Yellow came before white:
White was denoted as purity and virginity, which was thought to ward off evil spirits, for centuries. But in Ancient Rome, yellow was the socially accepted color for a bride’s wedding attire, and a veil of flame-hued yellow. The veil or “flammeum” covered the face.
Blatantly advertising Virginity?
In England and France, white was a visual statement of a bride’s virginity-so obvious and public a statement that it did not please everyone. Clergymen, for instance, felt that virginity, a marriage prerequisite, should not have to be blatantly advertised.
When did White become so common?
There are two women noted to have made the white wedding gown popular:
- Anne of Brittany in 1499.
- Queen Victoria, who broke the tradition of royals by marrying in silver.
By the late eighteenth century, white had become the standard wedding color.
What came first?
Before the introduction of the white wedding gown a woman just wore her best dress.
Prior to the “virginity & purity” concept of the color white, since it could not be cleaned, was worn only once. Therefore white was worn by the rich or for very special occasions
Blue
Blue dates back to biblical times when the color blue, not white, was considered to represent purity and fidelity. Over time this evolved from wearing blue clothing to the bride and groom wearing a blue band around the bottom of their wedding attire and to modern times where the bride wears a blue or a blue trimmed garter.
Green
Green was often avoided, as it was though to be unlucky. To say a girl “had a green gown” also implied she was of loose morals, because her dress would be grass-stained due to rolling around in the fields! Green & red are often associated with: envy, fairies and grass stains. Although, Green was the traditional bridal color in Norway, and Black Velvet was traditional in Iceland.
Red
Red has been the traditional color for Chinese brides, and American brides wore red during Revolutionary War as a sign of rebellion.
Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Gray, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Blue, you will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Brown, you will live in the town,
Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.
Wedding Veil.
The wedding veil predates the wedding dress by centuries.
Some origins of “The Wedding Veil”:
- Thought to be a relic of the days when the groom would throw a blanket over the head of the woman of choice when he captured and carted her off.
- Arranged marriages: when the bride’s face was covered until the groom was committed to the bride at the ceremony, so it would be too late for him to escape if he did not like the looks of his bride.
- To protect the bride from evil spirits that would be floating around on her wedding day.
- A woman’s face covered by a veil meant that she was spoken for.
Unmarried women wore veils throughout life as a sign of modesty and by married women as a sign of submissiveness to heir husbands.
Among Greeks and Romans by the 4th century BC, sheer translucent veils were the vogue at weddings. They were pinned to the hair or held in place by ribbons. Yellow had become the preferred color-for the veil and the wedding gown.
During the Middle Ages, color ceased to be a primary concern; emphasis was on the richness of the fabric and decorative embellishments.