These days, wedding gowns are available in a variety of colors. Brides are no longer limited to just a shade of white. Designers such as Vera Wang have really brought colored wedding gowns to the forefront of bridal fashion. Therefore, more and more brides are stepping away from tradition and choosing a dress simply because they like the color. However, all colors have meaning. They each represent certain feelings, emotions, and states of mind. You might want to keep this in mind when selecting a color. Below is an overview of the most popular wedding gown colors and what they mean.

White: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. This color of choice for the traditional bride is and will always a staple in bridal fashion.

Ivory: The same thing that is said about a white wedding gown can be said about an ivory one. It is also a very traditional color. However, some believe that ivory is also a symbol of tainted innocence. This is old school thinking and nowadays brides go for ivory because it looks better than white on their skin.

Red: Red may symbolize many things, the positives being love, infatuation, strong emotions, excitement, energy, strength, and passion. Many different types of cultural-based weddings are where red wedding gowns tend to be the most popular. But don’t count out the bride that simply wants to make a statement and stand out from the crowd.

Pink: The color pink represents innocence, a child-like personality, freshness, purity, love, good health, and good life. It can also be worn to show a more flirtatious personality. Pink is normally a color associated with women and their femininity.

Blue: Blue is obviously associated with the color of water and the sea. It represents calmness and peacefulness. Blue also conveys femininity, life, purity, etc., just as water does. Blue can also symbolize stability, security and lifelong loyalty.

Black: Black is often looked upon as an eerie color—and an odd choice for a bride. But black wedding dresses are here and they are here to stay. Black can also be a color of elegance or class (such as a black-tie only event, and black evening gowns). Black also represents power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, wealth, mystery, depth, and best of all, sheer style.