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Articles
Weddings Dresses
Customs and Weddings Dresses
Weddings dresses form an important part of the actual wedding ceremony. As many traditions surround the ceremony and reception it goes without saying that some of the traditions would also be relevant to the selection of weddings dresses.
Colour choice of the garment is perhaps the most prominent of traditions when it comes to weddings dresses. In western culture, white, ivory, and cream are extremely popular colours simply because of the association with purity and the start of new beginnings. Light blue is also considered to be traditional as this was the most worn colour in weddings before 1840.
The customs depend on the particular culture. In China for instance, weddings dresses should be red and in African cultures, patterned garments are at the order of the day. In Japan white and red are perfect while the Jewish culture also embraces the white wedding dresses. In modern times, many brides prefer to break away from traditional colours and simply select the colour they believe is most appropriate for the day.
The wedding veil is another one of the items that go with weddings dresses that comes with a lot of tradition. Originally worn in pre-arranged weddings where the bridegroom would see his wife to be for the first time when the veil was lifted, it has become such an integral part of modern weddings, that most brides never even consider its origin. Some people still believe that it is bad luck for the bridegroom to see the bride before the wedding ceremony and thus the tradition of the veil still lives on. In some cultures the veil was of even greater importance as it would serve to fool goblins and evil spirits set to harm the bride. Not being able to see the bride they would be confused. This also led to the introduction of bridesmaids.
Although bridesmaids today wear dresses quite distinct from weddings dresses, in the old days, bridesmaids also had to serve as decoy ensuring that stalkers, previous lovers, goblins and evil spirits would not know which one was the bride. The confusion would help to prevent ill doing and the guarantee of a happy marriage.
The role of bridesmaids has since then changed. Today brides choose their best friends or family members as bridesmaids and mostly because they trust them and want them to be part of the ceremony. The bridesmaids still have some responsibilities such as helping arrange certain aspects of the wedding and helping the bride to get dressed, but with no more reason to serve as decoy their dresses do not look like bridal gowns at all.
Another item that is associated with bridal gowns is the bridal handkerchief. It was thought that the tears of a bride would bring happiness and fruitfulness. As such a farmer who got hold of such a handkerchief would be blessed with great crops. It was later thought that the tears of a bride would mean that she would never cry during her marriage, and it was considered an honour to receive the handkerchief.
As can be seen from above, bridal garments and the accessories are steeped in age old traditions. You don’t have to follow the customs or believe in the superstition to still wear for instance, a white dress with a long veil, and have a white handkerchief. It is however, important to enjoy the day to the fullest and ensure that you select the perfect garment amongst the thousands of bridal gowns on the market today.
We at Eurobride make it easy to select amongst the many weddings dresses. We have an online gallery to help you get an idea of the types of garments we carry. You will also notice that we stock a range of appropriate accessories, bridesmaid garments, mother of the bride dresses, and even flower girl dresses in addition to the stunning bridal gowns in our collection. Contact us today to help you make the choice or to make an appointment for fitment at one of our boutiques in Pretoria or Johannesburg.
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