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 The history
of the wedding ensemble dates back many years on the one part, but on the other
part, the dress we consider as wedding dress, appeared quite some time ago. Up to
the particular moment there was no specific wedding gown and a young girl would
wear her best clothing to show and underline age and gentle hood of their
family. In ancient Greece brides used to wear beautiful and elegant dresses,
embracing the figure with peplos, long square of cloth. And the bride's dress was
decorated with two clasps to make her stand out the crowd. The richer was the
family of the bride, the more elegant and precious were clasps. The head of the
girl was covered by a yellow cloth to symbolize a sun joy, happiness and
virginity.
In ancient
times the Roman ladies wore more conservative clothing that was draping the
figure with the right and smooth plaits as curves of Juno clothes, of the God
of marriage and maternity. The Roman women would cover their heads with the red
square of cloth to look languorous and pale against it like marble statues.
In ancient Russia
people also loved red color that symbolized joy, sun and beauty, therefore the
wedding ensemble consisted of a red color sundress and ribbons braided into
hair. After the wedding the plaits of a young wife were undone and shaped round
the head, which was the sign that she was a married woman.
First wedding
ensemble to wear only for this event dates back to XV century. That time a
wedding dress of a young woman was ordered together with the dowry of the bride
and made her ‘slightly pregnant'. The Gothic styled wedding dress has a ‘must' girdle,
high waist-line, triangle cut and long sleeves. When pregnancy was in fashion
ladies would put as special pad under the dress that simulated «false pregnancy»
of the bride. Though the color gamut of the dress could be different, and in most
cases ladies chose the highest possible motley dresses that meant only that the
richer is the bride's family the more dying agents the bride could use in her dress.
The principal difference of the Gothic bride was not only the luxury of the
wedding ensemble but also a special headwear «annen» that was like a tower of
one meter height.
At the end of
the XV century France practiced arranging «white dancing parties» with
single-color clothing to become fashionable that time. In baroque epoch wedding
dresses of yellow and green colors were in fashion, and to make a puffy bride
look like a smelling rose, the dresses were decorated with laces that are used
in wedding gowns till up to date. In the early XVII the color of wedding dresses
shifted to more romantic pink and coral gowns; and the dresses were trimmed
with laces and luxuriant collar freza, so-called band-collar or plicate collar.
By that time the fashion favored to Medici collars and wedding ensembles were
after golden embroidered.
In XVIII century
the wedding ensembles were made in delicate blue, light-pink and green shades,
and the rococo epoch introduced pearls and silver shades. In the rococo epoch the
bride looked like a delicate flowerbed when her puffed skirt was supported by a
special structure that underlined the shape of the curves of her broad sides
parallel to the floor, and narrow girdle lifted high breasts and the entire
dress was decorated with flowery garlands and bows.
Light but
not yet white dresses came into vogue in the epoch of neoclassicism, when
people were greatly involved in digging antique statues that became trend
setters. In the meantime, in Europe the fashion dictated drapery of a body with
silk and brides of that time reminded ancient Roman women. At the end of 1790
under the influence of Ancient Rome and Greece white dresses won more
popularity. They say that the first wedding dress was the one tailored for the
wedding ceremony of the Princess Mura at the French court. The dress had a high
waist line and was flowing down a slim figure. Ruches and girdle were back to the
wedding vogue only in XIX century and that time a symbol of a bride appeared -
a special set of orange flowers «flair d' orange'. In the end of the century beautiful
wide dresses of cryoline, yet it was the return of baroque and rococo ruche and
laces. Is spite of experiments with mini skirts, trousers and vivid colors in
the XX century, nowadays brides often choose classic white puffy dress with
laces and ruche for their wedding event.
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