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It wasn't until Victorian times that brides wore white wedding dresses after Queen Victoria married Prince Albert on 10 February 1840. She selected a white dress, which was considered an unusual choice at a time when colours were more usual and became credited with starting the tradition of white weddings and white bridal gowns. Being expensive, a white wedding gown was popular as a status symbol, as was the amount of lace on the dress. By the 1870s the middle class was experiencing wealth, and white wedding dresses became more popular. Full court trains were now part of the wedding ensemble, as were long veils, a bustle, elegant details and two bodices--a modest one for the wedding and a low one for special occasions. The late Victorians (1890s) saw the bustle disappear, a demi-train and large sleeves now in fashion. If the bride married in church, the dress must have a train, with a veil of the same length. The veil could be lace or silk tulle. From the mid-Victorian era to the 1890s, the veil covered the bride's face and was not lifted until after church. The groom would wear the colours. He’d opt for a blue, mulberry or claret coloured frockcoat, with a white (or light coloured) double-breasted waistcoat and grey striped trousers. His best man and groomsman would wear the same, however theirs were always more subdued – and all men would wear a black top hat and a flower in their lapel.