SO – I have some very exciting news! 😮🥂 This past weekend, my boyfriend/partner of about 8 years proposed! I pretty much giggled stupidly all the way home, in case you’re wondering. This of course got me thinking of what I’d like to wear as my wedding dress! I already had the idea to showcase a few of my friend’s awesome alternative and colourful wedding outfits pre-engagement, but now I have some more stakes in [read: hehe!].

Pictured above are my friends Angelica + Nate who got married last spring at the Orange Art Gallery. Doesn’t she look like a gorgeous princess in her purple alternative wedding gown? #belleoftheball

Paired with a faux fur shawl, her look was classy and striking.

With her bridesmaids in the shade of black, the entire wedding party was decked out in deep rich tones. Did you know that in the 14th Century, black was worn often by royalty and government officials in Europe? The darker purples are still considered to be a royal colour as well.

My other friend Sami (pictured above) got married a couple years ago now in Michigan at the Green Gardens Community Farm, and she chose a lace top with a Chinese style cut to go with a tan/taupe skirt. It was a perfect blend of both of her heritages! I feel like this is a great alternative as it makes it a lot easier for the bride to go to the washroom and to change during the day if there is a second outfit. This outfit also let Sami bring in some of her Chinese cultural heritage into the wedding day, without having to wear the tradition qipao, so it could be blended seamlessly with her North American upbringing. In any case, I love this!

The History Behind White Dresses

Wedding dresses only started trending with white fabric when Queen Victoria wore it as her alternative dress colour since it was a status symbol of wealth (bleach must have cost a heck of a lot back then)! Since then, it’s become the most prominent popular trend. Before Queen Vic wore white on her wedding day, brides tended to pick reds or other bright colours. Eventually white and light colours became standard and the fabric came more affordably.

Have you ever thought about wearing a non-white dress? If so, let us know in the comments below what you’re thinking of wearing or what you wore instead of traditional white!