Wearing white to a wedding when the bride wears ivory

Krystalynne21

I was talking to someone not too long ago about what to wear to a wedding, and she said that bride freaked when she found out she had any white at all on her dress (the dress was black with white flowers).  She said she couldn't understand why it was a big deal, and quite honestly, neither could I.  She wasn't wearing a white dress.  I would never do this, but just curious how you girls would feel about wearing white to a wedding if the bride's dress is ivory? Does that mean that no one can wear ivory? Can you tell I am ridiculously bored at 4pm on Friday?

jthennigar

I agree w/ you and your friend - it should be ok to wear a dress with white IN it, as long as white is not the primary color.

However, I would never wear any shade of white to a wedding.  First of all, I typically have no clue whether the brides' dress is white, ivory, ecru, cream, or any other shade...  so the argument of "I'm not wearing the same type of white that the bride is wearing" typically wouldn't work. 

And even if the bride didn't care, trust me that other guests will!  The fiancee of one of our guests wore a shade of off-white to our wedding and while I didn't CARE, particularly, I definitely heard about it from other people after the wedding (a la "can you BELIEVE she wore that to your wedding?")  I wouldn't want to be "that" girl.

SHAMRK34

I agree with pp..if white or any shade of white is the main color in the dress I would not wear it to a wedding..if there is white IN the dress it is okay - such as white flowers or even white top with a black bottom on a dress is okay in my eyes..I think the rule of thumb is - if you have to question it, maybe that means it is not appropriate..
I have heard a rule about not wearing red to a wedding too - I have never worn red - just not a color I go to but I am wondering if this is a real rule or if it was made up by a crazy bride about her wedding only?

Krystalynne21

I have never heard the red thing, but I guess it would draw too much attention to you?!?!? I'm pretty sure that on my wedding day, I won't have to worry about everyone looking at Great Aunt Ethyl in her red dress. 

jthennigar

hmmm, the red things is new to me, also.

So no white (or any shade thereof), and no sexy red numbers (which then SHOULD hopefully exclude Great Aunt Ethyl).  Dually noted.

Ainslie325

Prints with ivory or white in them- fine.  Solid white or ivory- bride only.

Moneypenny424

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_wearing-white-wedding-bride-wears-ivory?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:ccc03ce4-120b-4671-9401-f1c9e55a3539Post:cbeb69e3-1b37-483f-810d-4135c68fe663">Re: Wearing white to a wedding when the bride wears ivory</a>:
[QUOTE]Prints with ivory or white in them- fine.  Solid white or ivory- bride only.
Posted by Ainslie325[/QUOTE]

I agree with this 100%

Darlingpl

I think any shade of white is out. I have been to weddings when people have worn a mainly white dress, and I do have a WTF thought run through my head. I have never heard of the red thing though.

junelley

I agree also that any shade of white should be avoided, but it's ok if it's only part of the dress.  As for not wearing red, I know that's the case for Chinese weddings, as the brides tend to wear red qipaos, and you are not supposed to wear red for the same reason that we are not supposed to wear white.  Other than that, I have never heard of not wearing red to weddings.

LexiMS

Looking for a dress for a friends wedding I fell in love with a cream-ish dress at BCBG and the salesgirl tried to convince me she sold it to a lot of people to wear to weddings....I did not believe her. 

On the red--my Mom is wearing bright pink to our wedding...hmmmm

Scarlet856

I agree with the pp about the ivory and white. When in doubt leave it in the closet. As for the red thing, a friend of mine  invited me to her wedding in Sweden. Given she was actually marrying someone with a title but the invitation specifically said no white, no red and no black were to be worn. I thought that was odd but I chalked it up to a nobility and/or swedish thing. I didn't go to the wedding though. I kind of wish I had. 

Mrkyrain

My mother in law showed up to our wedding in a  ivory pant suit after she told me she was wearing  beige.  I thought it was so strange and inappropriate.  Trust me I did get many comments from other guests.

jenwindy

A friend of mine had an issue with people wearing red to her wedding, but it was a cultural thing. She was planning on changing into a red dress to acknowledge her heritage.

MeaghanandMichael

My mom wore red and looked damn hot in it. Mrkyrain, I would rather my MIL wear cream then the got awful black shroud of death she put on that day with her knee high boots. She has NO class.

But, yeah, just don't even fret over this topic. Please just pick something other than white or ivory. If you are worried there is 'too much' white of ivory in the dress you are wearing you are probably right. Just go buy a new one.