wedding dresses..?

Question

why is the traditional wedding dress white or ivory ??? Is it acceptable to wear any color ?? what would you suggest to someone who want to wear a different color then white ??

Please answer this ... most detailed answer gets 10points =)

ALSO ... Why is the traditional dress WHITE ??? What does a White dress mean ??

Answer 1

like others have said people use to wear their best dress (usually not white) for the wedding until Queen Victoria wore a big beautiful white dress - and it became the thing to do.
The colors that people would wear symbolized different things so:
-White symbolized purity, cleanliness, softness, (angels usually are dipicted wearing white, as are doctors and nurses). but most importantly white smbolizes happiness, joy and celebration which is an important reason to wera a white wedding dress.
-Blue would symbolise peace, security, loyalty, calmness (it's the color associated with Virgin Mary and girls with like qualities)
-Black is usually a depressing/mourning color associated with eveilness as well - best to not wear this for weddings.
-Brown represents the ideas of earth, hearth, home, the outdoors, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort
-Gold is associated with royalty and riches, represents the colors of heaven
-Green is for nature, luck, vigor, (also envy, shh)
-Orange can represent energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, flamboyant, and demanding of attention.
-Pink can be used to show childish innocence but also a flirtatious personality pink is associated with girls and femininity, also considered a color of good health, sexuality, purity, and love
-Purple can represent royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mysterious, wisdom, enlightenment.
-Red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas. For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression. as the color of blood and fire is shows life and vitality, it's also a sensual color.
..red with white would represent man (red) and God(white) coming together.
-Yellow can symbolize joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, gold.

it's somewhat acceptable to wear different colors - emor so than previous. you may get a few strange comments or looks from more trditional people but just tell them that you picked whatever color to represent whatever the color means.
it would be more common/acceptable to wear very light pearly shades of colors than to go out and wear a bold colored dress.
i would suggest trying on white dresses, white dresses with colored sashes/accents, and colored dresses so you can descide what works best for you.
check out this site: http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Colored_Wedding_Dresses
it's quite helpful - it explains what people are doing with color - it's sweet n short! (it does say that colored wedding dresses are hard to come by - but if it's a casual wedding just go get a nice prom/bridesmaid dress)

another good read: http://singles.syl.com/weddingdress.html

an article about the bride superstitions (includes color):
http://www.snopes.com/weddings/customs/dress.asp

a rhyme from the article is this:
"married in white,
you have chosen all right

married in green,
ashamed to be seen

married in red,
you will wish yourself dead

married in blue,
you will always be true

married in yellow,
ashamed of your fellow

married in black,
you will wish yourself back

married in pink,
of you he'll think"

Have fun looking for dresses! God Bless!!

Answer 2

The tradition of a white dress is a young one. Brides used to wear their best clothes to be married. Getting a dress to wear once was foolishly extravagant. Then Queen Victoria was married in white and it became the thing to do. Whoever said it symbolized virginity, or was a statement of such, is mistaken. Nowadays, a white dress is to be worn at a first marriage, not signifying virginity. But if you are footing the bill, wear whatever color you like. A lot of us don't look good in white.

Stark white doesn't photograph well, the white tends to look like a blob, with blurry edges. Cream or other colors photograph better. And a wedding is a big photography day.

The bottom line is you or whoever is paying, do as you please. There is no etiquette about colors. I know a girl (second marriage) who got married in a black dress. I got married (a first) in peach. But I was 37. I simply wanted to.

Answer 3

A white wedding dress means the bride is a virgin and pure. I think it's acceptable to wear any color, personally, my wedding dress is white with red embrodery. If you're going for a very traditional wedding, go with the white dress and veil, or if you are more modern, mix it up a little. if you want a place where you can go and look at a bunch of different wedding dresses from home, go to EBAY.COM. They have every style you could ever dream of.

Answer 4

Queen Victoria set the stage on that one. She wore a white wedding dress when she wedded Price Albert, and after that, white became the color to wear for your wedding day. Before that, any color, save red (associated with prostitutes) and black (the color of morning). The white dress came to symbolize happiness, purity of heart, and the innocence of childhood. Originally, blue represented these virtues.

Answer 5

I would go to History of the Wedding Dress by Elizabeth Davies for information. I began in medieval times with the colors of the dresses representing different things and the amount of beading, decorations determined social status.

White or a similar shading was used to represent virgininity and innocence. It became a socially accepted color for that reason.

Answer 6

I think it's hilarious that people bribe others for points on here...

White is the "virginal" color. I'm sure you can google other traditions associated with it.

It's very acceptable to wear other colors. For instance Indian weddings, the bride wears red as well as Chinese.

You see lots of color being added to modern American weddings now a days.

Check out Alfred Angelo's website for ideas.

Answer 7

my sister feels the same way! she is getting married and picked out a white dress that has black embroidry along the bottom and like a black floral design going up it... very cute and modern! (and the bridesmaids are wearing all black dresses - easy to find too!) Also, the white dress means your a virgin.. if it's your second marriage, then you can wear any color dress you want - traditionally

Answer 8

traditionally the white wedding dress stood for purity.now,it is a symbol of cheer and joy.today,,you can choose to wear any color you desire.traditional etiquitte has pretty much gone out the window.believe me,,i've been doing alot of research on this topic!!

Answer 9

The traditional wedding dress is white for PURITY, a concept oft overlooked.

Answer 10

Traditionally white means you are a virgin. You wear any color you want. You need to have memories of your wedding just the way you want it.

Answer 11

I have seen hot pink wedding dresses. Believe me those days are long gone for white. Pick what you want and you will be very happy it's your dress I promise you will be happy. And every one will be a buzz. And they are going to talk anyway so them say wow she picked great colors for her dress. Have fun with it...