While white dresses have always been associated with your wedding day, they also have a deep-rooted tradition here in St. Louis. Each spring hundreds of young ladies don beautiful white dresses and walk down the aisle, where at the end of the aisle they will receive their high school diploma. For the graduating senior girls at several area private and Catholic high schools, white gowns are worn at the graduation ceremony instead of the mainstream mortarboard and graduation gown. But, you may wonder, where did this tradition come from?
Stltoday.com reported that back in the mid-1800’s many schools decided to create more uniformity for the graduation ceremony by having all the girls wear the same color dress. In addition, back then a white dress was considered a young lady’s best dress, that was only worn for very special occasions. However, they did mention that the trend of graduation gowns following the current bridal trends didn’t come about until the 1980’s.
Today, many girls use this special occasion to highlight their individual style, choosing a dress that truly reflects who they are. Daniella Rao of Visitation Academy's Class of 2011 said:
"For me, wearing a white gown emphasized the accomplishment of graduating from high school. When you're putting on that beautiful dress, it really feels like you're about to start a new chapter in your life. It helped me see how important graduation was and made the day that much more special!"
But finding a dress isn’t always easy as schools have different style requirements (such as no strapless dresses, must meet modesty requirements, etc.) and at some schools no two girls can have the same dresses! For many girls, finding that perfect white graduation dress starts early; as it is the first step on their last year as high school students before they embark on their college careers!
We are excited to be able to offer St. Louis area high school seniors an extensive selection of graduation gowns in a variety of styles from classic, timeless designs, vintage inspired glamour, free style bohemian, romantic, whimsical, or modern. We can’t wait to help this year’s graduating seniors find the perfect white graduation gown that celebrates their individual style on this big day! Below are just some of the dresses available in white for graduation, check out more on our Graduation Gowns page.
