A wedding is a major event in the life of a bride. During the ceremony, she takes on her new role as wife and she leaves behind her former family roles as daughter and sister. Her transition to her married status is marked by ceremonial events like eating the wedding cake, throwing rice, and sharing a kiss as she walks down the aisle. She also takes on a variety of other roles as part of the wedding preparations and the dress selection process.
A bride’s mother typically exerts the most influence in her choice of wedding dress. In some cases, the groom’s mother may play a similar role. These roles can be influenced by cultural traditions and social expectations. In Western cultures, the bride usually wears a white wedding dress. In contrast, many Asian cultures favor red as a symbol of vibrancy and health. In addition, some bridal jewelry carries meaning, such as the wedding rings in Western culture or chura (red and white bangles) in Punjabi Sikh culture.
In a study of brides’ experiences with dress selection, participants discussed how they experienced different types of power during the process. They also described the social positions of individuals enacting those powers. The researchers analyzed this data using a thematic analysis technique.
The first theme that emerged centered on the different types of power involved in the dress selection process. Some of these were coercive, in the sense that the influencing individual used fear to control the bride’s decisions. For example, the bride’s father threatened to yell at her if she didn’t buy the dress he wanted her to purchase. Other influences included reward power, which involves individuals attempting to motivate brides by offering rewards for compliance with their requests. The brides in the study also discussed experiencing expert power and referent power. These involve individuals claiming to have superior knowledge or authority in their areas of expertise.
Another theme in the brides’ experiences with dress selection was power bargains, which occurred when the influencing party and the bride attempted to negotiate their roles in the decision-making process. For instance, the bride might give in to a request from her mother if she thought it would make her father happy. The women in the study also claimed to experience this type of power when they sought advice from their friends and sisters.
The word bridal comes from the Latin noun brida, which means “bride.” The term is used to describe anything related to a wedding or to a bride. It’s a useful adjective to have when writing fiction, as it allows you to use specific details that help readers visualize the setting and character. For example, you might write a scene that describes the groom’s nervous look when the bride’s father gives her away, or the way the couple reaches for each other after the pastor announces “You may now kiss the bride.” The adjective can also be used in nonfiction to create eye-catching headlines.