How and when did the white wedding dress originate?

Somebody asked that question on Yahoo Answers and readers voted the answer below as the best answer

The marriage of Queen Victoria to her cousin Albert of Saxe- Coburg in 1840 has had more influence on weddings than any other. Queen Victoria put the wheels in motion by marrying in white. Queen Victoria chose white not because it symbolized purity, but because she wanted to show her people that she would run the country in an economical way. White was a much less expensive color to make than the colors typically popular for wedding dresses at the time (red, black, and purple). Plus, it gave her the option of using some lace that she already owned, rather than having something specially made.

So basically, the white dress was originally a political move.

Really? That's news to me. You agree?
BTW, the dress is by Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah. Too beautiful. Thank God he's my friend, for when the time comes...:-)