Wedding days are often considered the most important of people's lives, and at their centre are the clothes. The Victorian white wedding dominates western bridal dress and large portions of former colonial empires, but marriage rituals and clothing vary significantly throughout the world. Traditional Northern-Alaskan Inupiaq weddings feature atikluks (parka-style dresses or jackets). In the Andes the bride will personally create a multi-layered dress to showcase her weaving skills. Berber brides in Morocco wear binding clothing that covers their faces, a striking contrast to Canadian prairie-province brides whose stylized gowns individualize and enhance body shape.Wedding clothes are not only distinctive forms of dress, but are also steeped in years of cultural tradition. This book, drawing on case studies from around the world, considers how wedding attire is both a statement of tradition and a vehicle for challenging social norms. What is the relationship between contemporary wedding attire and traditional values? What challenges do themed weddings pose to broader social values? What effects have international migrations had upon the wedding dress of different ethnic groups? Addressing these questions, "Wedding Dress across Cultures" unravels the full meaning of these highly evocative garments.
