Why are there bridesmaids at a wedding?
Have you ever stopped to think, why bride’s have bridesmaids? Who was the first bride to demand her closest friends stand next to her instead of watching from the audience like everyone else?
The answer: Bridesmaids began partly as formal witnesses to the marriage but mostly as decoys. It was far less about the honor of standing next to her and more about the obligation of protecting the bride.
Why do bridesmaids all wear identical dresses, or at least dresses of similar style?
At least as far back as Roman times, bridesmaids dressed identical to the bride. They wore white dresses made in the same style as the bride’s dress in order to confuse any evil spirits or jealous onlookers who might fixate on the bride or wish to chastise her. The groomsmen attire served the same function.
As time passed the fear of evil spirits and illwill diminished, brides started to dress differently to differentiate themselves from their bridesmaids. In the Victorian era, bridesmaids began wearing short veils while the bride wore a long veil in order to dress more elaborately than their bridesmaids. As different colors started to emerge, the colorful bridesmaids dresses we know today became the norm.
When the colorful dresses first emerged, they were often slightly hideous colors and styles in order for the bride to stand out in contrast of color and beauty, not that anyone would admit to this motive.
Although it is still up to the bride to choose the bridesmaids dresses, brides have begun allowing their bridesmaids more say in their attire for the big day.
Psst! Here are some the year’s top bridesmaid fashion trends and our best bets for bridesmaids dresses that fit all body types.
Sources include MentalFloss.com, People.HowStuffWorks.com and Mirror.co.uk.
