Why are you wearing white on your wedding day if you are not a virgin?

Question

please explain, as I never did understood the reason.

Outdated? Is marriage outdated as well?

Answer 1

Because I looked great, because the state of my hymen is nobody else's business, and because in many cultures white stands more for purity of heart and joy than physical virginity.

My bridesmaids also wore white, and all but one were married women. One was pregnant. They looked great.

Answer 2

Wow. You are SO right! If the virgin-only policy is outdated, then marriage ABSOLUTELY must be outdated. But let us not stop with the white dresses. I'm sure you will agree that if a bride neglects to have something "borrowed" or "blue" on her person, then polygamy and open marriage must be on the horizon. We must stop the erosion of these traditions at all costs.

You need to be more aggressive about getting the word out there. Next time you get invited to a wedding, call the bride. Ask her if her hymen is still intact, and whether she is intending to wear white. If her answer is yes/yes or no/no, by all means, return your RSVP card and enjoy the wedding. If the answer is no/yes, then by golly, put your foot down and take a stand. Tell her not only that you will NOT attend, but that you cannot support her marriage because it is premised on fraudulent pretenses. She will respect your candor and be pleased that you set her straight.

And next time you hear that your friends'/relatives' daughters are getting married, ask the proud mom whether said bride-to-be's hymen is intact, and your opinion that the bride should not be shopping in the white section at David's under any circumstances. She, too, will appreciate your forthrightness and your protection of traditional values.

Be sure to take a firm stand when you are invited to the wedding of the daughter of your husband's (Mr. Prude's) boss. Don't miss the opportunity to ask said boss about the bride's hymen. This one is really important. Said boss needs to understand that he cannot have the respect of his underlings if his/her own daughter is falsely representing the corrupted state of her hymen by wearing a white dress. This will promote more honest, open workplace relations. Good luck.

Answer 3

The reason for wearing white is not actually to signify that you're a virgin. It's simply to follow a tradition that Queen Victoria started. Prior to that, the norm was to wear bright, colorful dresses (sometimes even black!). The virginity thing is something that we have made up over time, to try to maintain the purity of the young women in our lives...Basically, making sure they're afraid that everyone will know about their misconduct as she walks down the aisle.

FYI, many of the sexual restrictions that we all work under in this modern age came out of the Victorian era as well...Prior to Queen Victoria's reign, sexuality was more openly discussed, and virginity was something you lost to the head stable man when you were 13.

Answer 4

This term refers to the white color of the wedding dress, which became popular in the Victorian era and came to symbolize purity of heart and the innocence of childhood. Later attribution suggested that the color white symbolized virginity.

This article discusses the rise of the conventions of a "White wedding," their perceived symbolism, and their contemporary application.

Not every virgin or non virgin wears white. It came to stand for purity as above. It was a tradition and traditions change. It no longer for most holds the symbolism of purity but is simply a tradition. Though now more women (virgins and non virgins) are choosing to have colored wedding dress.

Answer 5

Because contrary to popular belief white does not symbolize virginity. Its a sign of wealth because white is hard to keep clean and to make truly white fabric back then was extremely expensive. White was the second most expensive color to get a fabric in after purple.

White for wedding became popular during Elizabethean times when Queen Elizabeth wore white, before that brides wore all sorts of colors.

It's also a cultural thing. Western cultures wear white while other cultures like Chinese have red.

Answer 6

OMG, this reminds me of my aunt. She got married a few years back, this was her third marriage, and she already had four kids. She wore a white dress. My first thought was that the jig was up, we kinda had the idea she wasn't a virgin anymore or that this wasn't her first marriage...lol. I think it is a personal choice. I didn't wear white when I got married, though it was my first. I thought that me being 5 months pregnant would give it up that I wasn't a virgin anymore. Anyhoo, different strokes for diffrent folks I guess. :)

Answer 7

My dress is ivory, that has nothing to do with whether or not I'm a virgin (none of your business by the way).

If only virgins wore white, there would be a lot less white wedding dresses.

Answer 8

That's a completely outdated tradition, and personally, I cannot understand anyone's desire to advertise their status to the general crowd...that is a very personal thing, and nobody in the congregation needs to know whether or you are are not other than your groom. Nobody even assumes white means virgin anyway...

Answer 9

Cuz i liked the dress in white, if i liked it and it was green i woulda wore it in green - off white is ugly and looks dirty so i went for white. My daughter was the Maid of Honor so I obviously was no virgin. People wear what they like and it has nothing to do with the "virgin" factor. People that judge others should probably take a look at themselves and make DARN sure they are PERFECT in EVERYTHING because judging others opens the door for people to rip you apart.

Answer 10

Because even though it's a tradition to wear white when you're a virgin...it's even more a tradition for the man to be in a black tux and the woman to have the white dress. It's part of the wedding 'look'. If you're going for that 'look' you have to get the colors right.

Actually one of my friends, even though she was a virgin refused to wear white because it was too traditional. She wore a tanish dress instead and her husband was in a dark purple tux...

Answer 11

Because the whole idea of white standing for purity went out a long, long time ago. Brides now wear white because it's traditional for a bride to be in white--although you're seeing brides getting away from that as well. Which I think is a good thing, most people don't look that good in stark white.