Will You Wear White? The Wedding Dress Recession

Words by Amy Wild

Page Design by Haris Hussnain

Long before the days of Instagram influencers and Pinterest boards, it was royalty who set the trends regarding wedding fashion. And in the late 1800s, it was none other than Queen Victoria who changed the game for brides everywhere. Prior to Victoria, royal brides did not usually wear white. Instead, brides choose ornate dresses embroidered with white and silver threads, bold hues like red, blue, or yellow, and black or brown (who said goth wasn’t in?).

Of course, it took a while for the working and middle classes to catch on—they were too busy fighting a war—but eventually, they came around after World War II. So the next time you see a bride walking down the aisle in a white gown, you’ll know that you have Queen Victoria to thank for that iconic fashion statement.

But when Vicotria walked down the aisle to marry her beloved Prince Albert in 1890, she dressed in a stunning white gown, and the world took notice. The trend caught on like wildfire, and by the end of the 19th century, the white dress was the ultimate status symbol for brides with a royal pedigree. From European aristocrats to American heiresses, everyone who was anyone donned a white dress on their big day.

As the white wedding dress gained traction, it wasn’t just a fashion statement but a status symbol. The connotation of ‘innocence and virginal purity’ that came with the dress was as important as the dress itself.For the brides of the time, the wedding was the ultimate prop for their decorum, and the white dress was a way of signalling to the world that they were pure and chaste. In fact, some brides were so shy that they wouldn’t even show their faces in public until they were safely married off. It’s difficult to imagine a time when a dress could carry so much significance, but for these brides, the white wedding gown was more than just a piece of fabric - it represented their worth and place in society. And even today, the tradition lives on, with brides still choosing to wear white dresses (even if they don’t realise it) to signal their purity and innocence as they walk down the aisle.

More and more brides are choosing to venture outside the white wedding for their big day. After all, why do we still feel the need to wear a dress that essentially says, ‘Hey everyone, I’m still pure and untouched by another man!’? I love that brides embrace the beauty and diversity of different cultures regarding their wedding attire. Take Indian weddings, for example - they’re all about the bright pinks and reds when it comes to the bride’s dresses. In Nigeria, wedding attire is a riot of colour, with Gele head ties adding a pop of personality. It’s not just in other cultures, either. Remember Mary’s stunning red wedding dress in About Time? It was a refreshing change from the usual white dresses we see in movies and TV shows, and it got me thinking - maybe I don’t have to wear white either.

So, future brides, it’s time to ask yourself: will you stick to tradition and wear white, or will you take a cure from other cultures (or Mary from About Time) and embrace something a little more colourful? Or maybe you won’t wear a dress at all? The choice is yours!