Blue Wedding Dresses?

● Before England’s Queen

Victoria, a lot of brides wore

wedding dresses that were

blue

● Blue was intended to be a

color of purity and

innocence, even though

most believe white is

intended for this.

Other Colors Prior to the Victorian Era

Wedding dresses were made to show elegance and the family’s affluence, using fine fabrics and embellishments.

Even Red Wedding Dresses?

● In China it was common

for women to wear a red

wedding dress

● Red was considered the

symbol of love and

prosperity

Civil War and Post Civil War Brides

Black is a color of mourning, and so many died during the Civil War that brides getting married within the mourning period wore black wedding gowns.

White Wedding Dresses Become Fashionable

Prior to the Victorian era, a bride was married in any color, black being especially popular in Scandinavia.

White became a popular option in 1840, after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg, when Victoria wore a white gown trimmed with Honiton lace.

● Queen Victoria was the first royal woman to wear a white wedding dress.

● Queen Victoria was not an ordinary bride. Unlike most royal brides, she did not enter the marriage as a princess, about to become the Queen. Her dress was not a symbol for her wealth; it was a political statement for her position of power

The Making of a Wedding Dress

Many wedding dresses are two or more pieces

This wedding outfit include a top, skirt, fitted jacket, and a bustle.

Most wedding dresses were two pieces which were the embellished top, and the skirting.

Fabric Choices and Embellishments

Fabrics were carefully selected. Most brides selected silk.

Embellishments included fine lace, pearls, ribbons, crystals, appliqués, and jewelry.

The more ornate, the more wealth the family appeared to own.

Transition to the Modern Bride

Today the meaning of the colors have changed

White- goodness, purity innocence Red- infatuation, strength, passion Pink-child-like personality, good life Blue-calmness, peacefulness Black- elegance or class, even though

it is seen as a eerie color for a wedding dress

The fabrics used today are usually, Lace,

Silk, Satin, Taffeta, or, Tulle Dresses now are more based on personality

which is expressed through color, fabric, design, length

Fantasy Weddings

● Princess Diana set the paradigm for the “Fantasy wedding”, with puffy sleeves, and a dramatic train that was 24 ft long.

● Diana’s dress is considered to be one of the most iconic dresses of all time.

● Designer Vera Wang took off during the 90’s with ‘understated chic’

● As more people began to go tropical for their weddings, more people began to have strapless dresses

Sources

Printrest.com Polkadotbride.com Theenchantedmanor.com Brides.com Weddinginspirasi.com Tidebuy.com Lightinthebox.com Verawang.com Presentation by Monique Williams, Student, Stow-Munroe Falls High School, 2016