Weddings traditionally take place in churches,with the bride in a big white dress and the groom in a black or white tuxedo. Brides have worn white for as far back as I can find, and a white wedding dress symbolizes more than just a bride on her wedding day, as I’ll explain in more detail below. Nevertheless, a lot of brides of prefers today daring more colors, and are starting to get away from the tradition that has carried us so far, see my article on nontraditional wedding dresses for more information. I had someone comment on one of my articles, asking about all the traditions in Christian weddings, and why they are what they are. So, to continue my series on wedding traditions explained, the following is why brides have always worn white dresses in Christian weddings.
The Color White
The color white has long been a symbol of happiness, purity, and yes, even virginity. White is a symbol of being untainted by the world, and Christian brides wanting to wear white should have kept themselves from all impurities as described in the Bible for being pure. You are presenting yourself to your husband as pure and undefiled from the world, and wearing white is a symbol of the purity of which you have kept yourself throughout your life.
The Bride of Christ
A bride wearing white is also a symbol of Christ’s relationship with His church. Many times in the Bible, Jesus refers to the church as the bride of Christ, and himself as the bridegroom. The church is a group of saved believers. Being saved, we as Christians are washed white as snow through the blood of Jesus Christ, being made pure (white) in the sight of God. The church presents themselves clean and pure from their sins in a lifetime partnership with God, much like the relationship of a man and wife. The bride of Christ has a personal relationship with God and a deep spiritual intimacy with Him, also symbolizing the relationship between a man and wife. We as Christians submit ourselves unto the Lord, and He cares for us.
The other article in this series is Why do we use Wedding Vows, and it is another interesting article for you to check out if you have questions. Wearing white is not simply a meaningless tradition that people follow. Wearing white should be an important part of your wedding. In my opinion, for Christians there should be no other color of wedding dress.
Recent Comments