With wedding season in full swing debate has been raging online, with furious brides and bridesmaids calling out guests who have turned up to their special day in white dresses – some even outshining the bride.
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And it’s not just wearing white that can cause commotion – according to the law of wedding etiquette, red and black are banned too.
As a former bride, I can safely say there’s nothing more irritating – and selfish – than a guest messaging or calling you to ask about what they should wear to your big day.
With seating plans, guest lists, and family politics, brides have enough on their plate without having to hand hold you through your wardrobe choices.
By the time the ceremony comes around, we’ve already done everything in our power to make your day stress free – and by then our guests shouldn’t do anything to cause us any stress.
All the bride cares about by then is how she looks and feels – it’s the happiest day of her life and everything should be about her.
Does she really need to be worrying about whether her guests are breaking the wedding dress rules when she first clocks eyes on them walking up the aisle?
I think not.
As a fashion expert, here’s what I think is acceptable when it comes to wedding dressing – but whatever you do, don’t ask the bride…
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RED
Red is the colour of love, passion and anger, and can be divisive during wedding season.
For decades, scarlett hues have topped the worst-dressed list at weddings, with experts claiming ladies in red stand out too much and can also look too sexy.
Visually, red looks out of place in wedding photos too as it draws attention away from plainer colours like white – awkward.
But in my opinion, unless the red dress has a thigh-high split or plunging cleavage, I couldn’t give a monkey’s.
And if you’re going to an Italian wedding (hello tomato girl summer) – or a festive foray then I think red is kind of appropriate.
Just make sure you opt for a more muted tone rather than a blindingly garish shade.
BLACK
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Chic, simple, stylish and slimming, why wouldn’t you want to reach for black when you’re planning a wedding guest outfit?
Black goes with everything, so you’ll always get a second wear out of a fancy black dress – and the likelihood is you may already have something fancy and black in your wardrobe meaning you don’t need to buy anything else.
But due to its association with mourning, black can divide opinion at weddings.
As someone who spends most of her life in black clothes, I have worn black to weddings and had no stares or glares.
However I do try and wear it with something lighter or brighter, like accessories, so it’s not so heavy for such a big day.
Plus, these days you have to be careful as black is a popular colour for bridesmaid dresses, like Rochelle Humes who recently renewed her vows with husband Marvin.
WHITE
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White is most the dangerous colour of all to wear to a wedding – in more ways than one.
Firstly, wearing white on a day when you’re faced with a schedule of eating fiddly canapes and drinking endless drinks means you’ll run the risk of sloping everything down your front.
And then, of course, the bride will be wearing white.
Controversially I don’t think it matters.
When I got married, I had bridesmaids in white and wouldn’t have had a care in the world if anyone else wore white either.
Every single person (maybe aside from the under 5-year-olds) knows who the bride and groom are – they are the reason you are there in the first place- and all eyes will be on them.
And unless someone else is wearing a floor sweeping gown with a veil whilst carrying a bouquet of flowers, no one will mistake who the bride is or upstage the bride.
White is alright, just leave the accessories to the bride.