Why did the girls at first communion wear bridal clothing?

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My good friend is a non-Catholic Christian, and the other day she told be about how she saw little bride dresses, and not knowing what they were, until she found out they were for First Communion. I, unfortunately, didn’t know why well enough to explain to her the purpose of “bridal” dresses :o I felt bad about my lack of knowledge.

So, why do girls wear bride dresses for first communion?
 
I was never taught they were bride’s dresses. We just got to wear a beautiful special dress and veil for our First Communion - a beautiful special event. (At the time I made my First Communion, all women wore a head covering.} The boys also wore special clothes. Most a white suit and tie; but some had a dark suit.

Nita
 
holly_potter said:
My good friend is a non-Catholic Christian, and the other day she told be about how she saw little bride dresses, and not knowing what they were, until she found out they were for First Communion. I, unfortunately, didn’t know why well enough to explain to her the purpose of “bridal” dresses :o I felt bad about my lack of knowledge.

So, why do girls wear bride dresses for first communion?
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Both girls and boys where white when they receive first communion as a sign of purity.

Since bridal dresses are usually white as a sign of virginal purity (though not often deservedly), the comparison between the girls’ communion dresses and the wedding gowns they may one day wear is a natural one.

Hope this helps. :tiphat:
 
we just had this discussion on two concurrent threads a couple in the last couple of weeks. they are not dressed like brides, they are dressed as first communion candidates, in white because it recalls the white garment of baptism, since Eucharist is another of the sacraments of Christian initiation, which begins in baptism. The veil is a relic of traditional garb for in various European countries from the period when the discipline of headcovering for women was in force.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=137108&highlight=communion
most recent thread, no need to repeat all this stuff again
 
As far as the girls in “bridal” dresses… I have no real objection (though some of the expense and decoration on a few of these dresses has gotten out of hand)

…I have another question…

Why is it that it is so important that the girls have their special dress and in some cases veil, yet the boys seem to have been forgotten about???

I am trying to get my parish to agree to have matching white vests made for the boys, then have a simple dress code beyond that, ie. black pants, white shirt, white tie, etc.

I think this idea would keep the cost down and make it special for the boys as well!

What is everyone’s opinion/thoughts? Any suggestions?
 
jmdsc said:
As far as the girls in “bridal” dresses… I have no real objection (though some of the expense and decoration on a few of these dresses has gotten out of hand)

…I have another question…

Why is it that it is so important that the girls have their special dress and in some cases veil, yet the boys seem to have been forgotten about???

I am trying to get my parish to agree to have matching white vests made for the boys, then have a simple dress code beyond that, ie. black pants, white shirt, white tie, etc.

I think this idea would keep the cost down and make it special for the boys as well!

What is everyone’s opinion/thoughts? Any suggestions?
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In my parish, the boys wear blue or black suits.
 
I like your vest idea.

In our parish, boys are required to wear a long-sleeved white shirt and tie. It does not have to be an official First Communion tie. Nobody has ever said anything about what the boys wear below the waist (such as trousers, shoes, etc.). I have yet to see a first communicant boy in jeans and gym shoes.

However, I have seen little boys dressed up as if they are going to be on top of a wedding cake, or spend the night at a disco, or be a singer in a motel lounge. It amazes me that the adults in charge of them can keep them clean long enough to receive their first communions.

Most of the first communicant boys wear the shirt, the tie, dress pants, some form of dress socks and shoes. Some wear sport coats or blazers, some wear their Easter suits. Some wear a big white ribbon onthe right arm of their jacket, if wearing one.
 
When I made my First Communion in the middle ages, our boys wore white long sleeved shirts, dark dress pants and ties. My son’s class wore suits, but any kind. My son had a traditional Communion suit, white with a vest, and if the shirt would have been black, he’d have looked like Tony Manero at 8. Since we lived in Brooklyn, a little Saturday Night Fever didn’t seem out of place. There’s even a picture of him and little brother on the front steps in their John Travolta pose.

It seems to be a parish-to-parish thing. But like proms and weddings, what the boys wear is certainly secondary to what the girls wear.
 
daeve said:
It seems to be a parish-to-parish thing. But like proms and weddings, what the boys wear is certainly secondary to what the girls wear.
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Well, of course;) because boys don’t care what they wear, and girls need all that fluff and lace!😉
 
My boys cared about what they wore, but not that they looked nice. They both spent a lot of time working on looking terrible.
 
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