As with all types of clothing, the wedding dress has changed in style and fashion throughout the ages. During the medieval period, when a wedding was a matter of politics above all else, brides had to dress in a way that would best reflect their families. The higher the social standing of the bride, the richer the colours and the more expensive the fabrics used. Fur, velvet and silk were often incorporated into the design. The styles and colours of the wealthier brides were copied by the brides of lower social standing as best as they could.

Even though centuries passed and styles came and went, brides continued to dress in the most fashionable clothes, made from the richest and boldest materials that money could buy. Another factor indicative of the wealth and social standing of the bride was the amount of material used. Those who couldn’t afford anything new wore their best church dress on their wedding day.

In the 1920s fashion dictated that wedding dresses be shorter in the front than at the back and that they have a long train. They were worn with cloche-style wedding veils. In the 1940s the obsession with following fashion trends stopped as the Victorian full-skirted designs came back into fashion. Today, while many new styles and designs have been created, the Victorian full-skirt is still popular with many brides.

Mary Queen of Scots was one of the first women to wear white when she married Francois II of France. White was still not the traditional wedding colour and was considered rather inauspicious, as it was the official colour of mourning in France at that time. It was not a subtle message. It was only in 1840 that white became popular, after Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coberg. In order to make use of some white lace that she owned, Victoria insisted on a white dress. After the wedding portrait was published, many brides copied the dress in honour of the Queen.

The tradition of the white wedding continues to this day. Along the line it picked up the association with purity and symbolising virginity. Originally blue was associated with purity and the white dress wasn’t meant to symbolise the innocence of the bride at all. Today the white dress is usually a nod at tradition and has very little to do with virginity and purity.

Indian wedding dresses are as diverse as the cultures, religions and regions that make up the vast country. In Northern India wedding dresses tend to be red, which symbolises auspiciousness, or green, which represents fertility. Wedding dresses in south India are usually white or cream coloured.

The styles of wedding dresses in India havent changed much over the years. Some of the more common styles include: the sari, ghaghra choli and salwar kameez. Most people are familiar with the sari. It is a cloth wrapped around the body and secured by tucking it into the waistband or with pins. The ghaghra consists of a long skirt and a short blouse. A scarf, called a dupatta, is draped across the brides chest. The salwar kameez consists of a long tunic over a pair of pants. The dupatta also accompanies this outfit, but the bride can specify if she wants it draped across her chest, around her neck or over her head.

Indian wedding dresses are delicate and intricate pieces of work, composed of complex patterns, threading, sequences and beadwork. Brides from wealthy Indian families have their dresses embossed with pure gold or silver. Dresses are usually made from fabric that reflects light well such as satin, silk or chiffon. Brides wear an abundance of necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets and hair decorations on their wedding day. Tradition dictates that they look as ornamented as possible.

The Chinese have a saying about marriage: is natural to get married when you grow up. They place special emphasis on marriage and have many traditions associated with it. Red is considered to be a lucky colour in China, so it seems obvious that it would play a significant role in such an important ceremony. The wedding invitations are red, gift envelopes are red and so is one of the brides wedding dresses.

Three dresses are worn at a traditional Chinese wedding. During the wedding ceremony, the bride wears a white dress with a veil. The second dress is the traditional red Chinese wedding dress, which is worn throughout the banquet. The third is put on just prior to the bride and groom leaving the banquet.

The traditional red dress is usually embroidered with many designs in gold and silver thread. The designs are of the dragon and the phoenix, which represent the unification of the male and female sides.