All about the wedding > Preparing for the wedding > Traditions
- According to Russian traditions, who buys a dress for the bride? Groom or his parents
- The bride or her parents
The long-awaited moment came when the girl heard from her lover an offer to become his wife. And the hectic preparations for the wedding celebration begin. First on the agenda are questions about creating the image of the bride and groom. And the question often arises, who is responsible for buying a wedding dress for the bride. There is no definite rule in resolving this issue, as it all depends on the financial situation of the newlyweds. But there are traditions that the bride and groom must adhere to. We’ll talk about who should buy a wedding dress for the bride in our article.
According to Russian traditions, who buys a dress for the bride?
Ancient Russian traditions attached great importance to the observance of various rituals of a wedding celebration. In those days, there were not many wedding salons where the bride could choose a wedding dress to her taste for a certain fee. The bride had to sew her own dress, as this was an indicator of her being thrifty and a jack of all trades. The bride's wedding dress had to include white and red colors. White color symbolized the purity and innocence of the girl, while red symbolized strong and devoted love for her future husband.
But gradually this tradition lost its relevance. And if the bride was from a wealthy family, then her family hired a tailor who could sew a wedding dress, taking into account all the nuances. There were also cases when men from wealthy families gave similar dresses to their brides in order to make it easier for them to prepare for the wedding. This is where the belief came from that the groom had to pay for his bride’s wedding dress.
If we go back to ancient times, then only one tradition has reached our times, which absolutely all newlyweds adhere to - the groom should under no circumstances see his chosen one as a bride before the wedding. Ignoring this tradition was considered a bad sign, which was marked by the disruption of the wedding event or an unhappy marriage.
Groom or his parents
If you study the traditions of many nationalities, then each of them has its own nuances. For example, in the countries of Central and Southeast Asia, creating the image of the bride fell entirely on the shoulders of the groom. The mother-in-law and her future daughter-in-law went to beauty salons and together they picked out a wedding dress for her. In addition, the necessary accessories and decorations were also purchased for her. According to their traditions, the bride was supposed to be strewn with gold items, which characterized the level of prosperity of the groom's family, as well as his desire to be reunited with his beloved.
But in addition to the wedding dress and the necessary accessories, the groom also assumes financial responsibility for holding a banquet, which also requires investing a large amount of money.
In order to please the husband's family from the very beginning, and to please her future mother-in-law, the ideal option would be for the bride, along with her bridesmaids or mother, to go through the wedding dress salon. This is necessary in order to choose the most reasonable prices, and having decided on several options, go there together with your future mother-in-law. It would also be a good idea if the bride’s financial condition allows her to divide some of the expenses between the families. For example, if the groom's party is purchasing a wedding dress, then the bride's family might be financially responsible for purchasing accessories to go with it.
In general, organizing a wedding celebration does not set clear boundaries for the newlyweds. After all, it should be organized based on a strictly limited amount for the wedding celebration. The mistake of many newlyweds is that they spend all their savings on the wedding without thinking about tomorrow. After all, it is important to observe another tradition after the wedding - the honeymoon. It is believed that how the honeymoon goes, such a future family life awaits the newlyweds.
The bride or her parents
If buying a wedding dress is so important for you, then it’s okay if you take on this part of the costs yourself. First, you need to roughly imagine the style of the dress, call your mom with you and feel free to go to the salon. There is no need to rush into buying a wedding dress for yourself. It is important to start searching for a dress several months before your planned wedding ceremony date. Only in this case, you will have enough time to choose the most optimal wedding dress for yourself, taking into account your taste preferences and financial capabilities.
Listen carefully to the advice of your beloved mother, as well as professionals. If you want to be on trend, then look through the styles of wedding dresses that leading stylists and designers offer to your attention. But it is important to pay attention to your figure, or rather to its shortcomings. On the wedding day, all the attention of the invited guests and spectators will be focused on the bride, and you also need to pleasantly surprise your future husband. Therefore, give preference to styles of wedding dresses that will hide the imperfections of your body, highlight the zest of your external image, and allow you to stay on trend.
The bride and her loved ones
For some girls, choosing the most important dress in life is extremely important and fundamental, even regarding payment. In this case, resolutely take on this task, enlisting the support of people dear to you - mother, sister, friend, etc. It is advisable to have several advisers nearby in order to objectively evaluate the dress and notice possible disadvantages of the outfit. Please also note that fitting may take a long time, and inform the “support team” about this. In order not to get lost in the variety of styles and styles in the salon, decide in advance on the desired models that will suit you.
What should you think about when buying a wedding dress? Of course, listen to the opinions of your mother and friends, weigh your financial capabilities and the price of the outfit, note how much it emphasizes your strengths and hides your shortcomings. You should not blindly chase fashion trends, but it is also advisable to take into account the main trends, especially if many young people are invited to the celebration.
A modern point of view on buying a wedding dress
Increasingly, newlyweds want to use their savings to organize a wedding celebration, thereby easing the burden for their parents. But there are times when, without their help, the bride and groom cannot cope with organizing a wedding celebration. In this case, it is important to discuss all financial issues during matchmaking. As has become customary in practice, the bride bears the entire cost of purchasing a wedding dress, as well as the necessary jewelry. The same goes for makeup, hairstyle, manicure, etc. In addition, a list of invited guests is formed. Since the groom generally pays for the wedding banquet himself, the bride is allocated a certain number of seats in the restaurant. But, if the bride does not fit into this amount, then she herself pays for additional seats.
The groom is also responsible for purchasing wedding rings, renting the wedding procession and decorations, and creating a floral arrangement for the bride's bouquet. But one rule must be followed: the image of the bride and groom must be combined with each other. Therefore, it is important to first decide on the style and theme of the wedding celebration, discuss which outfits will be the most optimal, and only then start purchasing them. Under no circumstances should the bride show off her outfit to the groom, because in this case, you will face a collapse in your family life, according to the beliefs of ancient times.
To be confident in the upcoming wedding celebration, you can seek advice from professionals who will be responsible for the wedding day. Their services also include the services of a stylist who will help you choose outfits. But, if you turn to such agencies, then the payment for services should be divided between the bride and groom.
Groom's family
Until today, there is a strong belief that the groom is obliged to purchase a wedding dress with all the accessories (veil, shoes, bouquet, jewelry). Residents of Central Asian countries and the Caucasus observe this custom especially zealously. So, the groom's parents must prepare absolutely all the decorations, paying special attention to decorations. Earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets should be made of pure gold - this will inform the invitees about the husband’s wealth and his desire to woo this particular girl.
How are things today? The future husband can defend the right to pay for the entire wedding dress for his beloved girl. Then, according to the rules of etiquette, it is reasonable to agree with his arguments by inviting his mother-in-law to the salon. This will show respect and lay a solid foundation for a normal relationship with your partner’s mother. Also take with you a friend or girlfriend whose opinion you value. To surprise your husband's mother, offer to "split" the cost of wedding supplies.
It is possible that the groom is ready to cover all the costs of the dress without regard to the cost. But even here it is worth showing prudence and frugality: “on the shore”, designate budget items for a veil, dress, jewelry, etc. If there are still restrictions on purchases, and you want to shine in a designer item, the best option is to provide funds from your own wallet.
Customs associated with buying a dress in other countries
If we look at the traditions of different nationalities and countries of the world, they largely contradict each other. For example:
- European countries offer to divide equally all costs of the wedding celebration between the bride and groom. At the same time, parents only give advice on certain issues, but do not take any financial participation in organizing the wedding celebration;
- In Germany everything is much simpler. It is not customary for brides to wear a wedding dress; it is enough to wear an elegant evening dress and apply appropriate makeup. The bride also buys it on her own, without resorting to the financial assistance of her chosen one;
- In Brazil, too, the bride chooses and buys her outfit using her own accumulated savings. Brazil is considered a warm and hot country, so dresses there are mostly made of light fabrics, in which the bride would not feel discomfort;
- In Eastern countries, they pay tribute to traditions, so the bride’s outfit is completely purchased at the expense of the groom. But there is one caveat. The groom allocates funds to his bride, and she must meet this amount. If this money is not enough for the bride, then she adds the required amount from her family’s budget. The advantage of this choice is that the bride can choose her outfit together with her mother, relatives and girlfriends without the help of her future mother-in-law;
As you can see, there are different opinions about buying a wedding dress for the bride. It is important to support each other in everything. If traditions dictate to us that it is the groom who should buy this outfit for his bride, then in practice everything turns out differently. Newlyweds no longer pay attention to customs and divide expenses based on their financial situation. Remember that a wedding is just one day and you don't need to spend a lot of money. A good option would be to save some money and go on a honeymoon in order to enjoy each other's company alone.
Russian customs
Among the Russian people, according to tradition, the bride herself prepared her dowry, and therefore her wedding dress too. How beautiful and elegant the outfit was spoke about the skill of the girl herself, about her abilities as a needlewoman. According to tradition, the robe was red. The richer and more beautiful the outfit, the more hardworking the young woman.
Of course, over time, such customs faded into oblivion. Modern girls rarely sew outfits with their own hands; they increasingly order them in salons or choose them in online stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ukrainian cities. The color of the toilet has also changed; it is now white. Sometimes young girls wear milky, ivory and champagne outfits. As for who buys a dress for a bride for a wedding, the groom or the bride, in Russia it is more often the groom who does this. Although he does not see him until the wedding, this tradition remains unchanged.
Seeing the bride in a dress before the wedding means an unhappy marriage.
How to choose a wedding dress color, style, length, etc.
A wedding outfit is not an ordinary suit, it is the most important image in life. Therefore, it must “perfectly” meet many requirements:
- It should be well sewn: straight lines, no protruding threads.
- A wedding dress should fit your body type in order to carefully cover less than ideal areas.
- Be as light as possible, because you can wear it all day.
- The bride should feel comfortable in it: walk calmly, sit down, dance, so that nothing hinders her movements, and no elements dig into her body.
- Match the season. Popular styles of wedding dresses do not have strict seasonality, however, some models can be exclusively summer, such as light chiffon dresses, or exclusively winter, such as raincoat dresses.
- The color of the wedding dress should be chosen according to the bride’s skin type, because it determines how the entire image of the newlywed will look.
In order not to miss anything, contact the consultants in the salon, they will help you choose an outfit that will meet all the criteria. Typically, salons purchase wedding dresses in bulk, so they can always offer you a suitable outfit.
