Should You Wear Black As A Bride On Your Wedding Day?

While Carrie Bradshaw might have gone with the iconic Vivienne Westwood gown for her (ill-fated) onscreen wedding with Mr Big in the Sex and the City movie, actress Sarah Jessica Parker went with a less traditional route for her IRL wedding. When the actress got married to Matthew Broderick in 1997, she wore a black Morgane Le Fay dress. Singer Avril Lavigne, too, embraced gothic vibes and opted for a black strapless tulle gown by Monique Lhuillier for her wedding with Chad Kroeger in 2013. She even carried black roses in her bridal bouquet.

Black might not be the most traditional choice of colour for brides in any part of the world, what with it being associated with funeral wear in most cultures, it still could be a part of your wardrobe colour palette…

Black For The Bride: Is It Inauspicious?

What do different cultures say about the bride wearing black on your wedding day?

In Southeast Asian cultures, like Hinduism and Buddhism, the colour black is avoided during weddings because it is linked to death, illness and the netherworld. As per traditional Hindu astrology, the colour black is also associated with the planet Saturn or Shani, who is also deemed a disciplinarian, so people generally avoided the colour black while preparing the bride's ensemble because they believed the couple would have to face trials and tribulations post-marriage.

In his book, Seven Secrets of the Goddess, mythologist Devdutt Pattnaik writes, “The Goddess in her more primal form is dark, dark as the night, which is the colour black.  She is Kali, the dark one, who is wild — so wild that she unbinds her hair, dances naked, copulates in public and drinks blood. She is indifferent to disapproving stares.  The color black refers to the undiluted rawness of being a human who thrives in sex and violence. In contrast to a bride who is tamed, has her hair tied, is docile and the womb bearer, the colour black was avoided during weddings as it meant that people were invoking the wild, liberated goddess and her untamed energy, which could lead to destruction.”

However, in certain cultures across Europe during the 18th century, black was seen as a sign of nobility and only reserved for special occasions. It was an expensive colour to create and required several dyes to achieve. So, for brides, it was the finest dress in their wardrobe. In countries like Spain, it was customary for a Spanish bride to wear a black lace gown with a 'mantilla', which also meant we couldn't be separated until death do us part.

“Though there is no biblical reference that the colour black is inauspicious when worn by brides, the colour black after the bubonic plague pandemic that took a million lives between the years 1346 to 1353. This is why modern-day Christians started to avoid the shade during weddings. God created everything good; black is not an inauspicious colour as per the bible,” says Kochi-based pastor Father Binoj Munavarickal.

The colour black in today’s bridal fashion world

Indian fashion landscape has begun to warm up to the idea of introducing black in bridal wardrobes over the past few years.

At the Hyundai India Couture Week 2024, Jacqueline Fernandez turned showstopper for Roseroom by Isha Jajodia in a black lace gown with a flowing cape, overlaid with lace surface embellishments.

Even designer JJ Valaya’s collection, titled ‘Muraqqa,’ at the ICW 2024 stood out for featuring black in abundance. The legendary designer believes that change is slowly happening.

“There was never an era where brides wore white to the wedding, but now they do. Black, during any function of the wedding, was considered taboo at one point in time. But today, in cocktails and receptions, it's well accepted,” says the designer. “So change is continuous, and you can't live in the dark ages and, you know, believe in something that may have existed several years back. And at the same time, you can't blindly jump into the trends, as I call it. So how do you balance? And that is a continuous game that we play.”

If you’re inspired to go against the grain and try black for your wedding, JJ Valaya has a few tips for you.

“For pieces that contain silver threadwork, semi-precious stones, pearls and intricate embellishments, black proves to be a great canvas. Today’s brides are all about experimentation, so the colour black is picking up slowly among brides.”

So, would you add black to your wedding wardrobe?