Bride & Groom Dress Etiquette for a Catholic Wedding : Wedding Attire Etiquette

The flowers in lace and detail isn't just traditional, but it represents fertility in the marriage. The bride and groom become the sacrament at a catholic mass, so it make sense to keep things modest during the mass. Reception is another story. The church has no say in how you celebrate or what you wear. I'm pasting in what a priest says about weddings and appropriate dress. It's actually enlightening and sort of cool:……we as a Church have not upheld this standard and have allowed the Sacrament of Marriage to be received in immodest dress and have allowed this to become a “norm.” Reminder- a bride wears a white dress because it is a reminder of her Baptism. She was clothed in white on the day of her Baptism; so she wears white when she receives this sacrament as a symbol that she is a Christian; a saint bound for heaven. When was the last time you saw an immodest christening gown? When First Communion girls receive Holy Communion do they wear strapless dresses or have bare shoulders? When young girls receive the Sacrament of Confirmation as teenagers they are required to dress in a modest fashion. The dress is required to be a certain length; they are not allowed to have bare shoulders or a low neckline. Yet, for some reason, we (priests, mothers and fathers of brides and their fiancés who should be concerned about the bride’s modesty) have allowed the sacrament of Holy Matrimony to become a strapless dress version of Project Runway. It does not make sense that for all sacraments, except Holy Matrimony, there is a dress code. Speaking of fashion, the following statement is contradiction: a woman wearing a veil on her head is a sign of modesty, purity and mystery; when she also is wearing a very revealing dress it is a contradiction.
In St. Peter’s Basilica, the MOTHER Church of the World there are signs posted giving a dress code to enter the church. NO-bare shoulders, NO-mid-drifts, NO shorts above the knee. These are basic requirements for modest dress for ALL who enter a sacred building; especially those who are receiving a special sacrament. This modest dress code is not the “norm” in today’s wedding fashion; but it is possible. I have celebrated many weddings where the bride and her attendants wore appropriate dresses. I have also seen many brides and her attendants wearing wraps, jackets and shawls during the wedding ceremony that they have the option of not wearing at the reception. There are ways to “work” with this guideline. Just as it is hard to live our Catholic Faith in a world that rejects God and virtue, it may be hard to find the “perfect” dress for your wedding. But this is part of being a Roman Catholic, part of being virtuous and part of being holy.