How and when did the white wedding dress originate?

[OntarioVanMan]

And what was used before then for marriage ceremony?

Queen Victoria chose white not because it symbolized purity, but because she wanted to show her people that she would run the country in an economical way. White was a much less expensive color to make than the colors typically popular for wedding dresses at the time (red, black, and purple). Plus, it gave her the option of using some lace that she already owned, rather than having something specially made.

So basically, the white dress was originally a political move.

 

[greg334]

What was used?

A off white or cream color was used but Vicky didn't originate the white dress, White has been used for a few centuries long before she was born.

Queen Vicky made it popular in our culture because of the publicity that surrounded her wedding. Just as the crowning of Edward in 1901, it was a mass marketing move. With the use of cheap photography, the use of news print being sold in mass, it was part of the new information age. For that matter the Crimea war was the first 'live' war that the people would get information in near real time - like a day or two after the event. It was also the first war photographed.