In article ,
Kate Dicey wrote:
Are wedding kimono's for brides usually white? I thought they came in
lots of colours. This one is very pretty... And I loved the way the
old lady's was cut so the picture went over the two halves of the front
- very neat pattern matching, that!

Well... the wedding kimono itself is usually white, but the uchikake
which is worn over it can be of just about any colour and fanciness.

Why do the brides have both Japanese AND Western wedding dresses? Seems
a tad odd to me!

It's a recent tradition?

Why did she change again into that equally elaborate ball gown? Getting
all tarted up in the one white dress was quite enough for me! I did
change later to go out for dinner, into a sugar almond pink silk suit I
made - matching skirt and blouse with two collars, but it was dead easy
to change into!

To my recollection it was always traditional to change garments during the
wedding - it's just more often western clothing these days, than not. The
wedding ceremony usually takes place in traditional clothing, and then
the bride will change into a western wedding dress, and then often into
a ballgown for the celebrations. Sometimes more than that ;

Culturally it's a way of demonstrating wealth and dowry, I suppose ; My
memory says that it was also done in various parts of the middle east,
and India, but I'd have to look that up.

The short answer would be: "Tradition"[0]

cheers!
[0] which is also true for many western wedding customs ;
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