Mention a bride, and visions of an ethereal creature swathed in a snowy white concoction come to mind. To cultures in which the color connotes innocence, purity, glory and joy, the custom of wearing white makes sense.
But not everyone wears a white wedding dress, especially since, in some cultures, the hue signifies a darker side.
“It symbolizes death and mourning in many other parts of the world,” explains Maria McBride-Mellinger, a former fashion editor for Bride’s magazine and the author of three encyclopedic books on planning and executing weddings (her most recent, “The Perfect Wedding,” was published by HarperCollins last month).
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“In China, the dress is always red,” says Helen Chan, a Shanghai native who was married in Hong Kong. “Red is happiness.”
Still, in the new global village, where fixtures of Western culture such as McDonald’s and Michael Jordan can be found almost everywhere, it was inevitable that the white dress eventually would exert its influence in even the most far-flung provinces.
Despite that, more women are opting to marry in the traditional dress of their culture or creating their traditions by designing a wedding and a dress that reflects the blend of two cultures-his and hers.
The women pictured here are modeling dresses that reflect their own ethnic heritage-and the traditional white wedding dress.
Today, in Hong Kong, for example, many brides borrow a white dress-just long enough to pose for the wedding pictures, according to Chan. In Nigeria, says Dayo Laoye, a Nigerian-born painter who now calls Chicago home, “Christianity and Islam have affected traditional weddings.
“For weddings done inside a Christian church, some people wear the traditional Western white veil,” Laoye says. “Then, for the reception, they change into aso-oke (classic wedding garb of Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe). No matter what religion you practice, you still embellish it with tradition.”
Westerners’ fascination with the white wedding dress began in 1840 with England’s Queen Victoria (see sidebar). Until the 18th Century, brides typically had worn “gowns that reflected the styles of their times but befitted a special occasion,” says Olga Garoufalis, curator of “Threads of Tradition: The Wedding,” an exhibition on view at the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center through Jan. 31.
Although the Hellenic Museum show focuses on the Greek experience, it reflects the evolution from “best dress” to “wedding dress,” a chronicle mirrored in many other European cultures. For until white became de rigueur, “which happened as societies became more industrialized and families became more prosperous,” says Garoufalis, a bride wore her very best clothes on her wedding day.
In small villages across Europe, this amounted to an elaborate folk costume. Often, only accessories indicated that the young woman wearing the outfit was a bride. For instance, village brides in Greece wore flower crowns (as did grooms), while those in Poland sported gigantic garlands of flowers atop their heads. The Polish bride’s garland towered over the headpieces of every other woman at the wedding.
In larger towns or cities, the dresses were more stylish, reflecting the fashions of the times. But again, special accessories-such as a brooch, elegant gloves, a beautiful handbag or sumptuous shoes-designated the bride.
Contemporary brides in other lands often are married in wedding garb that reflects the traditions and beliefs of their own societies.
“Brides in India or of Indian descent wear reds, fuchsias and pinks accented with golds and yellows,” says Rani Jain, an Oak Park interior designer whose daughter Stasha, a law student at the University of Michigan, was married in December. Stasha wore a langha (a traditional long skirt from Northern India), a blouse and a veil all in fuchsia, heavily embellished with gold.
“In India, red symbolizes life, and yellow is the color of good fortune and approval, while white represents death,” explains Jain, which is why wedding saris are fashioned in these colorful hues. The bride is also laden with masses of gold jewelry, which reflect the wealth of her family and allude to her dowry.
The Chinese bride also is laden with gold jewelry that wedding guests give her before the wedding.
“That’s when people show off,” Chan says with a laugh. “The bride piles on the jewelry. You’re supposed to wear it all, whether it clashes or not.”
Dayo Laoye says Nigerian brides from the Yoruba tribe-there are more than 250 ethnic tribes in Nigeria-wear either gold jewelry or segi, blue-glass beaded jewelry from Cameroon.
The Yoruba bride wears a four-piece ensemble, including her gele (head wrap), buba (blouse), iro (wraparound skirt) and iborun, which doubles as a shoulder shawl and veil, all made from a hand-woven fabric called aso-oke. The aso-oke is made from silk, cotton or rayon, and is usually striped; embroidery denotes the status of the wearer.
Historically, the wedding party wore aso-oke in shades of khaki, indigo or maroon, Laoye explains. But today, any color goes, from silver to pink to yes, white.
Although some Native American women have adopted the tradition of wearing white, more are returning to their own heritage now, says Jonathan Haas, MacArthur curator of North American anthropology at the Field Museum of Natural History.
“There are 350 recognized tribes in the United States today, representing upwards of 200 different cultural traditions,” Haas says. “And each of those is likely to have its own wedding customs, which don’t include those conventional white dresses.”
Instead, a Native American bride may have a dress of cotton, wool, buckskin or deer hide, decorated with ribbon, beads, feathers or shells. Wedding garb is fashioned from many materials and elaborately decorated with motifs that have meaning to a specific tribe.
Fran Compo, a Grand River Band Ottawa Indian, already has a ceremonial dress for her 13-year-old daughter, Andrea Norberg, which has been made so it can be altered as the girl grows. She will most likely be married in it, says Compo; elaborate beaded designs will be added to it to represent family and tribal motifs.
So far, Norberg is contemplating decorating her dress with grapes to pay homage to her grandmother, a Little Traverse Bay Band Ottawa Indian whose last name, Shomin, means grapes, and turtles to represent her own Band (turtles are the sign of the Grand River Band).
Japanese brides also shun white, although many do “wear both elaborate, red wedding kimonos and white wedding gowns, which are rented since they are so costly,” says McBride-Mellinger. This practice requires a bride to change three times, wearing the white, Western-style gown first, the kimono for the ceremony and her own dress for the reception.
Historically, African-American brides wore white dresses like other American brides’. But with the popularity of the ’70s TV mini-series, “Roots,” African-American women have shown increasing interest in rediscovering their cultural roots, says Harriette Cole, author of “Jumping the Broom Wedding Planner” and the “Jumping the Broom Wedding Workbook” (both Henry Holt, $16.95, paperback).
“We are adding more of what I call ‘cultural kisses’ to our weddings, whether it’s Caribbean batik fabric or African cloth. The white dress was once a symbol of what a bride wore. But there are more and more African-American women who choose to identify with their cultural heritage.”
Where do these vibrant and meaningful wedding garments leave the white dress? Still in good standing, though perhaps not quite so iron-clad a tradition as before.
After all, says McBride-Mellinger, “the most appropriate wedding vestments for a bride are the ones she loves.”
THE ORIGIN OF THE WHITE DRESS: WHAT QUEEN VICTORIA DID FOR LOVE
So just how did we Westerners develop our interest in this snow-white princess bride ensemble?
It was a queen who started the white wedding craze in 1840.
And her color choice had more to do with style than with substance. Indeed, England’s Queen Victoria eschewed tradition when she married her cousin, Albert, for love-and she did it in a white dress, according to Maria McBride-Mellinger, author of “The Perfect Wedding.” At the time, wearing white was a political fashion statement.
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During the Middle Ages, a handful of royal brides had worn white at their weddings, but royal precedent dictated that brides wear ornate wedding gowns embroidered in silver or gold and encrusted with gems.
Victoria chose a relatively simple dress of white satin and lace because the French and American Revolutions had created a disdain for royal excesses.
“The lace alone took 200 women eight months to make and would cost $100,000 by today’s standards,” McBride-Mellinger says, but the gown nonetheless had the desired effect of unpretentious elegance.
Victoria’s gown was a hit, and started a trend, the author says, based on her choice of marrying for love.
In her day, most royals opted for arranged marriages, but Victoria fell in love with Albert at first sight and asserted her right to choose her own husband. (Encyclopaedia Britannica reports that she proposed to him.)
So one single wedding had a significant impact on modern marriage rituals, and started the white-gown tradition, which today is so widespread that “it’s even done in remote villages in Africa,” says McBride-Mellinger.
–Lisa Skolnik.
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Resources: Wedding Planner
Styling by Ann Moorehouse, Elite Chicago.
Hair, makeup and body adornment: Rosemary Tackbary, Elite Chicago.
Wedding bouquet, courtesy of Flowers by Arrangement.
The Ritual of Dress
(Sunday Magazine, (Contents page), page 2.): Kate, Arlene Wilson, Chicago. Greek folk wedding dress and crown, circa 1924, courtesy of the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center. Dries Van Noten black leather shoes, $327, at Blake. Vera Wang gown with jersey top and full tulle skirt, $2,780, at Exclusive for the Bride and Barneys New York (also on pp. 17 and 18).
(Sunday Magazine, page 15): Donia, Elite Chicago. Buckskin dress by Ron Yob, belt, turtle necklace, two beaded chokers, white fur braid wraps, turtle hair ornaments, bead bracelets, dream catcher and fan, all on loan from Andrea Norberg and Fran Campo. Vera Wang gown with silk floral bodice and full silk skirt, $5,775, at Exclusive for the Bride and Barneys New York (also on pp. 16 and 19).
(Sunday Magazine, page 16): Zeenat, Elite Chicago. Red and gold silk sari, $350, and red sari blouse, $7.50, at Taj Sari; 22-karat gold necklace and earrings, $1,209.35, at Kohjnoor Jewelers.
(Sunday Magazine, page 17): Sarah, Elite Chicago. Red silk and embroidered wedding dress and headpiece, rental only, at Hydrangea Bridal, Westmont; two Chinese necklaces, $750 each, and two bracelets, $100 each, at Eye on Design, Hinsdale. Robert Clergerie velvet shoes, $250, at Ultimo. Chinese wedding chair, $1,195, at Golden Triangle.
(Sunday Magazine, page 18): Kasia, Elite Chicago. Polish folk wedding dress and headpiece, courtesy of the Polish Museum of America. Christian Louboutin shoes, $350, at Barneys New York.
(Sunday Magazine, page 19): Bisi, David & Lee, Chicago. Green and yellow shawl, head wrap, skirt and top by Tinake Taiwo, $450, at Afriware, Oak Park; beaded bridal collar, $100, and beaded bracelets, $25 each, at Eye on Design, Hinsdale; sand-cast beads, $185, amber necklace, $3,000, and ivory cuff, $2,800, at Window to Africa.
Special thanks to:
Beza Assegu, Ashinafi Belay, Jan Berendsen, Jill Bunton, Connie Chan, Peter Chandani, Elissa Farmilant, Chris Garber, Jan Lorys, Joanne Mamey, James M. Mezilson, Beverly Moser, Vinita and Nalini Pararam, Pam Powers, Susanne Santos, Lavinia Tackbary, Amy Turner and Loretta Wilger.