Wedding traditions vary heavily across the globe. From a simple walk down the aisle to breaking a glass and tossing a bouquet of flowers. The modern Russian bride has the opportunity to see all of these traditions on her big day. And more.
Traditional Russian wedding is very different from the westernized ceremonies that we’ve all seen on the big screen, in movies and TV shows, but also in the real life. However, there are several similarities between Russian and western weddings. The most important one being that the wedding dress and the bride herself, are the center of attention.
Preparing for your wedding day involves a lot. Simply, we want our big day to go smoothly. We expect everything to be as we imagined and for our guests to enjoy themselves. Likewise, every bride, including a Russian bride wants to look and feel her best. That is when choosing a wedding dress comes into play.
Traditional Russian bride – How did the old Russian wedding dress look like?
When we imagine a wedding dress, the first thing that comes to our mind is probably white color. We may think of tulle, lace and delicate embroidery as essentials for a dream wedding dress. But, is this the case with the traditional Russian wedding dress?
A white wedding dress was not a standard in Russia until the 1960s came. On the contrary, the wedding dresses were cheerful and vibrant, and the color that was primarily used was red. This color represented holiness and sanctity. Traditional wedding dress was made up of a sarafan and a blouse underneath. The blouse was decorated with trimmings that included classic cultural embroidery. The bride usualy wore a gold headpiece with rounded beads.
However, we must note that a bride in old Russia was expected to wear two gowns. One modest, and the other one colorful, to show joy and happiness for the occasion.
In some parts of this country, brides had to wear long-sleeved wedding dresses. This was due to the beliefs that the bride and the groom should not touch bare skin before they are married. For the most part, these superstitious beliefs were abandoned and a new chapter in the world of weddings has begun.
Modern Russian bride
The wave of modernization also affected the bridal world. Russian fashion designers began creating more modern wedding dresses to adjust to these changes. It seems that modern Russian brides are just as happy to embrace changes and go with the new trends.
Nowadays, Russian brides usually choose a classic white or ivory wedding dress, influenced by the western fashion trends.
Bridal fashion in Russia, now more than ever, shows significant improvements. Brides are free to choose the style of wedding dress in which they feel most comfortable and most beautiful.
Under the influence of these new trends, brides in Russia opt for modern and daring styles which follow the line and shape of the body and highlight their best features.
Modern brides in Russia are not afraid of choosing a mermaid-style dress, and they often choose A-line wedding dresses as well. Among the most popular wedding dresses are ball gowns, with puffy tulle skirts, tulle and elegant embellishments.
Just like in any other country in the world, brides in Russia put a lot of effort in finding a perfect wedding dress, that they will cherish and keep in their wardrobe, or pass it on to to their daughters. So, just like any other, the Russian bride has to choose wisely and carefuly.
After all, our wedding day represents a new begining and is considered to be the happiest day of our lives, and the perfect wedding dress plays an important role in that story.
Photos: @olga_bril_ Instagram
