In 1840, Queen Victoria was married in a white gown.  Prior to this, the normal policy was to wear a good, new dress, which could be used for formal occasions afterwards.  While not street clothes, they were certainly intended for occasional wear.  Nobility would wear very expensive clothes, often with gold thread, and the length of the train symbolized the degree of influence on the Royals.  Yet the popularity of Queen Victoria was such that by the end of the decade, marriage handbooks said, “from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue.”  Even two or three generations after in the US, it was normal to purchase a good dress for use as a wedding dress, rather than a special gown that is never used again. 

Wedding gowns grew more and more elaborate in Britain until the arrival of the First World War.  Styles became simpler, and the changing role of women led to the abandonment of the corset and shorter skirts.  In the US, as late as the Great Depression it was normal to marry in a white gown, and then dye it blue or some other color for normal wear.  Typically, the collar and cuffs would be left white to show the original use of the dress.  During World War Two it was normal for brides to give up the fancy wedding, not least because so many marriages had very short engagements without time for planning.  It was even normal for women in the service to marry in her uniform.  Women not in the service would again pick a good, preferably new, dress to wear for the wedding. 

After the war, prosperity allowed special gowns that need serve no other purpose than the wedding ceremony.  Much as the wedding of Queen Victoria, the wedding of Princess Grace of Monaco set the standard for many women in the contemporary era, showing them and those who came after them the standard for the perfect wedding.

In theory, the white wedding dresses of the Victoria era symbolized the innocence of the childhood the bride was leaving behind.  Somewhere along the way, this became tied to virginity in the common belief. 

In the current era, the pendulum has again swung.  Now the individuality of the bride and wedding are the most important factor and choosing some color other than white is simply a convenient way to do so.  A more subtle factor allowing that is the ability to afford a wedding coordinator for women who are not wealthy, since this allows the luxury of coordinating the color scheme of the wedding, with gowns, tuxedos, flowers, decorations and other accoutrements all creating a harmonious and seamless whole.  Despite this, there remain traditionalists who wouldn’t dream of a color other than white for a wedding gown. 
 

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3. Finding The Perfect Vintage Wedding Dress To Suit Your Day