
A WHITE WEDDING: WHY IS THE TRADITIONAL BRIDAL GOWN WHITE?
Sometime in the early stages of planning your wedding, you most likely pictured a white affair. After all, a white wedding has been a tradition originating as far back as the 19th century in Great Britain.
The term “white wedding” actually came from the white color of the wedding dress, which was popular among the elites of the Victorian era after Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress at her wedding. The tradition ofwearing a white dress in weddings is widely credited to Queen Victoria’s quite radical choice to wear a white court dress at her own wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. Victoria emerged from her wedding carriage in a simple white dress accented with Honiton lace, and wore a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle on her head in place of her crown. Side-stepping the usual pageantry of fur, gold embroidery, and rich colors that were the aristocracy’s norm at the time, it seemed that Victoria was actually making a statement by throwing a modest affair. Queen Victoria optedfor good sense and prudence on her wedding to show her people that she would run the country in a similar way. Knowing that her dress would be talked about around the world, Queen Victoria chose to wear a dress trimmed with handmade lace from the small village of Beer, in support of the declining lace trade. White, reasoned Victoria, was the best ‘canvas’ to showcase the lace makers’ artistry.
And, as predicted, word of Victoria’s wedding (and, of course, her dress) quicklyspread throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. In 1849, Godey’s Lady’s Book, which was the equivalent of today’s Vogue in the Victorian era, proclaimed: “Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue, whatever may be the material. (White) is the emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one.”It did not take long beforemembers of the elite followed her lead and white became the hallmark of wealth and social status.
Across the world, the color white has been associated with weddings and other significant life and spiritual events. In ancient Greece, white symbolized bridal joy, and brides not only wore white dresses and carried white flowers, but would also paint their bodies white.In China and Japan, white is the color of purity and perfection. In Africa, white is associated with deities and rituals of worship. In the Christian tradition, white represents spiritual purity and the washing away of sins.
Today, many different cultures wear different colors in weddings. In China and India, red wedding dresses are favored as it symbolizes good luck and success. Traditional Nigerian brides prefer brightly-colored, elaborately-accessorized dresses. In Ghana, wedding dresses vary from couple to couple, asdifferent familiesuse their own intricate cloth patterns. Traditional Hungarian dresses are white, but bear colorful floral embroidery. Malaysian gowns are usually in purple or violet.
It’s your big day. If you wish to express yourself with bold colors and elaborate accessories, go for it! And if you have a traditional side, too, you can still indulge it. You can go with an all-white theme in the photos and videos for your PreWedding Videography Package and then revert to your color palette of choice on the actual wedding. Before the big day, make sure it’s been reiterated to yourSingapore wedding videographer how important it is to you that your free spirit is immortalized in the wedding cinematography video.There are no laws against side-stepping wedding protocol, so go ahead and start your own traditions! You and all your loved ones present will remember you forever for it.