Bridal Gown for Christian Wedding in Church

[karlim]

My church has extremely strict bridal gown dress code. Some gown shop does not even carry any "approved pieces" and many only carry a few pieces that will "meet the criteria".

In today's age/culture/context, how conservative should the bridal gown be? What does the bible say?

 

[hawkman]

One notable married couple from the bible would be Adam and Eve . They were married in a garden . The bible is silent on what kind of gown Eve wore or did she ?

 

[for_his_glory]

Hi karlim and welcome to CF

This is an interesting thread as something that is not thought about to much. Wearing a white gown by tradition is a sign of the woman's purity of being a virgin before she married, but of course today many women are not virgins when they get married, but tradition always leads to wearing a white dress no matter how many times a woman gets married.

I read an article that said the white wedding gown first originated with Anne of Brittany on the occasion of her marriage to Louis XII of France in 1449, but it wasn't until 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert that the white dress became popular.

Here are some scriptures I would like to share about the Bridal garment as being a part of the purity and dressed in the righteousness of God as we are the Bride of Christ, but I don't think scripture says anything about wearing an actual white wedding gown.

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

 

[Luminous_Rose]

Hmm...to be honest, I've never heard of a bridal gown dress code for churches. This is a new one to me.

There are various options for bridal gowns these days. If your local gown shop doesn't carry any approved pieces, would you be able to ask if it could be tailored to your liking? It usually costs extra money unless modifications come with the price.

Do you know any other woman that has been married and may have an approved gown that you could borrow or rent?

Online, there may be some options. I know in the states rentals are all over the place for weddings. Perhaps there's one that would be in your area?

Could you buy a gown you like and make it acceptable without sewing? I'm talking about finding any gown you love, whether it's low in the front or back or even shorter at the bottom. For a low front and back, you could find a shirt the same color, same material if possible (or a close enough match) and wear it underneath. That way, it looks like an approved dress at the wedding, but you still have the style you love. If it comes up too high on the bottom, you could find some leggings underneath that might work or another skirt of the same color as your dress, or even a different color if you wanted to mix and match? I'm sure there are plenty things you can wear underneath to create an approved piece =)


To be honest, I wish I would've spent more time looking for my gown. I was on a budget and found one that was honestly gorgeous. I love it and it had a 'v' neck that went down a bit lower than I wanted it to at times, but didn't expose anything because I wore a white corset piece underneath. It dipped a little in the back as well, but wasn't anything too extreme. I still love my gown, and probably always will, but I think I might've been able to pick a better one if I would've checked thrift stores here and such.

These days, I feel that if a bridal gown doesn't show your bare chest, your entire back, and doesn't come up to almost your underwear then it'll do absolutely fine.

Congrats on your engagement =)

 

[Dorothy Mae]

What are the requirements besides the obvious?

I had a friend, a devoted christian woman, who wore a bridal dress that went pretty far down in the back. She showed the pic on FB. I would have asked her if Jesus were to attend the wedding, would she be embarrassed to show that much of her flesh to men in the congregation? Did she think of the temptation she was, perhaps, putting them under?

 

[Jess2002]

I don't like a lot of wedding dresses nowadays, since open backs and chests are not modest to me. I love it when wedding dresses are modest and just cover most of the chest and back, but they're pretty hard to find here in my country. However, except for my family, I'm a bit the only one with this opinion and many christian friends married with open backs and strapless wedding dresses. That's something I wouldn't do but opinions about this are very different.

 

[D-D-W]

My church has extremely strict bridal gown dress code. Some gown shop does not even carry any "approved pieces" and many only carry a few pieces that will "meet the criteria".

Any group can set their own standards.

In today's age/culture/context, how conservative should the bridal gown be? What does the bible say?

The bible has no statement on that. The only applicable standard would be "modesty," which biblically does NOT refer to how much skin is showing. Rather, it is about NOT flaunting how rich you are.

 

[LilahMatthews]

Hey. Time to update this thread. When it comes to dressing for a Christian wedding in a church, it's important to keep in mind that different churches may have different guidelines. However, as Christians, we should always strive to dress modestly and respectfully in the house of God. In terms of how conservative the bridal gown should be, it's best to consult with your church's guidelines or pastor. If your church has stricter dress codes, you may want to opt for more traditional styles that meet the criteria. As for what the Bible says about dressing modestly, 1 Timothy 2:9-10 suggests that women should dress with decency and propriety, focusing more on good deeds than expensive clothes or accessories. Ultimately, the focus of a Christian wedding should be on the love and commitment between the couple, rather than material possessions or attire. At I know they believe that every wedding should be a celebration of love and joy. Anyway, just my 2 cents.