A lot of people I speak with are afraid of colour – wearing or using it in decorating. Life’s too short – be adventurous and use some colour and see how it changes the way you feel!
I want to chat about being true to yourself when choosing your wedding dress colour. White and ivory are certainly popular choices for wedding dresses, keep in mind that not all complexions suit these colours (I certainly don’t!). Some people choose white for tradition, some because it’s expected. And to encourage your choice of white or ivory, most western bridal stores have a huge range of wedding dresses in white or ivory. Ask to see coloured wedding dresses and they look at you a little strangely.
As a colour consultant, colour therapist, florist and cake decorator, I’m going to open your mind to possibilities, add a little history and encourage you to where the colour you want – white, ivory or another beautiful colour.
To set the scene, for my wedding dress, I chose the style and colour that I wanted – lavender dress and veil designed and made by my Mum and Aunt – both talented dressmakers. Bouquet designed and made by my Mum and I. This photo was taken by our amazing photographers D&V Photography in the Hunter Valley. Stepping outside the square and wearing the colour I wanted made me feel amazing, I was being true to myself. I never wanted to wear white and white didn’t suit my complexion – my dream was always to wear colour.
Now looking back through history, until the mid 19th century, wedding dresses were every colour except white. White only became popular when Queen Victoria wore a white gown using a favoured piece of lace.
After the middle Ages brides wore wedding dresses to define their social status. Only wealthy brides could afford to wear the expensive hand dyed colours of red, purple and black – the natural vegetable based dyes were more difficult to come by. The fabrics were rich bold colours, exclusive fabrics, layers of furs, velvet, silk, sewn with gems – rubies, diamonds, pearls, emeralds allowing the bride to glitter in the sunlight. The less wealthy brides wore their best church dress.
In eastern cultures, brides often choose red to symbolize auspiciousness.
For modern brides, here’s a beautiful white dress with subtle colour as shown at the 2017 New York Spring collection.
Feeling inspired? Your wedding day is special for you. Be true to yourself and where a dress in the colour and style that you love and have an amazing wedding day.