Guests who wear white or ivory to a wedding. Poor etiquette or is it perfectly fine?

I think it depends on the style and how it's worn.

A few months ago, there was a thread asking the same question but it included a picture of a young lady wearing what looked to be, a short white wedding dress as a guest to a wedding. The dress looked very much like a wedding dress. This, IMO, is inappropriate.

And both my family, and my FH family, would talk about a dress like that all night and for years to come. haha

JenniferandRick I agree with you. The white dresses that LOOK like or ARE bridal gowns are definitely wrong! At some point you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say "Do I look like a bride?" LOL.

Doesn't bother me. My SIL wore a short ivory lace dress (my wedding dress was a tea-length ivory lace), and it didn't bother me. I didn't talk about her, and I've never talked bad about someone wearing white to a wedding. I've even worn a white dress with black flowers on it - clearly not a wedding dress. I don't see how it's rude nor how it's upstaging a bride. White has been a bridal gown for only 150 years or so, and before then all colors were considered for wedding downs - so what did people do back then? Stupid made-up etiquette thing.

1. If you knew the bride was wearing a different color, would you wear white/ivory?

Even if I knew the bride was not going to wear white, I still would not wear it

2. Do you think wearing the color is perfectly fine or poor etiquette?

In my family/circle of friends, it is in extremely poor taste to wear white, off white, ivory or cream (and light yellow) to a wedding.

Anyone who wears white (especially a long white dress) to someone's wedding is just looking for attention.

Really, now light yellow is not ok?? Geez where does it end? What about blush, beige or champagne? LOL this is just silly. There is absolutely no rule about not wearing light yellow to a wedding and anyone who has an issue with a guest wearing it is far too judgey.

The bottom line is don't look like you're the one getting married.

I think wearing any shade of white/ivory/cream is wrong. There are plenty of other color options as a guest.

I think dress code is more important for event as wedding day! You mustn't steal the bride's scene! Etiquette says for guests no white, light color and no dark at wedding day!

I think it is poor taste to wear white/ivory to a wedding, unless told to do so. But I would much rather have a guest show up in a white dress than in jeans and a t-shirt or something else that was not wedding attire. However, I see no issue if a guest wears a white dress with prints or a black/white dress. I think it also depends on the material for the white dress. Does it look like a short wedding dress or does it look like a garden party dress.

This is the oldest rule in the book! Guests should NEVER wear white, ivory, champagne, or anything remotely similar to a wedding.

It wouldn't really bother me if someone wore white, but I do think it's in poor taste to wear an all-white dress. One guest wore an all-white lace dress to a wedding that was a few weeks after her own wedding. She told everyone she spoke to that she didn't have time to shop for a new dress because she had just gotten back from her honeymoon. This was clearly a desperate cry for attention, but I don't think she even noticed that EVERYONE was talking about how rude she was. I mean, who doesn't have one single dress in a color besides white in her closet?

I don't think all light colors and black are off limits-- just keep it appropriate and in good taste.

Moissa I'm with you. Jeans at a wedding is just plain rude! To this day I have no idea why people wear t-shirt and jeans to a wedding. Did you not know where you were going? My cousin wore a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers to a family wedding. Gorgeous venue by the water too! The entire family let him have it LOL!

If someone wore a white dress to my wedding I'd probably be surprised but not mad. It's more a reflection of an ignorant or rude guest, and other than a few snide remarks and rolled eyes from other guests, it's not like it would take away from my experience.

And I truly have zero problem with black or dark dresses. Some people only have dark or black colors because it tends to be more flattering/slimming for larger sizes. I would never insist someone wear something they were not comfortable in just to gratify that custom.

I have to laugh... My dress is champagne colored with silver... Can't explain it. And it's short. It's a cocktail dress. I bought it at Macys... There could be a guest wearing the same dress at my wedding! I'd laugh. I know my FSIL will wear a short skin tight white dress with her boobs hanging out. I don't care. So white, my same dress, jeans, whatever...?wear what you're comfortable in. O now I'm really wondering if someone will wear my dress . It's only sold in petite and runs really small so it wouldn't fit most people.

I don't do it because, well, I'm a mess lol. I am constantly spilling drinks/red sauce/etc. on myself. Other colors hide it better. (I'm actually terrified to eat in my wedding dress because of this lol.)

I've never understood why this matters to people. As long as a guest isn't wearing a bridal gown and a veil, what difference does it make? I remember when I was younger (about 20 or so), I had borrowed a friend's dress to wear to my cousin's wedding and it was white underlay with a silver pattern over it. I got some funny looks from a couple of people. I was too young to know people are judgmental about that kind of stuff. lol!

My SIL wore an ivory lace cocktail dress. On the day I didn't even notice - it wasn't until a few aunts commented that I had a look at the photos. It doesn't bother me at all. The only outfits I do remember were the daughters of MIL's friend - far too short and tight with massive platform heels and every time I saw them they were awkwardly pulling down their hem or pulling up their neckline - I think that caught my attention more than the outfit itself.

I'd cut a b*tch.

I wouldn't care. Before we had our ceremony in Mexico, I thought I would care what everyone wore. I was adamant that people should dress in semi-formal (even though we were on the beach LOL, I had lost my fucking mind), or they'd be getting some serious side eye from me.

Honestly, I didn't notice that my MOH's husband came in jean shorts until she told me the next day. I didn't notice what anyone wore, except for my dad, because he was in a wool suit and it was about 120 degrees.

That said, I have a little ivory cocktail dress (the one I got legally married in) and I'm dying to wear it again. I wore it to my husband's company holiday party, but I think my family would look at me strange if I wore it to my cousin's wedding. So I'm probably going to dye the lace a nice lavender and leave the shell ivory to achieve some two-tone. Or buy a new dress.

As a bride I wouldn't care, (it was years before I realized female coworker had worn a white suit to mine-- I just happened to notice in a picture....). It's not like anyone's going to be confused who the bride is. But since it does irritate some people (my aunt-in-law was bitching about how her MIL wore ivory to *her* wedding 20 years later! Which may say more about my AIL specifically and her relationship with her MIL in general....), I would never take a chance. Weddings are stressful enough for the bridal couple without adding my clothing choices to the mix. No red, white, ivory, or black for me!