The Budget Babe

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More and more brides today are breaking free from the white wedding gown mold and donning colorful dresses on their big day instead, according to a fascinating article in the June 2008 issue of W magazine. (Western brides, the article notes, have been wearing white since the Victorian era, when Queen Victoria started the trend in 1840 for her marriage to her cousin Albert.)

Of course this is nothing new: Who can forget Gwen Stefani's 2002 marriage to Gavin Rossdale where she was decked out in a pink dip-dyed Dior wedding gown, or the black Morgan Le Fay frock which Sarah Jessica Parker wore for her 1997 wedding to Matthew Brodderick? Plenty of bold, confident women today think outside the box when it comes to picking their wedding outfits.

I've personally known two brides who did not wear white, off-white or ivory on their wedding days: One friend wore a splashy teal chiffon dress, and the other wore a rich green satin gown. As for other "nonconformists" that I've personally known, there was the Aunt who wore a stunning white lace suit, the hipster friend who wore colorful blue shoes, and at least two brides I can think of offhand who skipped veils altogether.