Are YOU Wearing White?

Going to a wedding? Are you considering wearing a white dress? STOP!

"Don’t see how it could be a distraction? Well, just ask Jane Fonda when she looked all kinds of ridiculous as JLo’s mother in law in 2005’s ‘Monster in Law.’ 5 syllables: In-uh-pro-pre-ate."

(photo courtesy of wwwcinemastyle.blogspot.com)

Brides.com responded to a question from a reader concerning her fiancé’s mother wanting to wear white to the wedding and the bride being against this. According to the website, the bride wins: “…white, which traditionally has symbolized youth and purity, is worn only by the bride. That goes for ivory, cream, off-white, linen and all other pale variations.”

The Knot agreed that white shouldn’t be worn by any woman other than the bride: “Female guests should not wear white — it’s really, really not polite to take away from the bride on her special day by wearing her color. Try to avoid off-white and ivory, too, if at all possible. It’s not as if you don’t own or can’t buy something another color, right?”

The blog "A Dress A Day" advises against wearing white, pale pink, pearl gray, and red. Red, you say? Yes, because red isn’t a bridal color, but it’s dramatic. “Wearing red is an attention-grabber, and it is rude to try to take attention from the bride,” the site cautions. “(A corollary of the ‘do not wear red’ rule is ‘do not wear dresses cut down to (or slit up to) THERE.’) This rule goes double for the groom’s ex-girlfriends. This rule goes triple for the groom’s ex-girlfriends who are there as the ‘and Guest’ of somebody else.”

This problem has come up numerous times.

It is the brides day. A day where she gets to wear the dress she has been waiting to wear for a long time. A dress of her dreams and the only dress she gets to wear once.

Wearing a white dress stands out in the wedding pictures. That is why ONLY the bride gets to wear the white dress. Anyone else in a white dress not only takes away from the bride, but confuses people when they look at wedding pictures. Not to mention the "evil" stares and glares that people will give you. It is best to avoid the whole situation. DO NOT WEAR WHITE!

Still not convinced? Follow these steps to do your own double check:

Simply ask the bride. Show her the dress and ask her to be honest about how she feels with you wearing it. It will show to her and anyone else that you put her feelings first. If she says no, then don't wear it. That is best etiquette.