Several responses to this question have already raised, in one form
or another, the issue of social classes, which it strikes me should
be considered more thoroughly for questions like this. There has
been a reference to a medieval noble woman choosing white for a
wedding, and as well, wedding parties (for women, at least) are very
commonly colour co-ordinated these days, just as the medieval
nobility ordered co-ordinated garments and livery for special
occasions. The current middle-class practice of using such items as
wedding dresses only for special, or even singular occasions also has
medieval precedent, once again among the nobility. Norbert Elias, in
his wonderful book The Civilizing Process has shown, for other areas
of cultural practice, that the middle classes have constantly
emulated, or aspired to, noble practice and such is likely the case
here. As has also been pointed out, white was not a common colour
for wedding dresses in the Middle Ages (although there are several
surviving 15th-century images of gatherings of nobles all depicted
wearing white). The same might be said for tastes in jewellery:
diamonds, although known in the Middle Ages, were not as highly
favoured as rubies, emeralds or other highly coloured stones. It was
only when diamonds began commonly to be facetted from the 16th
century that they began to gain in popularity over coloured jewels.
To find the origins of wearing white at weddings, in a popular
context, investigation of images of royal or noble weddings in the
early modern era, or even in the 19th century, I am virtually
certain, would be extremely useful.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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