The real reason brides wear white dresses...

Wedding ceremonies have been around for centuries, but extravagant white wedding gowns haven't always been the norm for brides.

In fact, the white wedding gown is a modern invention: It's only about 180 years old!

And you can blame Queen Victoria for the trend.

On February 10, 1840, Victoria wore a lacy white gown with an orange blossom wreath for her wedding to Prince Albert – despite members of the court questioning her colour choice.

But, surprisingly, she didn't wear it to symbolise purity or virginity. She wore it because she just liked white.

The dress turned out to be a massive hit, and soon other women were choosing Victoria-inspired dresses for their big day.

Before Queen Victoria's history-making gown, brides wore any nice dress they had.

The colour white, however, was pretty unattainable for commoners because it was a) expensive and b) difficult to keep clean.

So what colour did brides often wear instead?

Something blue, of course. Blue was associated with the Virgin Mary, so it meant purity and it didn't show stains.

The early Celts liked red wedding dresses because they signified fertility, and you wore black if you were marrying a widower or your last husband had died (which happened a lot).