More and more Western brides are thinking about doing the formerly unthinkable -- getting married in a bold red gown.

Not that red is a stranger to marriage. Hardly. Red plays a major role in Chinese, Hindu, and some Muslim weddings, and was a popular choice in medieval times. But for modern Westerners? Yes -- we too are starting to marry in red. At least some of us.

It's been happening more and more in Europe over the past decade. Maybe that's because Europe recalls long stretches of time when wedding gowns weren't white. For eons, a woman simply wore her best dress -- one she could certainly use again -- although to keep luck on her side she might gravitate to certain colors and avoid others. With all the choices, it was harder to keep the good colors straight, so the folk world offered a poem with a few fortunate outcomes and many poor ones:

Married in White, you have chosen right ...

Married in Brown, you will live in the town ...

Married in Blue, you will always be true ...