Pouring over a friend's wedding photos recently, I was surprised to notice that she had two different wedding dresses, each as beautiful and luxurious as the other, but one the familiar white and the other a vibrant red. Confused, I asked her about this costume change, as I didn't know if the function all took place on the same day, or if her wedding had stretched over a weekend.
She explained to me that this was currently the fashionable way to have weddings in China, and it was commonplace to have two specific designer dresses to mark the occasion. Apparently, as red signifies luck, many Chinese brides will chose to begin the ceremony wearing a white bridal gown in a Western-style design, and then change later in the day to an equally stunning red gown. It's also possible to don a gold gown later on, but my friend hadn't chosen to do this.
Red is an interesting colour for a wedding dress due to many international and historical factors. In China, it's taken to symbolise luck, whereas in India red garments for a wedding indicate auspiciousness. Traditionally red was the colour of Indian weddings, but these days green, the colour of fertility, or other colours are popular. In Western culture, the concept of a 'white wedding' didn't exist before the Victorian era, and the bride was married in any colour except black… and red!
Your wedding dress can be as trendy as your designer jeans, and as elaborate as designer handbags. But it holds a one-off status that makes it unique! Whether you entrust a close friend or family member to make your dress, you rent one, purchase one, or have a design from the pinnacle of the fashion world like Marc Jacobs or Marni – and no matter the colour! – your wedding dress is one that should make you feel truly special on your big day.
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