The Inappropriate Outfit Vanessa Trump Once Wore To A Wedding (We're Embarrassed For Her)

Wearing white to a wedding is bad form. It's simple etiquette, since it gives the bride a chance to stand out. Unfortunately, Vanessa Trump, former wife of Donald Trump Jr., was busted for doing just that. It all happened when their daughter, Kai Trump, posted some family photos on Instagram on March 24, 2025, and included her mom in one of the snaps. "Life recently has been filled with weddings and golf!" Kai wrote. In the family photo, Kai is standing in a blue dress with Vanessa, who is wearing a midi-length white dress with a beige cardigan. While Kai followed wedding etiquette — her blue dress was perfectly acceptable –  Vanessa's long, white dress stuck out as a poor choice for wedding attire. 

Wedding trends continue to evolve; without a doubt, there are outdated wedding trends and traditions that are fine to skip. For instance, the rigid rule of having bridesmaids wear matching dresses is passé. (But avoiding white is still a solid rule). From beach attire to black-tie, there are several wedding dress codes, and it's important to navigate them correctly as a guest, so that you show up in the right outfit. On this note, white is one of the main colors you should avoid wearing to someone else's wedding, so there are colors as well as clothing styles to carefully choose when it comes to being a good wedding guest, and Vanessa didn't do this. 

While it might seem innocent enough, wearing white to a wedding has long been a sign of poor etiquette. There's a whole logic behind why guests don't wear it to weddings. Simply put, this is the color traditionally reserved for the bride, and it's an act of courtesy to let the bride stand out on the big day. Bridal stylist Anny Choi spoke with Vogue about whether or not white was okay for guests. "The simple answer is 'no,' unless the invite calls for it," Choi explained, referencing non-traditional weddings where guests are asked to wear white. 

The same rule goes for ivory and cream shades; any color that might be photographed as white, or appears white, is off limits. Other guests might see it as an effort to upstage the bride, or to distract from the couple. Brandi Hamerstone, owner of All Events Planned, told Martha Stewart that it puts the guest in a really awkward place during the celebration. "You don't want to stand with the bride and look as though you were attempting to look bridal on someone else's day. Even if that wasn't your intention, that's what people (and possibly the bride) will think, and who wants to be 'that' person?" Yikes! It looks like Vanessa ended up being "that" person on another bride's special day.