It may seem as if brides have been getting married in white forever, but this is not the case at all.
The trend of wearing an all white wedding dress dates back only to Victorian times.
Before that, brides wore a wide variety of colors and materials depending on their social status.
Way Back When
Even though colors and styles have changed throughout the years, brides have always dressed for the occasion.
Of course royalty and those with a high social standing always dressed at the height of fashion, sparing no expense.
Those who had limited means still treated a wedding as a special occasion and dressed as formal as their budgets would allow.
Ancient brides chose to symbolize their happiness by wearing bright colored wedding garments.
During Medieval times, the wedding was more than just a union between two people, in many occasions it was a union between two families,
two businesses and even two countries.
Weddings were more a matter of politics than love.
Brides had to dress in a manner which cast her family in the most favorable light, for she wasn't only representing herself.
Medieval brides of an elevated social standing wore rich colors and expensive fabrics.
It was common to see well-to-do brides wearing boldly colored layers of furs, velvet and silk.
Those of a lower social standing wore fabrics that weren't as rich, though they copied the elegant styles as best they could.
