Contemporary brides have many options when it comes to their wedding dress. They can choose not only from modern models but also from classic period designs that are still trendy. Many of the antique and vintage styles promoted today are reconstructed by our designers and brought back to life with their magic wands. The Vintage Wedding Dress Company for instance has some of the most beautiful gowns redesigned in order to fit the current preferences of modern-vintage brides. They also have the largest range of antique wedding dresses from various eras to sell and hire to those who are interested in this type of look.

This article is about medieval wedding dresses and we brought a few relevant pictures to help you make yourself an image of how bridal gowns looked like during that era. Every bride – regardless of her age, personality, cultural background or era wants her wedding gown to be unique and memorable. During the medieval time, weddings were family arrangements. In many cases women were forced or determined by certain social factors to get married by interest and not by love. Many brides and grooms saw each other the first time at their wedding. So it seems that things were quite complex and intriguing. The bride’s dress was also viewed as the expression of the family’s social status and wealth.

Medieval Wedding Dress (Source: wedding-splendor.com)

Therefore, the more elaborated the gown was the richer the family was thought to be. This is why so many medieval wedding dresses look so pompous and extravagant. They were meant to impress the audience and convince them that the couple’s families are wealthy enough to allow such expensive things. One interesting and important aspect to underline here is that during the medieval times, the bride and groom had to obey sumptuary laws.

Medieval Wedding Dress (Source: rossetti.vispa.com)

These laws were about the colors, the fabrics and designs afferent to each class. The most intriguing thing is that those who dressed above their station were imprisoned. But things got quite when the middle class appeared and so the existing lines between the noble and poor brides became blur. We should mention that red was regarded as the color of power, wealth and happiness in medieval times. The white dress that is popular nowadays became trendy only during the Victorian Age.

Medieval Wedding Dress (Source: my-weddingdream.com)

The simple colorless fabrics were considered cheap among medieval brides and this is why they preferred dyed gowns. The color was the symbol of the bride’s status. Her wedding dress was as colorful and bold as her family could afford. Red velvet wedding dresses and silk satin designs were the most highly prized. Full skirts and flowing sleeves were the principal characteristics of a medieval wedding dress. The skirts were full most of the times.

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Written by Postolache Ana-Maria, date Apr 11, 2012 in vintage dresses | no comments

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