Can white gowns be worn after a wedding?

Re: Can white gowns be worn after a wedding?

• MuppetOverlord member

  

  February 2014

  He's ridiculous. Definitely wrong.
  

  
  
  You'll never be subject to a cash bar, gap, potluck wedding, or b-list if you marry a Muppet Overlord.

  Report7 Reply
• SlothGoals member

  

  February 2014

  Ditto Muppet. Your husband is incorrect.

   

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• Teddy917 member

  

  February 2014

  Traditionally I think your Fi is right. White represents purity and by extension virginity. Likely you won't be a virgin after you're married so white wouldn't traditionally be okay. But by that traditional way of thinking even a lot of first time brides shouldn't wear white as most people lose their virginity long before marriage. And by that same logic a second, third, etc. bride shouldn't wear white either.
  
  But it really doesn't matter. If you're a person who can look good in white without being washed out and isn't afraid of the dress showing dirt more easily, go for it.

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• kns1988 member

  

  February 2014

  Yay, validation!  Just one of those things that I'm sure he heard somewhere and it stuck with him, even though it's wrong.  Also, if Michelle Obama does it, it has to be okay.

  6a00d8341c630a53ef01310f80f03d970c-600wi.jpg 43.5K

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• Jen4948 member

  

  February 2014

  That's ridiculous.
  
  The "white represents virginity" argument is crap.  There are two reasons white became the traditional color of wedding gowns:
  
  1) White was very expensive to keep clean, so it was chosen for wedding gowns to indicate wealth and status, and
  
  2) Queen Victoria wore a white wedding gown.
  
  In any case, it is no one else's business whether or not you are a virgin, so you can wear any color you like.
  

  Report22 Reply
• emmyg65 member

  

  February 2014

  Haha, your FI is being ridiculous. Of course you can still wear white.

  
  

  Also, people don't wear white wedding gowns to represent purity. They wear them because Queen Victoria wore a white wedding gown and started a trend. Traditionally, women just wore the nicest dress they could afford.

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• SlothGoals member

  

  February 2014

  Teddy917 said:

  Traditionally I think your Fi is right. White represents purity and by extension virginity. Likely you won't be a virgin after you're married so white wouldn't traditionally be okay. But by that traditional way of thinking even a lot of first time brides shouldn't wear white as most people lose their virginity long before marriage. And by that same logic a second, third, etc. bride shouldn't wear white either. But it really doesn't matter. If you're a person who can look good in white without being washed out and isn't afraid of the dress showing dirt more easily, go for it.

  The misconception that white = purity drives me nuts for some reason. The Virgin Mary is most often pictured in blue, how can you get more pure than a virgin giving birth?! 

  
  

  Anyways, @Teddy917 I completely disagree with your line of thinking. I shouldn't be allowed to wear a white shirt after I'm married because I'm no longer pure/virginal? Nope.

   

  Report5 Reply
• AddieCake member

  

  February 2014

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14

  

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• deannagirly member

  

  February 2014

  Just not after labor day. Jk Of course you can wear white!

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• doeydo member

  

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  I wonder if some men actually think this and therefore assume women aren't married if they are wearing white, the same way one would assume that they are married or engaged if they saw a ring or two on a woman's ring finger?  
  Edited to make more sense, hopefully.

  
  

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• AddieCake member

  

  February 2014

  My husband says, "Where do people get this shit?"

  What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14

  

  Report11 Reply
• phira member

  

  February 2014

  Your fiance is wrong. Wheeeee.

  
  

  @Teddy917 The tradition of the white wedding dress started after Queen Victoria got married in a huge lacy white dress, and it was a sign of wealth because only wealthy people could afford the expense of getting married in a very nice white dress. For a long time, people got married in their finest clothes, and since white dresses are very hard to keep clean unless you are wealthy enough to 1) have them cleaned and/or 2) not get them dingy in the first place, your best dress was likely not white. This is why ivory is also a traditional color for wedding dresses, even though it's not pure white.

  
  

  Historically, the color associated with purity is blue, not white. While the whole "white as virginity" explanation for white wedding dresses has been accepted by a lot of people, it's not the source of the tradition.

  

  now with ~* INCREASED SASSINESS *~
  
  

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• kns1988 member

  

  February 2014

  My guess is the interwebs

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• HisGirlFriday13 member

  

  February 2014

  Wtf, both at your husband and at Teddy. Seriously.
  
  
  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  

  
  

  
  

  I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'

  Report6 Reply
• jdluvr06 member

  

  February 2014

  I told my FI this and he was like is that a real thing? Your fiancé is wrong on this one.

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• smalfrie19 member

  

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  Teddy917 said:

  Traditionally I think your Fi is right. White represents purity and by extension virginity. Likely you won't be a virgin after you're married so white wouldn't traditionally be okay. But by that traditional way of thinking even a lot of first time brides shouldn't wear white as most people lose their virginity long before marriage. And by that same logic a second, third, etc. bride shouldn't wear white either. But it really doesn't matter. If you're a person who can look good in white without being washed out and isn't afraid of the dress showing dirt more easily, go for it.

  BLUE is the color of virginity....NOT white...that's why the Virgin Mary is depicted in BLUE..not white...so should I not wear blue anymore??

  
  

  ETA @Teddy917 ...by this "traditional" logic...does this mean YOU are still permitted to wear white??? 

  

  
  

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• antoto member

  

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  Even if white DID represent virginity or purity I'm sorry to burst any bubbles but 99% of the US doesn't wait until marriage.  Go ahead and tell 99% of brides they can't wear white.  I dare you.

  
  

  Wear whatever the eff you want because we don't need to be told what colors we can and cannot wear based on the existence or lack thereof of our hymen.  

  
  

  /endrant.

  
  

  p.s. this would be considered tradition, not etiquette.  

  
  

  Report5 Reply
• phira member

  

  February 2014

  The etiquette part is figuring out how the OP can politely tell her fiance that he's totally wrong.

  

  now with ~* INCREASED SASSINESS *~
  
  

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• kns1988 member

  

  February 2014

  This got heated. I feel like I need to clarify that he wasn't being an ass about it. He just had a misconception, which I have now corrected.

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• Viczaesar member

  

  February 2014

  Teddy917 said:

  Traditionally I think your Fi is right. White represents purity and by extension virginity. Likely you won't be a virgin after you're married so white wouldn't traditionally be okay. But by that traditional way of thinking even a lot of first time brides shouldn't wear white as most people lose their virginity long before marriage. And by that same logic a second, third, etc. bride shouldn't wear white either. But it really doesn't matter. If you're a person who can look good in white without being washed out and isn't afraid of the dress showing dirt more easily, go for it.

  No.  No, it doesn't, and no, that's not correct.
  

  
  
  
  

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• MollyandD member

  

  February 2014

  Jen4948 said:

  That's ridiculous.
  
  The "white represents virginity" argument is crap.  There are two reasons white became the traditional color of wedding gowns:
  
  1) White was very expensive to keep clean, so it was chosen for wedding gowns to indicate wealth and status, and
  
  2) Queen Victoria wore a white wedding gown.
  
  In any case, it is no one else's business whether or not you are a virgin, so you can wear any color you like.
  

  
  Yep, white became popular thanks to Queen Victoria. In her time, brides often wore golds and silvers to symbolize their wealth. She was already queen, and did not need to make a statement of her wealth. She chose white as a way of showing support to the people who made lace.

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• CMGragain member

  

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  Ladies who are members of the Daughters of the American Revolution wear white gowns to state and national conference until they are 35.  My daughter has done this for years.  I'm too old to qualify.
  I believe Order of the Eastern Star does this, too.
  

  

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• artbyallie mod

  

  February 2014

  Funny story, it was wedding dress shopping that made me realize I can pull off white. I thought I was too pale, but I love the way I look in it. I now own several white dresses, going on three years after my wedding.

  

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• CMGragain member

  

  February 2014

  AddieL73 said:

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  Gasp!  Clutching pearls.  What?  Not after Labor Day! ;-)
  

  

  Report4 Reply
• HisGirlFriday13 member

  

  February 2014

  CMGragain said:

  AddieL73 said:

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  Gasp!  Clutching pearls.  What?  Not after Labor Day! ;-)
  

  You and I are in the minority in thinking this rule still stands.

  

  
  

  
  

  I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'

  Report0 Reply
• Blue_Bird member

  

  February 2014

  kns1988 said:

  This got heated. I feel like I need to clarify that he wasn't being an ass about it. He just had a misconception, which I have now corrected.

  I don't think anyone thinks he was being an ass. They're just in awe about where he got the idea in the first place. I'm in awe about what he expected you to do with the information if it was in fact, a "rule".
  

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• RebeccaB88 member

  

  February 2014

  HisGirlFriday13 said:

  CMGragain said:

  AddieL73 said:

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  Gasp!  Clutching pearls.  What?  Not after Labor Day! ;-)
  

  You and I are in the minority in thinking this rule still stands.

  I'll join you in that minority.  A wedding gown is the sole exception to the no white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day rule
  

  Report3 Reply
• MollyandD member

  

  February 2014

  RebeccaB88 said:

  HisGirlFriday13 said:

  CMGragain said:

  AddieL73 said:

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  Gasp!  Clutching pearls.  What?  Not after Labor Day! ;-)
  

  You and I are in the minority in thinking this rule still stands.

  I'll join you in that minority.  A wedding gown is the sole exception to the no white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day rule
  

  
  Before Memorial Day? Everyone I know always said Easter is when you wear white again. When I was little, I would get new white dress shoes for Easter. Haha

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• HisGirlFriday13 member

  

  February 2014

  RebeccaB88 said:

  HisGirlFriday13 said:

  CMGragain said:

  AddieL73 said:

  Anyone can wear a white dress any time they damned well please.

  Gasp!  Clutching pearls.  What?  Not after Labor Day! ;-)
  

  You and I are in the minority in thinking this rule still stands.

  I'll join you in that minority.  A wedding gown is the sole exception to the no white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day rule
  

  Or a First Communicant gown, because that sacrament happens before Memorial Day. But YAY for company in the minority!!

  

  
  

  
  

  I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'

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• phira member

  

  February 2014

  All this talk about white after Labor Day makes me think of Serial Mom.

  

  now with ~* INCREASED SASSINESS *~
  
  

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