When trying to decide whether to choose a wedding gown that is pure white or has color, look back at why wedding gowns are traditionally white. Though gowns have not always been white, they became popular when Queen Victoria wore a pure white gown when marrying Prince Albert in 1840. As happens with royalty and celebrities, what Queen Victoria wore that day soon became the rage.
However, this white gown culminated into a symbol for young women. The symbol was that of purity. White represents purity and that is one reason why girls wore white. They were clothing themselves, almost as a pledge, that they were giving themselves pure and innocent to their new husbands. This is one symbol of the white dress.
So one can see that the history behind the white gown is twofold. One reason for this tradition is due to fashion statements. Another reason is for the sake of representing purity by the white gown. Thus even though tradition can be thrown aside, one should inspect the details of that tradition before deciding against it. So in your search for your gown, keep the history of the tradition of the white gown in mind.