Red Wedding Dresses

Let’s face it. Just the thought of getting married in a RED wedding dress is a travesty that could make most women, well… see red. Western brides-to-be traditionally consider weddings and all the accoutrements to be symbolic of a woman’s purity, innocence, and virginity and that a flagrant intrusion of such a passionate and violent color is usually considered in poor taste – if not taboo.

Does this look like a violent color and poor taste? Definitely not! This is such a pretty wedding dress in red from Tomy Mariage.

What most brides don’t realize, however, is that culturally and historically, the use of red in weddings is quite common, especially in Buddhist and Hindu cultures where the color is a symbol of good luck. In fact, the tradition of wearing white bridal gowns is fairly recent, made popular only after Queen Victoria’s marriage in 1840 - and the subsequent marriages of her daughters in 1858 and 1863 - wherein they all wore simple white satin dresses with an orange blossom wreath headdress and lace veil. And because royal weddings have always influenced the wedding ceremonies of non-royal couples (with the brides often imitating the princesses’ style of dress), it’s no wonder how the tradition has stuck to this day.

Modern French designer Tomy Mariage showing off latest red wedding dress trend. French people are not one bit shy to wear red on their wedding day.

Prior to the Victorian era, most women were wedded in their “best dress,” regardless of color. The considerations for such a choice were mostly practical, as the dress could be worn for more than one occasion and often reflected the bride’s (and her family’s) social standing. Thus, wedding gowns were designed in styles fashionable for the time: high-necked and long-sleeved for day, or low-necked and sleeveless for evening – in all varieties of rich materials and colors, including blue and red.

In hindsight, it’s ironic that a woman whose name is synonymous with prudery and strict decorum actually started a long-lasting fashion trend that continues to be hot to this day. Petite, weak-chinned Victoria – history’s most enduring fashion icon! Who would’ve thought?

She had the right idea, though. Despite the rags of the day criticizing Queen Vicky’s choice of ensemble as shockingly “plain,” the color white suddenly became the fitting symbol of a milieu marked by moral austerity and prosperity brought about by the Industrial Revolution (with white once considered a symbol of wealth). All other colors – especially red – fell out of favor for a bride’s wedding trousseau.