So,you’re tying the knot for a second time; congratulations! Some aspects of yourwedding planning may not be quite as intimidating this time around, but thatdoesn’t mean it’ll be a quick and easy process to put together your dream ‘bigday’. For a lot of brides organising Gibraltarweddings as their second, for instance, there are bigquestions over what dress they should choose.
The good news is that in 2021,there really isn’t that much strict ‘etiquette’ around dresses for secondweddings. In short, if you look and feel great in a given dress, it’s almostcertainly a great choice for your second wedding!
Still, if you’re among the many people looking to gethitched for the second time, there are still a few things you’ll need to thinkabout when it comes to the wedding dress – such as the below.
Is white an acceptable colour for a secondwedding?
There’s one especially high-profile example in recentyears showing the answer to this question to be an emphatic “yes”: MeghanMarkle, who was marrying for the second time when she wed Prince Harry in anow-iconic white gown in 2018.
But with or without Meghan’sexample, the notion of white wedding dresses only being a ‘thing’ for firstweddings – due to the colour’s associations with purity, virginity andinnocence – is actually a relatively historically recent development.
In fact, until Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840 in anivory lace dress, the traditional wedding colour for brides was red, with whitebeing reserved for mourning.
In the grand scheme of things, then, a bride doesn’thave to wear white, and nor are they disallowed from wearing white, whetherthey are tying the knot for a second, third, fourth or fifth time. So, in theevent that anyone suggests wearing a white dress to your second wedding is a‘breach of etiquette’ or ‘inappropriate’, it’s worth reminding them of thishistory.
So, are there any ‘good’ or‘bad’ second-wedding-dress hues?
The short answer is: no, not really. As long as thecolour you choose suits you and makes you feel amazing, it’s probablypermissible! It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that depending on yourreligion, you may not be allowed to hold your second wedding in a religiousbuilding.
Thatmight mean you instead formalise your union with your beloved in a typicallyslightly less formal setting, such as a registry office. And such venues tendto be more relaxed than religious buildings in any case when it comes to‘expected’ wedding attire.
Colour isn’t the only thing to consider when choosinga dress for a second marriage
Thereare certain other elements of the time-honoured wedding dress that you may havequestions about if you are about to get married again.
One of those is whether you should or shouldn’t wear aveil – and again, as far as 21st-century Western weddings areconcerned, this basically comes down to your personal preference. There’s noetiquette that says those marrying for a second time must not wear a veil. So,you’ll just need to think about how comfortable and confident you would be withone, and whether a veil would suit the dress and hairstyle you’re consideringfor your special day.
Pattern is another aspect that can cause stress whensecond-time brides are trying to pick the right outfit for them. And again, itcomes down to what feels right for you.
With so many brides getting married for a second timechoosing a slightly ‘alternative’ aesthetic for their wedding dress in anycase, you’ve got a lot of freedom here, whether you ultimately decide on ablock colour, a floral style, polka dot, something geometric… or something elsealtogether.
We’re here to serve your needs in relation to allthings Gibraltar weddings!
As we’ve written about previously here on the Sweet Gibraltar Weddings blog, thereare many fine reasons to get married in the British Overseas Territory if yourupcoming wedding will be your second. After all, with its simultaneouslyBritish and Mediterranean vibe, there really is nowhere else in the world quitelike Gibraltar.
When organising your own nuptials here, then, why lookbeyond our capable and experienced specialists in Gibraltar weddings? Fill in and submit our online contact formtoday,and we’ll soon get back in touch to discuss how we can work together to helpmake your dream a reality.
