Wedding dress, in which the bride shines, always attracts everyone's attention. From a young age, girls dream of how they will look at their wedding, and during the entire period of growing up they bring this image to perfection in their imagination. A large number of brides assume that the white color of the wedding dress has become generally accepted in the distant past, but this tradition was formed only a couple of centuries ago. The history of the emergence of the wedding dress, which is of great interest to many, will be covered in the sections of this article.
The color of the bride's dress in ancient times
White dresses of the bride began to be worn for the first time in Ancient Greece. They were called "peplos", had fasteners on their shoulders, by the appearance of which they judged their well-being. In order for the girl's marriage to be filled with happiness, she was covered with a long piece of golden-colored cloth.
Brides in ancient Rome wore an unremarkable body-hugging outfit to the wedding ceremony, complemented it with a lot of luxurious jewelry.
The history of a wedding dress in Russia says that in ancient times pagan traditions dominated in our country. Usually the fair sex wore red sundresses, the bright color of which was a symbol of protection from evil spirits. Another image of the bride was also widespread: the betrothed girls wore shirts decorated with embroidery, a red-and-blue checkered skirt with a lavishly decorated hem. The tradition of wearing red dresses for a wedding ceremony was preserved in Russia until the 18th century.
Wedding fashion in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, European brides did not prefer a particular color of dress. They wore their best festive dresses to wedding ceremonies, which were distinguished by rich pretentiousness. The history of the wedding dress shows that young ladies living in Europe began to buy outfits especially for the wedding in the 15th century. Traditionally, in this time period, brides from we althy families wore chic dresses decorated with furs, jewelry, expensive fabrics for the wedding ceremony.
Girls in the Middle Ages preferred to choose dresses in dark or bright colors. They approached the choice of the shade of the wedding attire (the history of the wedding dress is proof of this fact) from a practical point of view. It was dusty and dirty on the city streets in those days, so dresses of light, and even more so white, canit was easy to get dirty.
XVI-XVII centuries
In this time period, white dresses were worn only by female representatives who went to the monastery and dedicated their lives to serving God without a trace. Dark colors in the 16th and 17th centuries gave way to pastel blues and pinks. The nuances of the history of the wedding dress for two centuries had a direct relationship with the customs of different cultures:
- In France, girls very often chose purple dresses for marriage, promising them a loving spouse for life.
- Irish brides preferred to marry in green robes. According to popular belief, this color attracts happiness and good luck to the house.
When the white wedding dress became traditional
As the history of the white wedding dress says, until 1840, the tradition of wearing a white outfit for a wedding ceremony did not exist. Brides, as a rule, dressed in new beautiful dresses, sewn in the latest fashion. A revolution in wedding fashion was made by Queen Victoria of England, who demonstrated to others at her wedding a magnificent snow-white satin dress. Over the lace ribbon that adorned the neckline of the Queen's dress, experienced craftswomen worked for six months. After Victoria's wedding, samples of exquisite lace were destroyed so that no one could recreate their unique pattern.
To decorate your attire Victoriashe used only a sapphire brooch given to her by her fiancé. The appearance of the young queen so delighted everyone around that the white wedding dress became traditional not only in England, but throughout the world. In Russia (the history of the wedding dress confirms this fact), brides began to dress in such outfits only in the 19th century.
Stages in the evolution of wedding fashion
In the late Middle Ages, the exquisite and sophisticated bride's attire was distinguished by a narrow cut, a chic neckline, long sleeves and a train. In the Renaissance era that replaced it, a wedding dress, usually decorated with pearls and embroidery, had to emphasize the pomp of the female representative, falling to the floor in massive folds.
The Rococo era (as the story of the wedding dress says) added pretentiousness to brides' attire. Dresses with huge layered skirts and a large number of trains, ruffles and bows were considered stylish in this time period. In addition to these outfits, brides often wore massive wigs. Wedding dresses of the Empire era, which had a high waist, were light and airy. They were sewn from the finest silk and worn with gloves.
Lace was an indispensable attribute of wedding dresses of the 19th century.
Wedding dresses of the 20th century
With the advent of the 20th century, wedding fashion began to regain its simplicity and become elegant and more restrained. Dramatic changes (the history of the wedding dress is proof of thisfact) affected the length of the outfit. If at the beginning of the century a dress that slightly opened the ankles was considered daring, then in the sixties, straight and loose shirt-cut wedding dresses appeared, and mini dresses became trendy over time.
Styles of wedding dresses in the XX century have also undergone many changes. In the 1920s, brides entered into legal marriage in dresses of a simple cut with a slightly lowered waist; in the 1930s, the image of the newlyweds became more feminine; in the 1940s, wedding fashion was distinguished by strictness and clearly defined lines. In the 50s, the romantic style became fashionable, in the 60s - minimalism, in the 70s - the hippie style with its simplicity and freedom, in the 80s - sports style. Since the 90s of the XX century, a white dress like that of a fairy-tale princess began to confidently gain its position, enveloping the fair sex with an aura of innocence.
Signs related to wedding attire
Here are some signs associated with the wedding:
- groom should not see his fiancé's dress before the wedding;
- it is forbidden to sell a wedding dress, in order to preserve the marriage union, you need to keep it all your life;
- a girl's wedding dress should only be worn over her head;
- It is not recommended to rent or purchase a wedding attire, it must certainly be new, otherwise the fairer sex will be harassed by debts;
- to protect yourself from the evil eye, the bride needs to make a few stitches with blue threads on the hemdresses.
Modern trends
At present, brides can opt for a wedding dress (the mystical stories associated with this outfit have excited society at all times) of any style and color. The styles and models of wedding dresses are striking in their diversity, the white color of the wedding dress, interpreted as innocent and immaculate, remains traditional.
Today, a girl on the most important day of her life can appear in the image she cherished in her dreams. She has freedom of choice and a chance to transform into a business lady, a romantic charmer, a princess from the Middle Ages, a Greek goddess. It is not the most important thing which dress the bride chooses, the main thing is that she be the happiest.
