Brides have always worn white, right? Not so much.In ancient times brides wore brightly hued wedding dresses to signify their joy. In ancient Rome, yellow and red were popular colors. In other places and times, brides wore blue, as blue was associated with purity. Even now, many cultures do not see white as a color appropriate for weddings -- in much of Asia, white is a funeral color, while red is the color of weddings!
In the western world "back in the day," many brides simply wore their Sunday best -- unless she or her family was very wealthy, that meant a wedding gown that could be worn again. It might be white on her wedding day, but that dress would later be dyed (and perhaps altered) so it could be worn for other formal occasions.
White for western brides didn't become fashionable until Queen Victoria wore it at her wedding to signify her status. White wedding dresses did not signify purity until the Christian churches put that label on them.
What's that mean for you? If you are one of the unlucky gals who just doesn't look good in white -- like me -- or you simply don't care for it, you should feel free to wear any color wedding gown under the sun. Yellow wedding gowns are going to be popular in 2009, as are silver wedding gowns. But that doesn't mean you can't rock a pink wedding gown or a purple wedding gown or even a black wedding gown. It's up to you!
Click to read more about the history of the white wedding gown
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