Of the mentionable colours in which wedding dresses are most popular all over the world, Red and White wedding dresses, are of special mention. Dress/dresses worn by the bride in weddings, are always of special importance when speaking of marriages, and have been the subject of much evolution through time.
IMPORTANCE OF WEDDING ATTIRE OF THE TO-BE-WEDS
In every culture the bride and bride-groom put on their best during the wedding, to celebrate the union, and also as a symbol of opulence and prosperity. Families go out of their way to either get custom-made or tailor-made wedding dresses in the current fashion, using the best material they can afford. This is because during a wedding the couple represent their families and the best attires suggest a high status. Luxuriant attires used in weddings also symbolize aspirations for a happy married life of the bride and bride-groom. White and red are the most popular colours in use for this purpose of dressing the to-be-weds as both these colours have several significances in different cultures.
WHITE WEDDING DRESSES
White wedding dresses have become a tradition now, in Western weddings. This was not so before the 1930s.Before this period wedding dresses in the west used to simply follow the current trends and fashion. Brides wore wedding dresses made of the best material available and affordable, tailored in the style in rage at that time. Colour was not an issue, though specific cultures proffered some colours over others. Black, for example was a favourite in Scandinavia. White was not proffered much, and bright colours were in vogue. White Victorian style wedding dresses came into fashion only after Queen Victoria wore white for her grand wedding to Albert of Saxe-Coberg. Hence 1930,white was used prevalently, and slowly became the tradition. Soon it came to be considered as a symbol of virginity and purity, though that is incorrect, and in modern times white has also been used in subsequent weddings. White is a colour of high maintenance, as in laundering, and hence it is a symbol of luxury as well. Wedding dresses are built in a fashion so as to solidify its use for wedding purposes only, distinguishing it from other dresses. Today the shades egg-white, ivory and ecru are included within the ‘wedding whites’. A traditional veil accompanies the wedding dress.
RED WEDDING DRESSES
In the East, a variety of dresses, all according to tradition are donned during the wedding. The colour prefers though, in most eastern cultures, is red. Red is used because it signifies auspiciousness, good luck, and courage. In a Chinese wedding, the presence of red material in the wedding dress is considered essential. In a modern Chinese wedding, the bride is allowed to wear any dress of her choice, bur put on the traditional dress for the official tea-ceremony. Red is also a very bright and vivacious colour. Indian weddings also have a tradition for red wedding material, the dress being a sari. The material is traditionally silk and woven in fine designs, often with gold threads and sequins. The richer the design and better the silk present in a red traditional sari, more the opulence. In Vietnam too, red is the colour of choice for a wedding dress.