Will You Wear White?
Wedding dresses are arguably one of, if not the most, crucial parts of the big day. It doesn’t matter where you’re getting married, how good the food is, or even who shows up, as long as you’re in a dress that makes you feel like the prettiest girl in the world. (We’re kidding about the other stuff, but you never, ever, joke about the dress).
1. The Age-Old Rhyme
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe,” is an English folklore-based rhyme that describes what a bride should wear on her wedding day. “Something old” provides protection, “Something new” provides optimism, “Something borrowed” is for luck, “Something blue” is for purity and fidelity, and “a sixpence in her shoe” is for prosperity.
2. Before The White
Before the 19th century, it was quite common for wedding gowns to be made of velvet or silk and be quite rich in color. Red, blue, green, or other colors associated with wealth and luxury were among the most popular.
3. Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria married Prince Albert on February 10, 1840, and consequently changed the future of wedding gowns as we know them. Her dress, a cream-colored satin gown, was so popular that it became the staple color for Western weddings.
Franz Xaver Winterhalter on Wikimedia
4. Not The First
While Queen Victoria may have been the one to popularize the white wedding dress, the first royal bride to wear white was actually Philippa of England back in 1406. Mary, Queen of Scots, also wore white in 1559, as it was said to be her favorite color.
5. Living Lavishly
The most expensive royal wedding dress of all time goes to Queen Letizia, who spared no expense. The v-neck dress featured a 15-foot train and used real gold for the embriodery. When her wedding to King Felipe VI in 2004, the dress cost $8 millino, which is just shy of $14 million itoday.
Dan from Brussels, Europe on Wikimedia
6. 26,000 Feet
In 2017, a France-based company called Dynamic Projects created the longest wedding train in existence for a fundraising event. The train took two months to complete and was created from massive amounts of donated lace. The official length of the train was 26,559 feet (8,095 m), which is about 2,500 feet short of Mount Everest’s peak.
7. The Veil
The veil is a quintessential part of your dress, but where did it start? Well, the wedding veil originated in ancient Greece and Rome, where it was believed that evil spirits would try to prey on brides as they walked down the aisle. It essentially made for a physical evil eye.
8. Protect The Gown!
The act of throwing your bouquet is a result of another medieval tradition, in which guests would try to rip pieces of the wedding dress off as a good luck charm. To counteract this superstition, brides would throw their bouquets and sneak off while their guests were distracted.
9. The Wedding Night
Wedding night underclothes date back to ancient times, but were popularized with the French trousseau. This bundle of linens, clothing, and lingerie for the wedding night was gifted to a bride as a physical representation of a woman’s transition to a wife.
10. Worldwide Weddings
While white has been the most popular color for wedding dresses for nearly two centuries, it’s not the most popular color worldwide. China and India, for instance, favor red wedding dresses, Spain favors black, and brides in Morocco will occasionally wear yellow.
1. Luckily, We Have Purse
A popular method of maintaining a piece of your big day is to transform your wedding dress into items like hairbands, jewelry pouches, or even a clutch. That way, you always have a small reminder of your everlasting love and devotion.
2. Make Smaller Dresses
If you’re skilled with a sewing machine, you can make princess dresses for the children in your life. A gorgeous, high-quality princess dress would make any 6-year-old positively giddy; you’ll just have to come to terms with them dirtying the fabric.
3. Quilt It Up
You can make your wedding day something to cozy up with by incorporating it into a quilt or blanket. If your dress was quite slinky, it can also be transformed into a pillow cover.
4. Pocket Squares
Who doesn’t love a high-quality pocket square or handkerchief? Your husband could wear a piece of your wedding dress to any future formal events, and look snappy to boot. Or, a gorgeous handkerchief will have you blowing your nose in style.
Vetrivel Viswanathar on Unsplash
5. Table Runners
A gorgeous table runner is a great way to keep your wedding dress as a centrepiece of your home, especially if you had a long train. Sure, you probably won’t want to eat over it, but for decorative purposes, a runner is a solid choice.
Ida Teutenberg; Franziska Teutenberg on Wikimedia
6. Preserve It
If you can’t stand the idea of ripping up your wedding dress, you can always preserve it. You can purchase a shadow box as a surefire way of keeping your dress looking good for years to come. We’d recommend an acid-free box; however, as cardboard or unrefined wood boxes will yellow your dress over time.
7. Make It Art
Throw some paint on that thing! Your wedding dress can act as a canvas for other art pieces, which is an excellent way to merge home decor with your special day. You could also turn your dress into a Christmas tree skirt, ornaments, or even a Halloween costume.
8. New Clothes
Depending on the style of dress you chose, you could absolutely repurpose your dress by cutting it, dyeing it, or reworking it into other pieces. It could become a cocktail dress, a tailored two-piece, or anything else your heart desires.
9. Donate/Sell It
If you’re not particular about keeping your dress, there is likely a bride-to-be out there who would be happy to take it off your hands, and you could make back some of the money you lost buying it in the first place. If you’re feeling philanthropic, you could also donate it to a high school or university drama department, or to a company that specializes in discount gowns.
10. Save It
You never know who might want your dress down the road. A potential niece, daughter, friend, or other family member may see themselves in your dress, or as a potential piece for the “something old” or “something borrowed” element of their wedding getup.
