The wedding dress is an essential element of most brides’ dream wedding. For many brides, the bridal gown symbolizes the transition from singlehood to marriage and the end of one’s independent identity in favor of a new dependent identity as a wife. Whether it is bought, custom-made, or passed down from generation to generation, it’s the most important piece of clothing that a woman will ever wear.
Throughout history, the bride’s outfit has served as a way to represent her family’s wealth and social status. The most affluent brides would wear the finest, brightest, and whitest dresses that they could afford, while poorer brides wore their best church dress. The bridal gown also was a signifier of purity, virginity, and innocence.
These days, the wedding dress is still a symbol of these values. In fact, brides all over the world wear white on their special day to symbolize purity and virginity. However, modern brides also use their dresses to express themselves and their love for each other and their families.
The most common style of wedding dress is the A-line. This type of gown is very flattering on most women because it has a fitted bodice with a full skirt. A-line wedding dresses can be adorned with lace, beads, embroidery, appliques, or crystals. They can be worn with or without a veil.
Another popular style of wedding dress is the sheath. A sheath wedding dress is similar to an A-line in that it has a tight fit from the neckline to the hem of the skirt. Sheath wedding dresses can be worn with or without a veil and look great on most brides.
In addition to the style of the gown, the fabric and color are other factors that can influence its price. Fabrics that require a lot of work to create, such as handmade lace or crystal beading, will cost more than less-labor intensive materials. Also, the more detailing on a wedding dress will also increase its price. Some gowns may even require thousands of pins to craft the ornamentation!
Wedding dresses are more expensive than other formal frocks because they are more time-consuming to create, require more fittings and tailoring, and come from far-off countries. Additionally, alterations can add up quickly–taking the side seams in or out, hemming the skirt, adding ties or buttons for a bustle, shortening straps, and inserting bra cups are just some of the alterations that are often required to make a dress picture perfect.
It’s also important to remember that many dresses on the market today are not actually made by the designer listed on the label. A large portion of these dresses are produced by licensee designers, which means that they are made somewhere outside the U.S. and often constructed with synthetic fabrics and machines rather than natural fibers. This will affect the quality of the dress and how it fits, so a bride should always try on several styles before committing to one.