One Color You Should Never Wear To A Wedding (& It's Not White)
When it comes to weddings, there's a lot of proper etiquette involved — even when you're just a guest. People have extremely high expectations for their wedding day and if you don't fall in line and act appropriately, you'll hear about it later. One of the things that comes with being a guest is adhering to the wedding dress code. You may think that as long as you're not in the wedding party and you don't wear white or ivory, you're in the clear, but that's not the case.
"You show up to the wedding to honor the couple," wedding fashion stylist Julie Sabatino told Martha Stewart. "Your appearance should reflect that." So if you already know that you can't wear white, then what's the other color you must avoid at all costs? The same color that the bridesmaids are wearing. It might seem a little bridezilla-like for this to be a faux pas, but there's actually a good reason for it.
Why you shouldn't wear it
Weddings are peculiar events. While they're about love and the joining together of two people forever, they've sort of gotten out of hand. Not only does the average wedding cost $29,000 — quite a price tag for love — but we've all heard horror stories about brides making unrealistic demands of their wedding party and guests. It wouldn't be completely out of bounds to say that our culture has lost sight of the meaning of the wedding day. Because of this, it's best to play by the rules and that means absolutely, positively not matching the bridesmaids.
"It creates the same interference as wearing white; you don't want to blend in or be confused with the bride or bridesmaids," fashion stylist and lifestyle blogger Tara West told Best Life. "Doing so will bring unwanted attention to your look and create a distraction."
Even if your attire isn't like that of the bridesmaids, the color is still a no-no. And, let's be honest, the last place you want to draw attention to yourself is at someone else's wedding when all eyes are supposed to be on the bride.
How to avoid wearing it
There are a couple of ways to make sure you don't wear the same color as the bridesmaids. Traditionally, things like save-the-dates and invitations included the color scheme that the bride has chosen for her wedding. Meaning, if you receive an invite that's Tiffany blue and pale yellow, it's safe to assume those are her colors and you should wear something other than that. But if the invitations are white, ivory, or a similar shade, then you don't have much to go on, so you'll have to ask a member of the wedding party or the bride herself. She'll be happy you did.
While wearing white and the same color as the bridesmaids are automatics, there are a couple of other colors and hues you should reconsider wearing. For example, anything neon or metallic isn't likely to be appreciated by the couple because they can draw attention away from them and don't photograph well. Also, denim-colored attire and shades close to white or ivory like champagne or beige shouldn't be worn either, per Brides.
As much as adhering to wedding etiquette may not be your thing, remind yourself that it doesn't have to be your thing because it's not your wedding. The day belongs to the ones getting married, so what you want to do comes second to that. You can wear whatever color you please any other day of the year.