Anna Murray’s Dress

It’s common knowledge traditional brides walk down the aisle in white dresses. We’ve seen it done 100 times and we immediately think of a white dress when we hear the word “bride”. There’s nothing wrong with a white wedding dress — I mean, it’s timeless for a reason. But, have you ever stopped to think about why that is? 

I stumbled upon a news article written by Christopher Barnard of The New York Times called “Is This the Most Notable (Purple) Wedding Dress Ever Worn?” — upon further reading I got goosebumps. New York City designer, Cassandra Bromfield, re-created Anna Murray’s purple, silk wedding dress worn to her wedding to Frederick Douglass in 1838. It was perfect. 

The more I read, the more I felt awestruck by Bromfield’s commitment to honor Ms. Murray. According to Barnard, it was Harlem book club chair Lana Turner who organized a 50 person event in Harlem this September  — on the couple’s wedding anniversary. Turner made sure the event honored the often unspoken role of Murray and Bromfield aspired to recreate the iconic purple wedding dress. Together, they influenced a small area in Harlem to truly think of a dignified black woman, wearing a purple wedding dress, to the marriage of a slave turned activist. In my view — Turner and Bromfield are not only visionaries; but, they did the wedding industry a favor.

The interior of the dress, adorned with Pan-African flags imagery, is one of the many ways this dress and Bromfield’s reimagined designs are impactful. It represents a true sense of individuality. An impact that addresses the need for individuality and expressionism in wedding attire. 

Who Else Heard About How Cool Bromfield is? 

The impact of Turner and Bromfield’s work made me curious to see who else is talking about this beautiful and symbolic dress recreation. I was shocked to discover the only news coverage of this event was from the one NYT article mentioned above. On Instagram, I found one repost of the article’s header image. On Twitter, I found only a handful of tweets from people expressing their appreciation for the dress. Overall, not much coverage of this dress and hardly any social media traction. This was upsetting to me because this dress is larger than the Harlem event. 

I reread the article to understand why this dress wasn’t being talked about. Barnard wrote that “[women of Ms. Murray’s status would have worn the nicest dress they owned for their wedding, regardless of the color. The 1838 wedding took place before white dresses became common — as a result of Queen Victoria of England wearing a white satin gown at her 1840 wedding.]”

Bingo. A white lady in the 1840s wore a white dress and now we all abide by a trend set 182 years ago —wonderful. Queen Victoria rocked the look on her big day, but in 2022 we should follow the example of designer Bromfield. We can reveal the world of expressing culture, identity and personality through what can only be determined as nontraditional wedding dresses. 

This wedding dress symbolizes the history that each person encompasses. Is there a better day for an individual to express their personality through design than on their wedding day? I definitely can’t think of one. 

Successful Non-Traditional Designers 

I then got to thinking, if this dress isn’t gaining any traction — again, very upsetting — what designers or dresses are gaining recognition? How have brands utilized the sense of expressionism I’m talking about? And most importantly, how can they attract customers to unveil their world of personal and unique designs? 

These questions led me to discover Cucculelli Shaheen. Two married designers who incorporate various European elements into their dresses. But what stands out to me is their designs lean towards color, texture, prints and beading. Many of their designs feel pretty, floral — not white — but how does this circle back to what makes them a successful wedding dress expressionism company? The brand offers personalization like “names, wedding date, and star signs” you may want beaded into your dress. It’s not the flag imagery seen in Bromfield’s design, but its one-of-a-kind beaded services break industry barriers in their own way.

So, how has the brand gained recognition and is successful? Cucculelli Shaheen’s Instagram presence includes a following of 300,000 followers where they regularly post stories and pictures of their runway couture and upcoming designs. What has elevated their recognition even further are celebrities wearing their designs to high-profile events. Their dresses worn to red carpet events sends a message to their consumers not only that your favorite celeb might be wearing a piece by them, but that their designs are versatile. While not every bridal brand has a celebrity lined up to wear their collections, we can take away that a constant flow of social media posting has proven to gain traction — for at least one non-traditional wedding dress company. 

What This Means for You 

We, and or our clients, can’t all afford a customized dress. We can’t all afford a Cucculelli Shaheen beaded work of art. But there is a lesson to be learned by what Cassandra Bromfield did. She recreated a dress that was purple simply because that is what Ms. Murray felt glamorous wearing that day, and embellished it with Pan-African flags. She added culture to a dress that represented African Americans and a color that embodied presenting oneself in a look that is personal. We can all do this ourselves and encourage our clients to do this.

By steering away from white, traditional wedding dresses we open up the possibility for change. Where wearing a bright pink dress on your big day feels right. Or maybe representing the colors from your culture is up your alley. Whatever the case, gone are the days of feeling limited by the color white. Thanks to designers like Bromfield and Cucculelli Shaheen, making your dress more you is that much easier to imagine. 

For some affordable and different ways to customize your wedding, check out this Etsy link. 

Talk to ya later,

Thalia