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.
However, aside for these few exceptions to the rule, nearly every bride I've ever known has worn a strapless white confection paired with white shoes and a white veil. The overwhelming majority of women today, it would seem, still opt to follow tradition.
Anyways, the W article (and the fact that I just attended two back-to-back weddings) has got me thinking...what would I wear? I've always just assumed I'd wear white because I'm so indecisive to begin with, I figure that picking white would narrow my choices down a bit and make the whole process go a bit smoother. I'm also a sucker for tradition - wearing white would make me feel connected to my mother, my grandmother, and generations of women who walked down the aisle before me. Yadda.
But the other side of me says, why not do something original? Why not wear something that reflects my unique personality and fashion sensibilities? Why not wear color?
Truth be told, at the end of the day, I think the most I would probably dare to wear would be a colorful sash (Vera Wang does this so well), some sort of non-white embellishment (think Reem Acra), or colorful shoes (a la Carrie Bradshaw's blue Manolos). Regardless of whether I choose to wear white or not, I know I'll pick something that reflects my style and my love of fashion. I don't want something wild, but I also don't see the point in wearing a cookie-cutter bridal "costume."
Oh, and here's the budget part: If you opt not to wear white, you instantly open up a whole world of potentially more affordable dress options. Evening gowns are often much less than costly than dresses that are specifically designed to be wedding gowns. I know of one bride who bought a designer dress in an off-white color (almost yellow) from the evening dress department for hundreds of dollars less than the exact same dress in white which was in the bridal salon.
Would you wear a non-white dress on your wedding day?
LOVE Gwen's dress - would have worn it in heartbeat!
I can wear a red silk gown and say I'm combining my Chinese heritage with the Western culture.
Gwen Stefani's gown is very lovely.
But I love the idea of having wedding dress that is not remotely white or ivory. It screams "personality" and "fun".