The (American) Bride Wore Red
Increasing numbers of American brides are
thinking about doing something that used to be unthinkable --
getting married in a bold red gown.
Not that red is a stranger to marriage. Hardly. Red plays a
major role in Chinese, Hindu, and some Muslim weddings, and was
a popular choice in medieval times. But for modern Westerners?
Yes -- we too are starting to marry in red. At least some of us.
It's been happening more and more in Europe over the past
decade. Maybe that's because Europe recalls long stretches of
time when wedding gowns weren't white. For eons, a woman simply
wore her best dress -- one she could certainly use again --
although to keep luck on her side she might gravitate to certain
colors and avoid others. With all the choices, it was harder to
keep the good colors straight, so the folk world offered a poem
with a few fortunate outcomes and many poor ones:
Married in White, you have chosen right ... Married in Brown,
you will live in the town ... Married in Blue, you will always
be true ...
Blue gowns were popular since early times, since blue
represented purity and the Virgin Mary. This tradition continues
in the "something blue" a bride wears today. White was less
common, especially among anything other than the bluest
bluebloods, because of its difficulty in coming clean in the
wash.
But eventually, several big players popularized white, most
notably the fashion hound Queen Victoria. Ever since --
especially in a world where clothes are mass-produced and a
woman can afford many dresses, even one she'll only wear once --
white's been all the rage.
Yet even more recently, some have found this timeworn symbol of
purity and affluence a little constricting. Some brides want a
little less predictability and more choice. And not everyone
looks good in white, as some brides point out.
While a percentage of European brides have snapped up dramatic
red gowns for the past decade, Americans have been more
cautious. It's only been about the past four years that
tentative pastel washes and small colored accents have made the
scene here.
That's beginning to change. A small but growing number of brides
-- and designers -- are getting bolder. Formal, stunning,
all-red gowns are making inroads into Christmas or holiday
weddings, especially the cozy kind in front of a crackling
hearth. You'll see more red at Valentine weddings, rose-themed
weddings, and Las Vegas weddings -- not to mention second
weddings where the bride's more apt to select exactly what she
feels good in, and nothing less.
Thinking of red for yourself? Maybe your forebears did too.
During the American Revolution, it wasn't uncommon for brides
show their support for the rebellion by donning a red dress.
Fortunately, these days it's not a political statement. A bride
wears red because she wants to. She's comfortable with herself
and with the dress she finds most beautiful -- even if that
choice still raises some eyebrows in the back of the chapel.