Old traditions hold that white symbolizes innocence and purity of heart.
The white wedding gown first became popular in the Victorian Age. Prior to the wedding of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, at which she wore white, brides wore dresses suited to their social status: wealthy women wore luxurious fabrics while poorer women wore the best dress they had. Color was not an issue, as long as the bride did not wear black, which was equated with mourning, or red, which was associated with prostitutes. Blue was a popular color, thought to symbolize purity. After Victoria’s wedding, etiquette books began to link the white dress with the idea of purity, innocence and an “unsullied heart”.
Queen Victoria’s choice of gown was not a sign of purity, but a show of wealth. Some wealthy brides in that era followed Victoria’s lead and wore white gowns to show that they could afford a single-purpose, hard-to-clean white dress, but most followed the tradition of wearing the nicest dress they could afford.
In the period of postwar prosperity that emerged in the 1950s, women were heavily influenced by the wedding gowns of Hollywood stars and royalty. The elaborate white gown became a standard that was accessible to all and continues to be popular today.