When Did White Wedding Come Out?

White Wedding is a song by Billy Idol, released as the second single from his self-titled studio album in 1982. The song, inspired by events in his personal life, specifically his sister’s wedding, became a hit in the US and UK. The white wedding dress trend originated with Queen Victoria in 1840, who married Prince Albert in one of the first heavily-photographed royal weddings. The idea of closing a couture show with a white wedding dress may date back to the 1940s or 1950s, but by 1957, it had become a tradition.

The white wedding dress, now considered the “classic” wedding dress worldwide, originated with Anne of Brittany during her 1499 marriage to Louis XII of France. In 1840, Queen Victoria wore an ivory silk gown to marry Prince Albert, and soon after their nuptials, the Queen’s bridal style was copied. Interracial marriage has been legal throughout the United States since the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which held that anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional via the 14th Amendment adopted in 1868.

White Wedding was written by Billy Idol’s sister, Perri Lister, and reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The concept of a nightmare wedding with a Goth guy (Idol) marrying a normal girl with some vampire imagery was a key element in the song. The white, full-skirted “once-in-a-lifetime” wedding dress likely originated with department store bridal salons in the late 20s, who saw the money-making potential in the white wedding dress.