A wedding gown is most likely the most important choice for a magical day – all eyes will be on the bride. Wedding dresses can be new, hand made or even passed down through families. Color, style, and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.
In Western cultures, brides often choose a white wedding dress, which was made popular by Queen Victoria in the 19th century. In eastern cultures, brides often choose red to symbolize auspiciousness.
Gowns have changed through history, from simplicity to opulence and back again. For example, in the 1920s, they were typically short in the front with a longer train in the back and were worn with cloche-style wedding veils. This tendency to follow current fashions continued until the late 1960s when it became popular to revert to long, full-skirted designs reminiscent of the Victorian era.
Today, Western wedding dresses are usually white, though “wedding white” includes shades such as eggshell, ecru, and ivory. Every now and then, we love to look back at how things have changed in the past 100 years.
From fashion to facial hair, we notice that while some things are dated and ought to remain in the past (think Bonnie Tyler in the 80s), history does tend to repeat itself. Such is the case with wedding gowns. In the following video from Mode.com, you’ll see 100 years of wedding dress styles in less than 3 minutes. For the most part, the wedding gown has remained elegant and beautiful.
