Wearing white to a wedding as a guest

CWill16 · July 2010

Is it still a faux pas to wear white to a wedding as a guest? (This has nothing to do with my wedding)

What about black?

I think not being able to wear black is SO out dated, but a friend of mine still thinks you can't. I'm not sure how I feel about white.

shoegal715 · July 2010

I wouldn't care if someone wore white to my wedding, but generally speaking, other guests just look at the woman in the white dress and think she's an idiot.

Don't do white.

Black is ok. I have no issues with black.

wadingmoose · July 2010

I'm actually fine with white or black. I think both are outdated, especially with the number of coloured gowns people are wearing these days.

laurenclaire1386 · July 2010

I feel like not wearing white to a wedding is just a cardinal rule that everyone should follow. It was the one piece of wedding etiquette I was aware of before I started hanging out here.

CWill16 · July 2010

I would never wear white to a wedding, but I didn't know if it was considered an "okay" thing to do or not

nnoble4 · July 2010

I think white is a definite no no. Black, not so much. People put their BMs in black, so, I think guests can do.

Personally, I think I would be upset with someone else wearing white at my wedding.

tldh · July 2010

I agree with Laurenclaire that it is just a cardinal rule to not wear white. I know i'm in the minority but I hate black on any woman at a wedding (guests, BMs MOB, MOG, grams, etc). The only exception might be if it is a dress that would not be appropriate for you to also wear to a funeral.

stacy&tige · July 2010

I would be really annoyed if someone wore white to my wedding...but what could you really do about it? I think most people know that rule though, so the only people doing it are idiots or just looking for attention.

Black is totally fine...I've done it, especially for very formal/later in the evening weddings/receptions. I wouldn't wear it for an afternoon wedding, that might look weird.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

My mom is super traditional. Twenty years ago she almost flipped when she found out someone was having black BM dresses. These days, she thinks both are outdated notions!

I would still never wear white to a wedding, but black would be fine if the BM dresses aren't black. I actually have a nice black dress my mom bought me to wear to HER wedding and I said, "if you're okay with it, that's fine" when she asked if I'd wear black. Based on the one wedding I've been to on FI's side, I'd say black was very, very commonly worn to weddings in his family. Not much color at all.

chigirl2010 · July 2010

I wouldn't care if people wore either to my wedding, but I wouldn't wear black or white to a wedding - never know who it'll offend.

andy71781 · July 2010

I still don't get why the don't wear white etiquette rule has sustained itself for so long. I mean wtf cares?

I'd rather my guests wore white than got really drunk; rsvp'd late (or with an extra guest); didn't buy me a present; showed up late...

Knittibell · July 2010

You know, I'd never consider white. I also, until recently thought red was inappropriate. Had a wedding in Spain to attend and killed myself trying to find a dress, because they do NOT wear black to weddings there, and in the end spent a fortune on a dress I was so so about, because I needed SOMETHING. Well, get to the wedding and 5 or so other women are in red. Kicked myself.

bananapudding91 · July 2010

White, in my opinion, is a HUGE no-no. It's the bride's day. Let HER be the center of attention and stand out! Especially if you know either family is traditional.
Mine? Very. You just don't wear black to a wedding in mine, because many people in my family still view it as a protest. If it has designs/other colors? I don't think it's such a big deal.
I wouldn't mind someone wearing black to my wedding if I knew they didn't mean it as a protest, but if someone wore white I would literally ask them to leave. It's just rude.

ootmother2 · July 2010

I see tons of black at wedding these days. 20 years ago, not so much.

I think it's rude to wear white to a wedding and I was pissed when my niece wore an all white dress to the wedding.

I was more pissed that she arrived late, dashed up the side of the church and sat in the front row with MOB & FOB. Even more pissed when she drank too much at the recetpion and was dirty dancing with her brother and father.

:sigh:

sarabellam · July 2010

My aunt wore a white lace tea-length dress to our wedding. I gave her a major side-eye for it (especially considering that, as an "older" second-time bride, that could have described my wedding dress), but not nearly as much as RSVP'ing for 3, then showing up by herself (after we had paid for 3 meals). Yeah, and she was the only guest that didn't acknowledge the occasion with even a card.

Scorpio11 · July 2010

I love black, so wouldn't think twice about wearing it to a wedding (especially evening/night). I didn't care that a couple of women wore white dresses to my wedding, but I can't pretend I didn't notice (mainly because I felt like I should notice...).

karmellah · July 2010

white is a huge nono, but black is fine as long as youre not the MIL and look like youre in mourning. We sell tons of adorable black dresses. Punch it up with purple heels or yellow jewlery.

Kristin789 · July 2010

See below:

A. Traditionally, avoiding dresses in the white and ivory color family (that can appear to rival the bride), black gowns (that can suggest mourning) and red gowns (or similarly "flashy" shades) is the standard.

That said, we had a retired minister do the blessing, and his wife - the wife of a minister who has done thousands of weddings and blessings - wore a fancy, lacy, tea length WHITE dress to our wedding...

stephparks · July 2010

my mom wore a white dress to my wedding. After spending months looking, she found one she liked and looked good in, i didn't care.

tenofcups4me · July 2010

I think the no-white rule is ridiculous, but I follow it anyway since so many people appear to care.

Black is the norm in my crowd for a wedding and has been my whole adult life so I don't think twice about it. Most of the dresses/outfits I wear to weddings are black, day or night.

carrieoz_76 · July 2010

Definitely not white. I think black is ok if it's an evening wedding, but I wouldn't wear it if I were, say, the MOB or MOG - just because it may seem a little bleak.

2dBride · July 2010

I wouldn't have cared if someone had worn white to our wedding, unless it was an obvious wedding dress. In fact, we had one guest who wore a white top and white skirt to our reception, but I don't think anyone confused him with a bride.

At the same time, I know enough people have an issue with it that I would avoid black or white when attending someone else's wedding.

The thing I find perplexing is how many MOB/MOG dresses come in white, ivory, or champagne. Apparently, at least some people don't worry about the old rules!

Meg1979 · July 2010

I had a dream where my FMIL (who's not crazy about me marrying her son) wore red to the wedding. It was pretty slinky, too. I think it's just in my subconscious not to wear red. I think black is okay, white is iffy. The bride might not care, but other folks might in the ceremony.

Wearing white to a wedding as a guest

Re: Wearing white to a wedding as a guest

Choose Another Board

Search Boards