And the bride wore red

After all, red is also the color of love.

- JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ

A bride traditionally wears white on her wedding day, a red-letter day in the calendar of her life.

But the tradition of brides wearing white, especially in Western cultures, is said to have only begun in the 19th century, when Britain's Queen Victoria wore white to her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. This sparked a trend even Filipino brides largely adhere to.

While a white or off-white wedding dress is the most common color tradition, it is also traditional for some brides in Asia to wear red on their wedding day.

But some modern brides around the world simply choose red because they want to wear red.

Designer Michael Leyva stunned the audience, which included First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, during his recent "Couture 2026" fashion show at the Lobby of The Peninsula Manila with a bride in red—including the veil.

"I wanted something different and something adventurous for our future brides," said Michael of the red shirred layered gown, which can be worn to a ball just the same if you take out the red veil.