An aunt was the offender of what is perhaps considered the worst faux pas a guest can commit at a wedding: she wore a white dress. The niece, who was busy tying the knot, became furious in the aftermath of her nuptials, calling for support on social media. And support she received.
Taking to a popular Facebook page dedicated to wedding shaming on June 13, an anonymous member shared a carousel of photographs of her family member wearing the questionable dress.
Highlights
- An aunt wore a white dress to her niece's wedding, causing a heated debate on social media after the event.
- The bride shared images of the aunt's dress on a Facebook wedding shaming group, seeking support and opinions.
- Etiquette expert Maryanne Parker stated that wearing white as a wedding guest is generally inappropriate unless specified by the bride.
In the pictures, the wedding guest was seen wearing a long-sleeve nude midi dress with a white patterned overlay and white kitten heels.
The original poster (OP) wrote in the post: “My aunt wore this dress to my wedding, raising questions about whether it’s okay for a guest to wear this much white.
An aunt was the offender of what is perhaps considered the worst faux pas a guest can commit at a wedding: she wore a white dress
Image credits: Facebook
The newlywed woman explained that she had ignored the offense during her ceremony because she didn’t want to “let it affect [her] mood,” but now that is looking back at the situation, she wanted other people’s opinions.
As per etiquette expert Maryanne Parker, wearing white as a guest at a wedding is a big no-no.
“Only if this is specified previously by the bride that she doesn’t mind her guests wearing white dresses,” Maryanne explained in an article for Bored Panda published on Wednesday (June 19).
“This tradition comes from back in the day during Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert. The white color [represents] purity, innocence, and vulnerability,” the etiquette expert said.
Image credits: Facebook
However, the OP’s post left people on the Facebook group divided, as a commenter pointed out that the reasoning behind the common wedding protocol (whether explicit or unspoken) is “that it would be rude if the guest were also to look or be mistaken for the bride.”
“So that dress simply doesn’t qualify,” they said in reference to the length and style of the frock, Yahoo! Lifestyle Australia reported on Wednesday.
But a person countered: “I really don’t care what the reasoning is. Don’t wear white in general.
“Anything that could be worn by the bride to a rehearsal dinner, shower, or any celebration is a dress that should be avoided.”
The niece, who was busy tying the knot, became furious in the aftermath of her nuptials
Image credits: Facebook
Someone else pushed back: “Anything that could be worn by the bride.
A Facebook user commented: “For me personally, not wearing white is more about that being the bride’s color and the bride standing out more if she’s the only one wearing that color.”
Outshining the bride was another wedding faux pas among many that etiquette expert Maryanne outlined.
A netizen responded to the bride's post: “Many, many people are on the same page about not wanting guests in white at all.”
Someone else penned: “The only saving grace is that it's not a full-length dress, but it’s still not really cool.”
A separate individual chimed in: “Guests should not be aiming for anything in that color that looks like a bridal dress.”
An observer defended the aunt: “I don’t think it looks like a wedding dress at all.”
Taking to a popular Facebook page dedicated to wedding shaming on June 13, the bride exposed her aunt's dress
Despite some people taking the bride’s aunt's side, the general consensus was that the guest’s choice of dress was “wildly inappropriate,” “attention seeking,” and “inexcusable.”
In many societies, the color white has long been associated with purity and virtue, and that is one reason why some brides choose to wear white, especially in the West, Britannica explains.
Although it's often claimed that brides wear white because "it's tradition," historically, brides wore dresses of various colors.
According to Britannica, white only became popular after Queen Victoria's 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. Before that, practicality led brides to choose dresses they could wear again, making white impractical due to its difficulty to keep clean.
The bride's Facebook post continued to ignite heated reactions
