Who should wear white on their wedding day?

I am not sure if it is as much of a topic as it used to be (sorry, canceled my subscription to Brides magazine), but it at least remains a memory in the mind of many.  At the very least, women constantly found in the crowd and not at the altar surely still snicker to these equally single friends, “Not sure white is her color.”  And with that simple phrase, all matter of promiscuity is assumed.  Yes it used to be that white was to be the color of virgins at wedding, although many others wore the color too.   Sadly, the question may have become less relevant because finding the virgin at the altar has become about like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

But I would like to suggest that we redefine the question in our day.  Who should wear white on their wedding day?  I would suggest that only those who seek to truly emulate the Church in their marriages should wear white.

You see, God had designed marriage in order to give the world a lived out picture of the love between Christ and the Church.  And in this picture, the husband plays the role of Jesus.  The wife the role of the Church.  The husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.  The wife  submits to her own husband as the Church submits to Christ and seeks to be the helpful in every way in the marriage.  All of this not because of something intrinsic to the nature of man or woman, but so the picture will accurately reflect the relationship between Christ and Church.

The details of how this looks in marriage is no doubt something that needs much internal reflection and outside council.  But I say that only women who desire to give the world a picture of the Church in the way that they live as wives should wear white.  For that ought to be the main concern of the Christian wife (just as loving his wife as Christ should be the main concern of the husband).  This may again place us looking for those needles in a world of women raised to hate this concept of marriage even though it is the design of the inventor of the institution.

Oh, I would love to see lots of brides who could live out both the old idea of white-wearing and this new one.  But truth is, even women who have not lived out the old idea can though the forgiveness and grace of Jesus still wear white, desiring to give to the world a picture of Christ and the Church in the way that they live as wives in their marriage.    This, I feel, is who should wear white at their wedding.  For wearing white at the wedding is something the Church does when she is married to Christ.

Revelation 19:7-8 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;  it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.