The standard, White dress for weddings, really started in Victorian times thanks to Queen Victoria. Before that the bride usually wore her favorite color and used it as her best dress after the wedding. It was also a display of wealth to have a dress you only wear once. People did not have as many changes of clothes as we do now. Dresses had high collars, but party dresses could show a huge amount of chest. It became fashionable to copy Queen Victoria’s wedding. This is still done today. The Victorian bride favored a long veil down her back with a small crown of flowers (Queen Victoria wore orange blossoms.) Battenburg lace became very popular at this time. Before Queen Victoria, Royals always wed in Silver and commoners in blue. Brides of ancient Israel wore blue ribbons on the border of their wedding cloths to denote, love, modesty and fidelity. These are ideals still associated today with that color. Blue is also associated with the purity of the Virgin Mary and is the most popular of all colors. Many were married gowned in it. The something blue is a throwback to this ancient tradition honoring the purity of the bride. Faced with such an enduring biblical and social tradition it is ironic that Queen Victoria’s radical departure from tradition has become the norm. She also did a mean Waltz, by all accounts, which was far more shocking!
Red is the color of “Love and Joy” in China. At one time it was the brides’ favorite color of choice for the wedding garment, candles, guest gift favors and everything that went along with her wedding. In China today, many girls still choose to go by the old traditions of their forefathers.