Wedding Dress Style

The Significance Behind White Wedding Dresses and Other Marriage Rituals
By Faylinner Szers


Have you ever wondered why brides always wear a white wedding dress? If you have, then most probably you are not aware that this is not really true always. Brides in the yesteryears would in fact wear gowns which were of different vibrant colours. They would wear gowns of various colours to express their joy.

The white gowns worn for marriages did not become popular until it was worn by Queen Victoria for her wedding. The queen did it to signify her status. In fact, the colour white became a significant symbol of purity only after Christian churches approved of them and put a label on them confirming the same.


Apart from the dress, the marriage bands made of braided grass or hemp were the rings in the early years. These rings, however, soon went out of fashion and were replaced by durable metals. This was a part of Christian marriages until the fifteenth century after which diamonds came into picture.


The diamonds gained in popularity as it signified a valuable and strong commitment. This tradition is also popular with the present generation and they prefer to carry it forward.

Generally, if you look at gowns of the bridesmaid you will find that they are always identical. This is an old practise that originated long back. This was done by friends of the bride who would wear the exact same outfit as the bride. This was done to mislead or confuse evil spirits who were believed to try and destroy the happiness of the bride.


This tradition also helped to tackle the bride's fear of being kidnapped by some other rival suitor. During weddings, there is another old ritual of a receiving line. The ancient belief was that the bride and groom would bring good luck to everyone they touched. Even today, modern couples follow this tradition and make rounds greeting all the guests present for the ceremony.

The bride and groom kiss each other during the marriage ceremony. This tradition is believed to have developed in ancient Rome. The ancient Romans believed that marriage was not legal until it was sealed by the couple kissing each other. This belief has developed into the modern day tradition of guests banging a spoon to the glass until the couple kiss each other.


Now, honeymoon after marriage is something very common. But the term originated in Ireland. In ancient Ireland, parents of the newlywed couple would provide them with a drink that was made of fermented honey which was also known as mead. This would last for a full cycle of moon. The reason behind this was that elders believed that this would lead to the couple being blessed with a son in a year's time.

The rituals and customs followed in marriage ceremonies are all a part of old and ancient tradition and they all have a significance of their own.