Rainey's Blog: The Evolution of the White Wedding Dress

The Evolution of the White Wedding Dress

Almost all weddings these days have the bride in a white dress and the groom in a suit or tux, but it didn’t always use to be this way. The “perfect white wedding dress” was not something brides have forever thought about. The big million dollar wedding wasn’t that big of a deal for a family to do like it is now. The reason for this is society’s change and the change in what the consumer audience wants. The growth and evolution, starting in the 19th century of the white wedding dress and the dream wedding were greatly influenced by women’s magazines/ advertising and photography.

In the 19th century, white material was almost impossible to clean by hand and so only the wealthy or the highest class could afford it. Some of the wealthy/royal at this time wore gold or blue and if they couldn’t afford it women just wore their best dress they owned. A girl’s wedding dress was something to be worn more than once. They would get alterations made so it would fit in with style of the times or change in the body.

Red was popular in these times especially in the east and more accessible financially. It was popular because in Asian countries brides would wear red symbolizing, luck sexuality, and happiness.

The wedding dress would have an explosion in 1840 when Queen Victoria got married and wore a white wedding dress. Her white dress was silk/satin, lacy and long, she also replaced her crown with a wreath halo of flowers. The Queen followed suit and repurposed her wedding gown on many occasions. The people of England fantasized and romanticized the marriage of Queen Victoria and created a fairytale for them. Following the royal wedding, young women went out to copy the Queen’s dress. the 1840 wedding dress is still considered the “classic” wedding silhouette. It is also considered the “classic” wedding dress around the world. Until the 1920s brides wore attire that was more modest than everyday clothing. The 20s brought fashion changes throughout the nation mainly in hemlines rising to above the knee. Some brides hope to wear a dress that has components of the 19th-century style. Brides today get their wedding dress to only wear it on that one day.

The rise of the wedding dress was influenced by the royal wedding of 1840 but also by the industrial revolution and technology advances in advertising such as illustrated magazines and photography.

In 1849 women's’ magazines were saying that white was the best and proper color for a bride to wear and had always been. Writers also called white “ the most fitting hue” for brides. White soon became the color to symbolize weddings especially weddings of the west. This was because white symbolizes purity and new beginnings Magazines took the innocence and simplicity of adding white to the image of the bride and it continued on. The truth is for the first bit of the time it really didn’t symbolize virginity/purity but it was a show of stature and wealth. Victorian Ideals went into the change of symbolization of the wedding such as romantic love and purity this then came back to rewrite the white wedding dress as a trademark for innocence, and virginity over wealth.

Not only has the wedding celebrations change but also meaning marriage has changed immensely over the last 200 years. There wasn’t a wedding for a long time cause marriage was made official by just signing a contract. Marriage, for the most part, is not a business arrangement. People who do marry now do it for love and have expectations specified to their spouse.

As earlier stated photography was released in the rise of weddings and wedding culture. Early 19th century there were no paper photos, no access to multiple photos and no albums. The machinery for a camera was too big so couples were limited to the studio. One of the first couples to pose for these pictures was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this couples were inspired to take photos before and after their wedding in their costume. Later in the 19th century, people began to hire photographers to take pictures in their wedding dress and suit (but not at the ceremony). There was still limitations in technology making the couple go back to the photographer’s studio to take the pictures. But in 1880 there was a move forward, now photographers could work without the plates or chemicals. This made taking pictures at the locations happen. Portability made photos more than just a pose and more people such as the wedding party. This is where wedding albums came from. A new kind of photography was born - it was a candid more documentary style. Out of this came the profession, Photojournalism and it made a new feel for events all around the world.

The other main producer in the popularity of weddings and dresses was women’s magazines. To sell something you must show the people that they want it. Companies did this by sending magazines to the young women in homes to get their interest in their product in this case, fashion. A great example of this is The Women’s Magazine 1914 collection. It is filled with lessons on cooking, children and even men. The magazine is filled with pictures and diagrams hoping to catch your eye. There are stories like gossip columns of the time and all wanting to entertain the American woman. It gives what style of dress you should wear based upon the type of event you are attending. And it even talked about weddings, it provides the events of a wedding and the signs of the wedding or different ways to plan one. But it also tells what “the bride of today” will wear stating the styles in and what kind of dress to wear based on your fiance, home, family and style of ceremony.

The consumer culture of weddings and wedding dresses for women, men, and societies. For decades the world has been changing these ideas and the changes were made by us and our innovations. Next time you’re at a wedding slow down and take note of what it means and how the bride is dressed and how their ceremony represents them, the life they want or the life they already have.