Aisle Style for Brides Marches Forward

The wedding gown of today is simple, yet elegant, taking cues from the designs of the classic bridal gown and modernizing it with a shorter train, fewer beads and little or no veil.

White continues to be the color of choice, although this wasn’t always the case. Brides in ancient Greece and Rome wore bright yellow dresses, because yellow was considered a color of great beauty.

In medieval Europe, wedding dresses were not only white but green, red, blue, even a mix of colors. Gowns at that time were selected for the quality of the fabric, such as silk or linen; fabric was more important than color.

It was in the 16th Century that white became the choice of the modern bride as a frank statement to family and guests that she was a virgin. Churches, however, were divided about the white gown. Some thought the color white--and what it implied--was perfectly suited to church teachings. Others considered this public statement of virginity too revealing.

The white dress continued being popular throughout the 18th Century, perhaps in part because most formal gowns were made with white fabric anyway.

The veil has been a symbol of modesty and mystery for centuries, and it has been used for weddings longer than the traditional dress.

The thin, sheer veil was worn by the bride as a symbol of her purity, as well as her submissiveness to the groom. For this reason, it’s commonly believed that the veil is the one piece of bridal clothing that wasn’t invented by a woman.