Something plain and simple? unpacking custom-made wedding dresses from western Canada (1950-1995) / Kathryn Church -- Satin dresses and caribou kamiks: negotiation of tradition in northern Alaskan Iñupiaq weddings / Cyd Martin -- Packaged in Japan: elite weddings in Osaka / Masami Suga -- Korean wedding dress from the Chosun dynasty (1392-1910) to present / Na Young Hong -- Marriage and dowry customs of the Rabari of Kutch: evolving traditions / Eiluned Edwards -- Pragmatism and enigmas: the Panetar and Gharcholu saris in Gujarati weddings / Donald Clay Johnson -- Swazi bridal attire: culture, traditions and customs / Lombusa S. Khoza and Laura Kidd -- Gender, identity and Moroccan weddings: the adornment of the Ait Kabbash Berber bride and groom / Cynthia Becker -- An Athenian wedding, year 2000 / Helen Bradley Foster -- An historic perspective of English and Soviet bridalwear between 1917 and 1960 / Janice Mee and Irina Safronova -- He gave her sandals and she gave him a tunic: cloth and weddings in the Andes / Lynn A. Meisch -- Slavic wedding customs on two continents / Patricia Williams -- Always remembering the motherland: Tai Dam wedding textiles and dress / Elyse Demaray and Melody Keim-Shenk -- The American groom wore a Celtic kilt: theme weddings as carnivalesque events / Theresa M. Winge and Joanne B. Eicher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"This engaging book examines the evolution and ritual functions of wedding attire within the context of particular cultures. It raises questions as to the relationship between contemporary wedding attire and traditional values. It discusses the changes international migrations have had upon the wedding dress of several ethnic groups. It provides insights into numerous societal relationships to weddings, such as the ban on bridal-produced embroidery in her dowry in India, the challenges individual values have to larger societal ones in themed weddings, and the return to pre-western attire in an attempt to make a political identification of a group. Exploring these issues, the authors provide unusual insights into the centrality of dress in shaping individual identity as well as its importance in reflecting cultural values and ideals."--BOOK JACKET.