Six out of ten brides who were pregnant on their big day wore virginal white dresses, new research has revealed. A study into modern marriage trends found the traditional ‘no sex before marriage’ mantra is dead and buried despite it leaving them open to cheeky winks and nudges on their big day.
It also emerged the number of women ordering maternity wedding dresses to enable them to make their way up the aisle with ‘a bun in the oven’ has doubled over the last five years.
A spokeswoman for maternity wear label Tiffany Rose, who revealed the trend, said:
“The results show a significant change in social perceptions towards pregnant brides.
“There was a time when nothing got tongues wagging faster than a visibly pregnant bride walking down the aisle but nowadays this is not just socially accepted but turning into the norm.
“With two thirds of brides now living with their partner prior to marriage, pregnancy out of wedlock and brides with bumps have become much more familiar in modern life; it’s moved away from the hushed secret it was years ago.
“Most of us know someone who had had children before marriage even if we haven’t done it ourselves so the taboo status has lost much of its power.
“I think it’s encouraging to see the value marriage still holds with couples today now they have the freedom to have children regardless of having a ring on their finger.”
The study also found pregnant brides are no longer seen as a social taboo in the UK.
More than three quarters of those who took part in the study now do not believe there is a stigma attached to brides with bumps, because the conception of children out of wedlock has become more relaxed in recent years.
Around nine out of ten agreed feelings towards pregnant brides had changed for the better in the last five years.
Only 4% still said they thought it was ‘unacceptable ‘.
Furthermore the research also revealed 98% of 25-34 year olds said that children out of wedlock was not taboo, compared to 83% of 35-54 year olds – showing that it is younger people who are most likely to consider pre-marital pregnancy as socially acceptable.
Results showed that a fifth of those questioned were influenced by celebrity culture with Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore and Lily Allen all sporting bumps on their wedding day.
