler--with shorter hems and no laced corsets--reflecting women's changing role in society. After some time of making do with their "best" dress for a wedding (with no time for preparation or even celebration), women thanked Coco Chanel for introducing the short, white wedding dress in the 1920s. Bridal fashion became synonymous with the white dress we think of today.

   Other Influences

   • Post-war prosperity made way for grander dream weddings and more fashionable bridal gowns. The marriage of Hollywood icon Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 was another big influence for the white wedding dress. During the much-publicized fairytale wedding, the future princess wore a white silk and lace bridal gown. This further sealed the fate of the white wedding gown.

Source: www.ehow.com

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