Wedding Gown Fun Facts

photo by chris lopez

The earliest record of a white wedding gown appears in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The early Egyptians believed that white was a color that symbolized both celebration and virginity.

In the Middle Ages, royalty married in luxurious fabrics. The color was not important, but the more elaborate the fabric, the better.

The early American woman wore her “Sunday best” as her wedding “gown”, and she expected to wear it again many times after her wedding day. There simply was no room for excesses when times were so difficult and luxuries were very few and far between.

In more “modern times,” it was only the second-time bride and the widow for whom etiquette prescribed wearing a pastel or off-white.

photo by dion ogust

It was Queen Victoria who broke from Middle Age custom and wore a white wedding gown. She was a real trendsetter. Her white wedding gown has maintained its traditional position to this day.

During World War I, Congress gave its approval to exempt wedding gowns
from government clothing rationing.

—Judy Lewis