The colour of a wedding dress is a very personal choice. Here is an old “poem” about the significance of the colour that you may choose:

“Married in…White, you will have chosen all right.

Married in Grey, you will go far away.

Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.

Married in Red, you’ll wish yourself dead.

Married in Blue, you will always be true.

Married in Pearl, you’ll live in a whirl.

Married in Green, ashamed to be seen.

Married in Yellow, ashamed of the fellow.

Married in Brown, you’ll live out of town.

Married in Pink, your spirits will sink.”

(Source Unknown)

What Colour Did You Wear to Your Wedding?

White might be the traditional choice for brides — but it’s far from the only one. Throughout history (and even in soap operas!), wedding dresses have come in every colour imaginable, each one telling its own story. From bold red statements to royal ivory traditions, the colour you choose can say as much as the dress itself.

Red: The Colour of Passion

When Kat Slater married Alfie Moon twice on EastEnders, she wore the same iconic red dress — once with a bold attitude, and again with a gold bow to style her baby bump. Off-screen, Paula Yates also chose red, famously walking down the aisle in a dramatic Vivienne Westwood gown when she married Bob Geldof in the 1980s.

Red is actually a traditional bridal colour in many cultures — symbolising love, prosperity, and good luck — and it’s certainly a bold, memorable choice in any wedding album.

Blue: The Post-War Favourite

In the 1940s, blue gained popularity as a calm, hopeful alternative to white. Heiress Barbara Hutton wore soft blue when she married Cary Grant in 1942 — and decades later, vintage-loving style icon Dita Von Teese wore a showstopping purple-blue taffeta gown by Vivienne Westwood for her wedding to Marilyn Manson.

While those marriages didn’t last, their style legacy certainly has!

Green, Yellow & Pink: The Unexpected Brides

The famous painting The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck (1434) depicts a bride in flowing green — a symbol of youth and fertility at the time. Movie legend Elizabeth Taylor wore green for her wedding to Eddie Fisher, yellow for her marriage to Richard Burton, and then again for Larry Fortensky.

Pink, of course, has had its own modern moment — most notably when Katie Price (aka Jordan) wore a voluminous candy-pink gown for her wedding to Peter Andre. Love it or loathe it, it made headlines.

The Classic Ivory Bride

Although often associated with “purity”, the white wedding dress didn’t become popular until Queen Victoria wore a white satin gown trimmed with Honiton lace for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. Until then, royal brides often wore silver, gold, or even blue.

Since Victoria’s influential fashion moment, ivory and white have become the standard for Western weddings — and royal brides have stuck with it ever since. From Princess Diana’s voluminous 1980s gown to Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle’s elegant modern takes, ivory remains a timeless choice.

But what you wear after the wedding might be even more telling — as the old saying goes, “Married in white, you have chosen right”… but Meghan and Catherine both married in ivory and still “live in a whirl!”

Choosing Your Colour

Whether you’re the bride, the mother of the bride, or a guest — the colour of your outfit can be a powerful statement. Some choose colour for tradition, others for personality, mood, or meaning. And with more couples hosting alternative weddings — from garden parties to evening city celebrations — there’s never been more freedom to choose something that feels just right.

Marilyn Monroe wore a brown fur trimmed suit when she married Joe Dimaggio and possibly the most famous pink dress in recent years was that of Jordan (Katie Price) when she married Peter Andre.

White (or ivory) is of course, the traditional colour for Royal Brides, and its origins go back to the early years of the 18th Century, when white and silver first became popular colours for royalty. The colour was made fashionable for everyone, by Queen Victoria, when she married Albert in 1840.

Of one thing I am certain – the colour of a wedding dress for both Catherine and Meghan was traditional but in their married lives they both “Chose all right” and both “live in a whirl”.

Want to know more about becoming a Bridal Advisor? Learn about our Bridal Advisor Course here. For information on our Advanced Colour Analysis Diploma, please click the highlighted link.