from Kellyn
I was told, growing up, that a woman should wear white (or some form of it) on her wedding day. If you ask around to your girlfriends, you’ll likely find the same story. As an iconoclastic wedding coordinator, I always want to know more. Why is this the way it is? Where did this tradition come from? So, I’m forced to ask: wearing a white wedding dress has been the status quo for as long as most of us can remember but, has it always been this way?
The short answer is no. Before the Victorian era, wedding gowns were typically colored, with red being one of the more popular colors of choice. Although not the first royal to opt for a white bridal gown, Queen Victoria herself is credited with challenging this tradition. She received criticism for her conservative color choice, but ultimately stood her ground. Her deviance from the norm eventually resulted in a culture-wide shift that remains (mostly) intact today.
These days, more and more brides are opting to include variously saturated shades of champagne, pinks, blues and, yes, even black into their wedding attire. So, whether you’re a bride who absolutely cannot wait to wear white (or any of its many forms) on her wedding day, or one that adores the idea of implementing a more non-traditional color into her bridal look, you are not wrong! The most important thing is that you feel as though your wedding gown represents what you like on what will likely be one of the most memorable days of your life.