Colored Wedding Dresses...Ready to Make a Powerful Fashion Statement?
 The colorful wedding dress above is designed by Chrissy Wai-Ching from Seattle. Photo by Dana Pleasant Photography from RocknRoll Bride magazine. |
Considering colored wedding dresses because you love color and want to be the individual you are on your wedding day? Wearing a nontraditional colored wedding dress is your decision. You probably are a RocknRoll bride or a confident fashion trend setter and wish to make your dream come true by wearing the color you love! What is interesting for you color loving brides to know is that colors have always been recognized for their symbolic power and an appreciation of this reaches back to ancient times. However, the understanding and interpretation of color symbolism has changed over time and varies from culture to country. |
In this article I will raise a number of new nontraditional colors for wedding dresses to your attention and present the symbolism each color may communicate.
White: The "traditional" wedding dress color
In the history of wedding dresses, the color "white, or a variation of white, was of course always a favourite and symbolised a girl's virginity and innocence in the face of her imminent change of state. But it was not a practical shade for most purposes and it was not always the favourite choice." Elizabeth Davies, 2001
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The white wedding dress tradition began on 1840 when Queen Victoria wore a white silk and honiton lace gown for her royal wedding to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Since then it has became a virtual rule for brides, in the Western world anyway, to wear white wedding dresses. Queen Victoria set another wedding fashion trend being the first royal bride to have bridesmaids to carry her train! |
Red
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In the art world red represents danger, anger and violence, through its association with fire and blood. In the fashion world with roots from the latin culture, red is also associated with affairs of the heart: love and passion. In the history of wedding dressses, "the deeper shade of red was definitely taboo by Victorian times, with its reference to scarlet women and hussies." Elizabeth Davies, 2001 |
Oscar de la Renta's red colored wedding dress inspired by the latin culture and flamenco fashion styles projects the powerful energy of love and happiness in the ripples of the layered dress.
For more information on the this please read Oscar de la Renta's wedding dresses article.
Pink
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In this magnificent pink wedding dress Elie Saab has masterfully elevated the color pink to a royal and classic level with a soft and calculated splatter of pink on a white wedding dress base. |
Pink is a sign of hope and represents compassion, nurturing and unconditional love. A combination of red and white, pink contains the need for action of red, helping it to achieve the potential for success and insight offered by white. It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. The deeper the pink, the more passion and energy it exhibits. In history of wedding dresses, "pink was another popular colour especially for a May wedding. It flattered most complexions and was associated with girlhood, but some superstitions held it to be unlucky - "Marry in pink and your fortunes will sink!" Elizabeth Davies, 2001 |
For inspiration also check out the pink wedding dresses celebrities Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Biel wore to their big days. Their colored wedding gowns were respectively designed by Monique Lhuillier and Giambattista Valli.
Orange
 This rich and lacy inspiration for an orange wedding dress and jacket by Jean Paul Gaultier from his fall 2008 collection, was worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal to the Japanese premiere of The Dark Knight. |
The color orange symbolizes creativity, change, energy and endurance. It is the color that represents Autumn. As a secondary color it combines elements of the colors used to mix it: the creative passion of red with the energy and joy of yellow. To see a creative bride with a bold character and love for vibrant colors and nature who chose to marry her love in the Australian bush in a fabulous fiery orange colored wedding dress by Aurelio Costarella please visit the greenweddingshoes.com website. |
Yellow
Yellow is the color of the sun - the life support for our planet. As such it has come to represent life, energy, happiness, hope and wisdom.
In the history of wedding dresses, "the bright shade of yellow has had varied popularity. In the eighteenth century it was THE trendy colour for a while, and many wore it, but before that time it had been associated with heathens and non Christians and was considered an unholy shade to wear in church!" Elizabeth Davies, 2001
To have a glimpse of a happy bride who wore a yellow colored wedding dress that she had fell in love with years before she knew she would marry again please visit the fashion.telegraph.co.uk website.
 This sexy yellow wedding dress above is from Valentino's SS2010 collection. |
 The beautiful vintage white and yellow wedding dress above is from Max Chaoul's 2013 couture collection. |
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If you think you can't pull off bright deep yellow wedding dress, try subtle shades of yellow with a champagne tint or gold beading. This sexy illusion v-neck cap sleeved design by Reem Acra is an example of a champagne colored wedding dress with gold beading. What I love about this design is that the gold beading will shimmer in the sun light or a well lit room and you will sparkle like the beautiful bride you are in your wedding party! |
Green
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Green is the color of plants and grass, nature and all that is associated with health and growth. In the history of wedding dresses, the color "green was amongst the unpopular colors. Green was considered the fairies' colour, and it was bad luck to call the attention of the little folk to oneself during a time of transition. Also linked with the lushness of verdent foliage, it was held to make rain spoil the big day." Elizabeth Davies, 2001 |
If you are not superstitious and care less about the negative history and traits of the color green such as envy and inexperience, and fancy walking the road less traveled in a nontraditional green colored wedding dress maybe it is best to consider a light minty green color with reference to Elie Saab's elegant and powerful designs above.
Tip: Avoid using vibrant green colors or tints in your wedding dress unless you really enjoyed singer Kelis' wedding dress composed of varying shades of green silk chiffon by Matthew Williamson.
Blue
Blue is the coolest and most calming of all the colors. As the color of the sky, it has been used since ancient times to represent heaven. As the color of the ocean, blue also suggests qualities like freshness and hygiene.
In classical mythology, blue was the color associated with the gods, Venus and Jupiter.
In Christianity, it becomes the symbol of purity, fidelity and eternal love with its associations with the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. "Brides who wore blue believed their husbands would always be true to them, and even if their gown itself was not blue, they would be sure to wear something blue. This is another tradition that has survived to this day." Elizabeth Davies, 2001
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From grey blue colored grecian  |
styled wedding dress by Elie Saab to a sky/baby blue halter top priness wedding dress by Rosa Clara, you have options to select the shade of blue color that suits your personality and skin color best.  |
Purple
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Purple is the color of royalty, wealth and power. In times past, purple dyes were rare and expensive. Only the rich and powerful could afford to wear clothes of this luxurious color. For a wedding dress a light color purple, lilac, is most suitable. This shade of puple will give you a soft but yet rich and royal look. See the example to the left designed by Christian Dior. |
Brown
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Brown is the color of earth, wood and stone. As such, it evokes craftsmanship and the great outdoors. It is also used to represent humility: a down to earth virtue. In the history of wedding dresses, "any natural shade of brown or beige was considered very rustic. "Marry in brown you will live out of town" with the implication that you will be a hick and never make good in the city." Elizabeth Davies, 2001 |
For inspiration please see the collection of beautiful brown wedding dresses designed by Vera Wang. Vera Wang has masterfully spiced up the shade of brown with a red tint that empowers the dress with a vibrant and lively glow.
Tip: Be sure that the shade of brown color you choose for your wedding dress works well against your skin color.
Black
With its association with darkness the color black is used to represent death, evil, witchcraft, fear and mourning.
Such dark traditional symbolism about the color black doesn't stop brides with an alternative and gothic fashion style from desiring a black colored wedding dress.
For the inspiration of these trend setting brides I have selected three wedding dress styles designed by Giambattista Valli and Francesca Miranda that rock the color black and yet communicate a soft and feminine bride look.
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Grey
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Grey is the natural color of some metals and stone, but it also has some negative associations with the weather, boredom, decay and old age. Grey is a mixture of black (death) and white (peace) and is the color of ashes and dust. As such it is also associated with death and mourning. In the history of wedding dresses, "grey was the common shade for brides of the lower classes, because it was such a useful colour to re-use as Sunday best, being considered eminently respectable. |
In Victorian times it became associated with girls in domestic service, as they would often be provided with a new grey dress each year by their employer." Elizabeth Davies, 2001
Nevertheless, grey can be very beautiful and appropriate for a wedding as haute couture designers Elie Saab and Romona Keveza have captured in these sexy and soft silvery chrome grey colored wedding dresses!
So ladies a word of advice here, no matter what symbolism a color is associated with, be confident in the color of your choice. If you decide to walk down that aisle in a colored wedding dress you can confidently show off your fun and fashionable personality!
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