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Notes and References

Why do most brides wear white dresses?

Why Santa Clause Wears a Red Suit  

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Why do most brides wear white Dresses?

White represents purity.   This tradition  dates back to more puritanical times and represented the bride being a virgin on her wedding day.

Until somewhere is the 1800's, red was a common color.   Red symbolizes power and passion, and passion is another word for sex.   Here, for example, is a line from  Renaissance wedding vow:  "... to be bonny and buxom at bed and at board, to love and to cherish, till death us depart..." 

Obviously the American puritans who began railing against sex in the early 1800's won out because white became the norm, and in all the years I've been officiating weddings, I've yet to hear a bride in her wedding ceremony publicly promise to be good in bed.  Here's a personal note from an associate that demonstrates the symbolism of the white dress:  

"In 1947, when I was seven years old, I was taken to my aunt's wedding in their local Roman Catholic church.   I didn't know why at the time, but I was very much aware that my aunt wore a green dress at the wedding and her dress color was a big deal with the guests.   Even today, I still have a vividly picture of that sober faced woman standing up in the front of the church wearing a green dress.   It's hard to imagine the disgrace, the shame, the humility of that event and the courage it took for her to stand there."

Regarding wedding colors, we had one groom ask, "If white represents purity and virginity, why do most grooms and most ministers wear black?"  We don't have an answer to that question other than to say we don't wear black.  Our robes are off white, or traditional white.

Another Perspective on Why Brides Wear White:   

You could say it's similar the way  Santa Clause became known for wearing a red suit.   Prior to the early 1930's,  Santa Clause was not confined to a red suit.   Today, nobody thinks of Santa as wearing anything else.   His red clothing is not an inherent aspect of Santa Clause, rather it's the result of what the public has become accustomed to.    With Santa,  the public image (the red suit)  was the product of a Coca Cola advertising campaign.    Circa 1930, Coca Cola decided to use Santa Clause to sell it's sugar water and they showed Santa in a red suit and drinking their product.    Not only was it good for business, the red suit has become so completely Santa's clothing that people today cannot imagine him wearing anything else.   So as you can see, breaking a glass, wearing  special clothing, and countless other things we do in specific ways are simply socially accepted traditions. 

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