Did you know that brides started wearing white gowns and dresses until Queen Victoria of England wore white to her wedding to Prince Albert? Before Victoria set the stage and caused a long standing tradition that is even followed today, women wore gowns of color, brocaded and embroidered heavily with silver and gold thread. Red dresses were commonly worn by brides since dyed fabric was difficult to come by and showed the wealth of the family. Hollywood, of course, ignores this and has historical/medieval brides in white since it connects to the current perception of weddings. With Victoria's wedding, however, the use of white gowns symbolized the family's wealth even more since it is such a delicate and easy-to-ruin color.
1. Genevieve Bujold's court dress (right) and coronation gown (left) in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) has always been my favorite version of a white gown. The coronation dress with the gold underlay and the pearls on the bodice has always been my absolute favorite. I hate the puffed up sleeves underneath the bell cap sleeves but that could easily have been remedied with simple long lace sleeves.
2. Marrying a vicious-looking horse-lord, she had no language in common with, didn't stop Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) from looking amazing at her wedding. The light flowy silver fabric was perfect for the hot temperatures of the vast grasslands across the Narrow Sea in Game of Thrones, Season 1 (2011). The perfect touch was the brooch like pendant holding the fabric together right in the middle of the bodice as well as the hanging sleeves around the arms.
3. The lady that began it all, nicely portrayed by Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria (2009), is seen here with a traditional Victorian dress covered in lace, modestly covering the upper chest, and flowing widely over the hips. I especially love the flower wreath with the veil. I dislike the idea of flowers for decoration in a room but flowers on a person can make a difference at such a joyous event.
4. Two thumbs up for the most original and exquisite of the dresses used in recent film goes to Legend of the Seeker's series (2008-2010) portrayal of Kahlan (portrayed by Bridget Regan) and Richard's wedding. The very sexy and delicate looking gown is a corset tied with a simple ribbon and flower arrangement at the waist, and flows down the legs with an A-line mixture of a mermaid skirt. I especially like that it isn't simply white but a mixture of golden white giving it an old rustic feel. And to top it all off, the gown is covered in lace on the back and follows the bride everywhere she goes. Lace just makes everything prettier!
5. Finally, Bella and Edward's wedding in the Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) takes the cake for the most simple yet elegant look. The use of lace and buttons on the sleeves and back make the simple looking dress so much more elegant and ethereal. The use of the veil in the film is not to my liking but in general I dislike the idea of wedding veils and prefer flower wreaths or accessories.
