The bridal gown is thought of as the most precious piece of clothing women get to wear in their entire lives. Although each bride looks for the perfect bridal dress, unique and specific to her, the bridal gown is steeped in tradition and symbolism. Gowns may vary in terms of style, length, fabric and cut, but ultimately key elements of a wedding dress are traceable symbols of the sacrament of marriage itself. Despite the traditional wedding dress design still being the most prevalent among bride’s and designers, contemporary fashion is shifting towards designs that not only critique the roots of marriage, but redefine the meaning of the bride and wife in modern society.Â
To understand the evolution of bridal designs, we must begin by asking how the wedding dress first became an essential part of the ceremony. While the exact origins of marriage are debated, it is often linked to the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural civilizations, where stable unions may have played a role in ensuring prosperity. Eventually marriage became a formal ceremonial practice. A formal gown became the norm and a part of the ceremony itself.
Marriage traditions vary widely across cultures. In Western society, white gowns symbolise purity and virginity. While in China, red gowns are favoured for their origin in a legend about a princess who wore a phoenix dress and crown to bring strength to her marriage. Despite the variations, the colour of a bridal gown is universally symbolic, reflecting the type of woman the bride is, and the type of marriage she wants. The wedding gown is more than a formal dress. It is an artefact of marriage itself. It is no surprise that designers have approached the gown as a way to critique tradition, or subvert biblical ideas.Â
The patriarchal roots of marriage attract subversion and critique. On the surface marriage is the union of two people in a committed relationship. But under the patriarchal system we have endured for centuries, women have become victimised by marriage. In the West, marriage emphasised the role of women as subservient to their husbands, and legally classified them as property. The role of the wife and the mother was a role of obedience and service. Marriage was an inherently misogynistic institution, which captured the misogynistic ideals of womanhood. The white western bridal gowns symbolises the bride’s purity and innocence and their commitment to enter their marriage as a clean, untouched slate—a standard not expected of the groom. It can also be argued that because wedding gown traditions haven’t really changed over time, the wedding gown itself is a sign of constraint for brides, who can’t seem to escape harmful and discriminatory ideals.Â
However, this is starting to change. Bridal designs are always a highly anticipated section in designer collections. In more recent fashion weeks, I’ve noticed a growing trend: a shift toward a more unorthodox, gory interpretation of this wedding symbol. One example is Robert Wun’s Spring 2024 collection, featuring a blood-stained bride in a red jewelled gown and veil. The bloodying of the white gown dirties its traditional innocence in a bold and sticking way, as if to connote violence, pain, and sin. I think Wun is trying to present the dangers of marriage for women through explicit imagery, thus using a symbol of marriage against itself. An earlier example of this is seen in the late Vivienne Westwood’s 1997 wedding dress, where the model’s hands are tied behind her back and a blindfold covers her eyes. This is said to represent love’s blindness, but also the constraints placed on women through marriage. Examples appear in pop culture where we see fictional brides and their iconic dresses become gory visual spectacles. One notable example is in Twilight, when Bella dreams that her wedding dress becomes soaked in the blood of her loved ones, warning her of the dangers of her marriage to Edward. Ultimately, many representations of bloody brides are far more interesting than the traditional portrayal. Bloody bridal gowns take a beloved and iconic symbol and force viewers to consider its harmful history. Although bloody bridal gowns can’t be called mainstream, there is a shift towards non-traditional dresses that move beyond the white gown. This is still a meaningful reinvention of the image of the bride, that emphasises her personhood over the patriarchal ideals women have historically been made to represent. After all, despite the violence foretold by the image of the bloody bride, all women should be safe and happy in their marriages. And that is the best “look” for all brides.Â