Today, it's hard to imagine a wedding dress that isn't white or a similar shade like ivory, bone, pearl, or champagne, etc. But did you know it wasn't always like this? The white color of wedding dresses is a modern invention.

Wedding Dresses in History

The early traces of bridal attire varied in each culture:
In ancient Egypt, dresses were often red, symbolizing love and passion, crafted from luxurious fabrics and decorations.
In the Roman Empire, a straight tunic was typically worn, usually in white or ivory, adorned with embroidery and ornaments.

In the Middle Ages, dresses resembled modern styles in terms of shape, with wide skirts and cinched waists, but they were often vibrant in color - red, blue, or green - adorned with embroidery and gemstones.

Later, many noblewomen and affluent families chose to wear white dresses for their weddings - and other special occasions - because it was the most luxurious color of that time: expensive due to the technical difficulties in whitening fabrics and hard to maintain due to limited access to detergents that preserved its color.

Queen Victoria's White Dress Set the Trend

It wasn't until 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, that white became the norm. This shift was also spurred by the rise of fashion magazines and greater access to white due to new textile production and washing techniques in the 19th century.

Ultimately, the association of white with purity, innocence, and virginity seemed to align with Victorian beliefs about a woman's role in society. However, as with many aspects of fashion history, it's not possible to attribute the adoption of the white wedding dress to a single phenomenon.

Would you dare to get married in a dress of another color?