Why A Bridal Shower?
This tradition evolved form Holland when a father disapproved of his daughter’s choice and the villagers gathered to “shower” her with the dowry her father refused. Why A White Gown? White is the ceremonial symbol of purity and virtue and hence of maidenhood. It has been so since Biblical times. But white has not always been the fashion for wedding gowns. Prior to the 19th century, it was fashionable to wear a colorful outfit that could be adopted for later wear. A typical early American bride wore the best she should afford– and potentially re-use– in the prevailing fashion of the day. It might be a white linen shift over a petticoat or two, a blue and white Calico smock or something in pink, a fashion color, with velvet or trim. Colonial brides also wore pastel brocades and even cherry red satin, but the rites were most often performed at home than in a church. Nellie Custis revised the wearing of white at her marriage to George Washington’s favorite nephew on the ex-president’s la
