Wedding dress and clothing
What the couple and the guests wear, and why: the white dress, the red sari, the kimono, the kente.
What the couple and their guests wear is the most visible part of a wedding. Dress carries meaning in its colour, cloth, cut and the person who makes or lends it. There is no single wedding outfit. There is a red sari, a white gown, a kimono, a hanbok, a kente cloth and a suit, each rooted in a place and often in a family.
Colour and cloth
White became the fashion for Western brides after Queen Victoria wore it in 1840, though it was not the universal choice before. In India red is the traditional colour of the bride, in a silk sari, lehenga or the Banarasi weave, and in China red is used for luck, in the qipao or the two-piece qungua. In Japan the shiromuku is white and the uchikake over it may be red or gold. In Ghana and Nigeria families may choose coordinated kente or aso ebi cloth. In Morocco the bride may change outfits several times in the amariya chair.
The groom and the guests
Grooms wear sherwanis in North India, barong tagalog in the Philippines, the kilt in Scotland, the morning coat in formal English weddings, and the dishdasha or bisht in the Gulf. Guests follow rules too: no white at a Western wedding, no black at many Asian ones, a head covering at a Sikh gurdwara or a Greek church, and bright colour at a Nigerian celebration where matching cloth shows the family you belong to.
What is changing
Brides wear colours other than white, rent or borrow dresses, restyle a mother's outfit, or wear trousers. Same-sex couples choose from every tradition. Fast fashion and sustainability concerns have pushed more people to rent or alter existing garments. Handloom weavers and embroiderers have also benefited from a renewed interest in heritage fabric.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Wedding dress and clothing (kind of custom). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreKente clothnwentoma
Hand-woven silk and cotton strips from Ghana that mark weddings and graduationsAttire · The ceremony
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 2 moreOwanbeÓwàńbẹ̀
The extravagant Yoruba celebration where music, fashion, and money spraying mark life's milestones.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 3 moreAso ebiAsọ-Ẹbí
Matching outfits worn by groups to show solidarity at Yoruba weddings and other ceremoniesAttire · The weeks before
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGèlè
The towering Yoruba head tie that crowns the bride and marks her status on the wedding day.Attire · The weeks before
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreZuria
The ankle-length dress with woven hem bands worn by Tigrinya and Amhara women for weddings and holidays.Attire · The weeks before
🇲🇱 MaliWeddings in Mali
Multi-day Malian wedding traditions blending Islamic rites, civil law, and local customs with bazin attire.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 Iseyin, Nigeria and 2 moreAso okeAṣọ òkè
Hand-woven cloth worn by the Yoruba for weddings and formal gatheringsAttire · The ceremony
🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo traditional marriageIgba Nkwu
The multi-stage Igbo marriage process that formalizes a union through family negotiations and the wine-carrying ceremonyRite · Finding a match
🇳🇬 NigeriaYoruba traditional weddingIgbeyawo
The multi-day Yoruba marriage ceremony featuring traditional attire, family introductions, and the Eru Iyawo gift list.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇬 UgandaGomesi
The floor-length traditional dress worn by women in Buganda and Busoga for weddings and formal events.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 NigeriaLefe
The presentation of gifts from the groom to the bride in Hausa weddings.Gift custom · The weeks before
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreOkpu Aguokpu agụ
A traditional knitted cap worn by Igbo men at weddings and ceremonies to signal status and heritage.Attire · The ceremony
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAdumuEnkipaata or Aigus
The high-jumping warrior dance performed by the Maasai at weddings and rites of passage.Performance · The ceremony
🇷🇼 Rwanda and 2 moreMushananaumushanana
A draped skirt and stole worn by women in Rwanda and Burundi for weddings and formal rites.Attire
🇳🇬 Iseyin, Nigeria and 2 moreYoruba wedding attire
Traditional garments worn by Yoruba couples and guests to mark marriage celebrations.Attire · The ceremony
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreShweshweSeshoeshoe
A printed cotton fabric worn by Xhosa and Sotho brides and married women in Southern Africa.Attire · The ceremony
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreDashiki suit
The tailored tunic and trousers worn by grooms in West African and diaspora weddingsAttire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Okpu Agu: Justice kelechi achinefu, CC0, source
- Aso ebi: SUPREME LACE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yoruba traditional wedding: Fhadekhemmy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aso oke: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Lefe: Useendk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dashiki suit: Emilio Labrador, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gomesi: sarahemcc, CC BY 2.0, source
- Adumu: K15photos, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shweshwe: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zuria: Kurt Bauschardt, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mushanana: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kente cloth: ZSM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yoruba wedding attire: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source