While it used to be virtually taboo for brides to wear a color other than white, or perhaps a tasteful ivory, to their wedding now its common to see dresses in hues of blush, lavender, sage, and even the occasional black. Yes, black. It’s true. While white is still the clear favorite when it comes to buying a wedding dress there are a number of brides who prefer the striking look of inky black. In this break with the rules of traditional attire brides are keeping the fancy dress, but gravitating towards a look that makes them feel beautiful and empowered, rather than demure and angelic. These are not your blushing brides of the past. These are fierce, independent women who want to showcase their personality and style through their wedding’s most eye catching statement piece – the dress.
What’s interesting in this case is that the tradition of wearing a white wedding dress was not broadly adopted by the public until the mid to late 1800’s. Some say it started in 1840 when Queen Victoria wore a white silk dress replete with handmade lace for her nuptials to Prince Albert. Of course, at that time with the expense and difficulty of making white cloth such dresses were only available to the richest and most elite brides. For those who could not afford a white dress it was common for brides to press their best dress into service as their wedding dress, regardless of the color. But with the improvements in textile manufacturing that followed Queen Victoria’s highly publicized wedding, along with the weddings of French Empress Eugnie in 1853, Princess Victoria in 1857, and Princess Alexandra in 1863 – all of whom wore white – the stage was set for the creation of a wedding trend that has prevailed in popular culture to this very day.
That said a lot has changed in the wedding industry even in the last 5-10 years, which means that modern brides now feel freer to challenge tradition and put their own spin on a well-established formula. Economically speaking brides that go noir often do so with practicality in mind. For one, they want to wear their dress again and there’s something to be said for a classic black dress versus what will always, very obviously, be a white wedding gown. Striking cuts, rich fabrics, and understated elegance are some of the calling cards of midnight-hued bridal couture, and that’s one reason that black is increasingly the go-to choice for an adventurous, fashion-forward bride.
Embracing this high-drama approach are designers like Vera Wang, HOUGHTON, and Sareh Nouri, among others, who include amazing couture gowns among the ranks of their bridal attire. However, you don’t have to go full black-out to get the impact of the look; using high contract detailing, like piping or lace accents provides another great way to bring black into your wedding wardrobe if you don’t want to create too many waves. Ultimately, the lesson behind the black wedding dress is to embrace your inner design maven. If she yearns for hues of jet, onyx, or obsidian over shades of pearl, cream, or alabaster then feel free to let her loose because – after all – black is back on the table for the modern bride.
