What to Look for in the Little White Dress: Tips for Brides
Get that perfect Little White Dress for any or all of your wedding events and flaunt those bride vibes all day every day, babes.
It's the little number for your big wedding events. Also known as the "little white dress", this is the type of gown typically worn to all wedding-related celebrations, from your engagement party to your second look to any event in between.
When planning a wedding, it can seem like the focal point is all about walking down that aisle; whether that be at your favorite beach, backyard, or you're goin' to the chapel. But, what about the before and the after? All those in-betweens? Other wedding events like the bridal shower, where you're showered with love (and those gifts that you might kinda really need) or the engagement party where the reality (you're ENGAGED!) sets in with a side of glittery confetti and lots of popping bubbly.
This is where the little white dress for brides makes an appearance. If you want to keep that bride-in-a-white-gown vibe going throughout your wedding events, the little white dress is the way to go. If you're curious about finding one for your own wedding events, let's get into some little factoids about the little white dress, like what it symbolizes, what celebrations you wear it for, and how to find your perfect little white wedding dress.
That's why you can often find these little white dresses along with the selection of wedding gowns at your local bridal shop.
Photo credit: Kateryna Galiamova
What does a white dress in a wedding symbolize?
If we're gonna talk about the little white dress in this blog post, then we have to address the history of wearing a white dress for a wedding in the first place.
Not to get super history teacher on you guys here, but this Western "tradition" started a little less than two centuries ago. The common answer to this frequently asked question is that England's Queen Victoria solidified this bridal trend back in 1840, when she wore a white dress the day of her wedding to Prince Albert.
But wearing white to your wedding can be traced much further back than Queen Victoria. In 1406, Philippa of England, who was actually Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (a little confusing, we know), wore a white dress to her wedding. Then a century and a half later in 1559, Mary Queen of Scots sported a white wedding dress. Before these trendsetting Queens wore white to their wedding, the norm was to wear a gown made for special events but it wasn't exclusive to a white wedding dress.
Then, throw in those adjectives like "purity" and "virtue", oftentimes associated with the shade of white for some reason, and you get the white wedding dress. And wearing white to your wedding has pretty much been the default shade for wedding dresses in the USA and elsewhere.
Sure, wearing a white bridal gown on your wedding day is still very popular, but is it mandatory? Of course not.
While we learn more about these traditions, brides-to-be are branching out and catching the latest gown styles that challenge this "White Wedding" concept, which you can see in dress trends like the Black Bridal Gown! Integrating pops of color, going with more off-white dress, or even a beautiful pastel colored gown is also another big wedding dress trend these days.
The Little White Dress for brides: top wedding occasions
You can certainly wear whatever outfit or color that you want for your wedding events (it's your wedding, after all!) but the fact is that tons of brides nowadays love sporting a little white dress to the big events before and after the wedding ceremony.
And while the little white dress is often a garment that's a little more casual compared to the bridal gown, it doesn't have to be any less stunning. Here are the times and places where the little white dress is worn for those wedding occasions in chronological order (kinda!) And the gown vibe to go along with it.
The Engagement Party
The first on the list of wedding occasions to plan for is typically your engagement party. This kick-off event is your champagne-filled soiree (or elegantly chic garden party!) where you can celebrate the moment with your closest friends and family. Add your besties, the immediate fam, and all the essential peeps in your life to that engagement party guestlist. This is where you introduce yourself and your wedding party, make a toast, and get ready for this ride!
The dress vibe: The little white dress for your engagement party can be a fun yet elegant evening dress to kick off your wedding celebration. Think a little detail and extra material on the gown or something sleek and chic.
The Bridal Shower
Your wedding shower is probably the most relaxed celebration of your wedding events, at least for the bride. A family member or good friend is typically in charge of planning the wedding shower and the bride's main job is to sit in that chair, be adored, indulge in that charcuterie board, and get those gifts!
The dress vibe: The wedding shower is usually a daytime event, so your little white dress can be a casual or more outdoorsy style of gown. Go for a tea length dress or something else you'll feel very comfortable in for the day. It's your time to relax and enjoy!
Photo credit: Kateryna Galiamova
The Rehearsal Dinner
Like we discussed in another blog post, your wedding rehearsal dinner is a little preview to the big day. You want things to go smoothly, and also take a little time with your soon-to-be spouse to take a breath and savor these cherished wedding moments. And when it comes to what little white dress to wear, you can have fun with this one.
The dress vibe: You want your rehearsal dinner gown to be a little more fancy than your engagement party dress but also not overshadow the gorgeous bridal gown that you'll be unveiling in less than 24 hours. Our advice is to wear a dress that's a little more eccentric and trendy. Play with your bridal style and go a little outside of your comfort zone for this one, as long as you love how you feel and look in this dress!
The Second Look/Reception Dress
Looking for a short white dress for your wedding reception? That's what the little white dress trend is about. Lots of brides choose to have one unique gown for the ceremony part of their wedding and then wear something completely different to the reception. This change of a dress is usually so they'll feel like their best selves when the party starts.
Dress vibe: You definitely don't want a dress that feels too confined, because let's hope you're eating in between sessions on the dance floor and chatting up your favorite former colleagues and long-time friends who came in from out of state.
The Elopement
A little white dress is also a popular elopement gown for a City Hall style ceremony (or is Vegas calling you?!). Without a long cathedral train but still in line with the white bridal gown tradition, a little white dress is your go-to.
Dress vibe: Take the fancy levels down a notch or two for this one, but still think of it as your wedding dress. Simple, classic, elegant or even contemporary casual with some bridal accents thrown in - just let your elopement gown be YOU.
Finding a Little White Dress bridal boutique
Your average bridal boutique will carry accessories as well as little white dresses to go with your wedding events. If you’re able to find the right pieces for your wedding celebrations, you can buy them all in one or buy the dresses separately.
It really just all depends whether you find something that you love, is at your price point, and can't wait to wear for your wedding events!
Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal
Whether you're in the market for a preowned little white dress or your dream wedding gown, we at Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal are so proud to carry all types of different wedding dresses to fit your unique self and style.
From plus-size gowns to the best styles and trends, our preowned collection has a little something for any and every type of bride.
Curious? Book your bridal appointment today and get ready to meet your dream dress.
Sustainably Yours,
Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal
xoxo