I was lucky enough to attend a lovely, lovely wedding yesterday. The bride and groom were glowing with happiness; their families and friends were there to support them and share their joy; and the bride chose (and wore with élan) a perfectly suitable and elegantly simple gown.
I was also pleased to see how many people were following the rules for dresses at weddings (that is, rules for the dresses that are not the Wedding Dress–the Wedding Dress has its own rules that are beyond the scope of this blog). However, seeing so many people dressed beautifully and appropriately reminded me of the many weddings I've attended where many were not, so here is a refresher for those who need it.
One: do not wear black. I can hear somebody whining that she only has one nice dress, and it NEEDS to be black because she has to wear it on New Year's Eve, and besides, black is slimming. I am not listening to you. You do not wear black to weddings. You do not wear black to weddings because wearing black at weddings means you disapprove of the marriage. You do not wear black to weddings because someday, god forbid, you might actually WANT to wear black to a wedding in order to show your disapproval and your deep grief over somebody's ill-advised nuptials, and no one will know that this is what you intended because there will be a roomful of women in LBDs dancing barefoot to "We Are Family" and your grand gesture will be for naught. MARK MY WORDS. (Besides, black is BOR-ing. And not as slimming as you might think.) Black and white prints are allowable if they would be unsuitable for a funeral.
Two: do not wear red. Wearing red is an attention-grabber, and it is rude to try to take attention from the bride. (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.
Three: do I even have to tell you not to wear white? And yes, ivory, candlelight, pale shell pink, and pearl grey all count as white. Better safe than sorry. If you have to ask why you can't wear white, you are no longer allowed to attend any weddings at all. If you are the mother of the groom and you wear white or a whitish shade, you will not be allowed to ask "why? why?" when the newlyweds move someplace you need a visa to visit.
Four: if you are wearing a dress with spaghetti straps or no straps at all, or one that is far enough off the shoulder to need special undergarments, AND the ceremony is in a place of worship, please bring a shawl, a wrap, or something to cover up with. Yes, I know that God doesn't care, but churches are usually cold (it's all the stone) and goosebumps are unbecoming.
The general idea is that a wedding is NOT simply a fancy party to which you wear your fancy-party clothes; a wedding is a wedding, and it has its own rules. (However — if you are a bridesmaid, and the bride asks you to break any of these rules, you suck it up and say "yes, whatever you like, it's your day." Without eye-rolling where she can see you.)
Now I can hear that same somebody asking, "Well, what CAN I wear?" Weddings, especially summer afternoon weddings, are the place to wear dresses. A simple sheath in a bright color or print is nearly always flattering, appropriate, and pretty. An A-line or full-skirted dress will be a pleasure to wear while dancing. (I myself use nearly every wedding as an excuse to sew a new dress–if they care enough to invite me, I should make my best effort, shouldn't I?) Summer weddings are one of the last places where a frivolously pretty dress is recommended, if not required — why ruin it by crowding out the dresses with sparkly cocktail gowns and business suits? They have their own turf.
A Dress A Day 
I am with you on every line.At our wedding the one single girl wore a fire-engine red dress which resulted in the photographer using B&W on every photo of her in the album. Meanwhile my sister-in-law wore low sequined black dress and my father-in-law was so appalled they faught for 3 months without speaking. I’m only grateful that there were no whites
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My wedding was in the August of 2006. My color theme was (bright) red, (royal) purple, and black. All my bridesmaids wore black. The reason I chose black, is because 9 times out of 10 it looks classy. I went individually with my bridesmaids dress shopping to find a dressy-dress (NOT a “bridesmaid” dress) that would look good on HER, and that she could conceivably wear again. I have never seen the point of asking someone to spend up to $500 on a bridesmaid dress (often hideous and unflattering) that she will never wear again!On the invitations, we asked that each guest wear a token of red, black or purple. Some only wore a flower of that color, some went all out–and I was glad to see it! My (now) mother-in-law wore a bright-red dress, and my mother wore a bright purple dress.
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I think it is important to be aware that people’s cultural associations may vary – I’ve never heard (in the UK) of not wearing red, but certainly the black and white thing would apply (though I’d agree with the comment from Darcy Miller).I had a situation of a wedding at noon, and friends saying I could wear a long dress. I couldn’t! All my inner ‘inapprpriate’ sirens went off! A knee length dress it was.
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I attended a wedding several years ago, in which the “plus one” of one of the groomsmen wore a strapless, skin-tight fire engine red tube dress that ended just under her tushie. She looked ready to go clubbing.We have a fairly conservative family, so I think she realized her faux-pas from all of the disapproving stares. It actually made one feel a little badly for her…but really, what could she have been thinking?
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I wore black proudly to my husband’s brother’s wedding last summer.He, and his fiancee, showed up to my wedding in jeans, so I really couldn’t have cared less if it offended them.
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Hi there, this is a great post! Thank you! I wish I had known this for the christian weddings I attended. I was never sure what to wear… 😦 If I may add, if you attend a hindu indian wedding, the rules of dressing are different: 1. Since the bridge generally wears red or very bright colors, and changes her sari a few times even during the ceremony, its unlikely you will ever outshine the bride. So guest wear bright colors and lots of gold jewelry also bead work, gold embroidery, even sequins etc. Nothing is too fancy, the bride will be fancier. Trust me, light colors will look washed out and drab. However,though the bride is wearing red etc. 2. Still, guests shouldn’t wear white. In India, white is the color you wear to a funeral. 3. Red or black are fine! Though wearing plain black with no embellishments looks too severe. 4. Nothing low cut or too short at the wedding OR reception, hindus tend to be more conservative that way. Though midriff showing and bare shoulders are ok!:) Most of the time, ladies dresses are floor length or we wear long tunics with pants underneath. 5. If the wedding ceremony is in the temple, you should wear a shawl to cover bare shoulders. For the reception, bare shoulders are fine. I wish I had thought to explain this to my mother-in-law, who’s american. We just told her fancy dress, I had no idea at the time what people wore to american style weddings. Your rules really would have helped me. 🙂 She wore a lovely soft pink dress to the wedding and it looked washed out in the pics we took next to my saffron, red and gold sari. 😦
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I’m sorry to say but the people that make up these rules for weddings or any other get together must be very self-consious of themselves, and can’t wear a little black cocktail dress or don’t have the confidence to stand out in red. It’s not 1900 anymore. I’m all about having respect for the Bride and family, but you can wear anything you want that’s tastful. To everyone out there not sure what to wear I say wear what your comfortable in, what makes you happy. Wear the dress white dress with the flowers, I’m sure you look great in it, that’s why you bought it in the first place right. To the girl that’s bought more then one dress because she keeps listening to everyone else…which one do you like the most. Myself I ‘m wearing Red and going to rock it!!!! But if the bride amd others are going to be speaking about me, then it’s not dresses they have to worry about, they need to get lives.
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You don’t get it. The point is that it’s not about you and whether you look nice, it’s all about the bride and the couple’s happiness. So you don’t wear anything that could divert attention from the bride and you don’t wear anything that might suggest you’re not happy. Some people can’t think for themselves what that means for their attire, so the “rules” are designed to help them. If you’re more concerned about looking good and wearing what makes YOU happy than you are about the bride, don’t go to the wedding.
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I am really wondering about black and have read all your comments. I am attending a winter wedding in February at a church in Seattle with some 300 guests. (my husband, myself and 2 children are attending the ceremony only). Kids will be in reasonably bright colors, but I have a black, short, a-line, cowlneck knit dress that I thought would diminish my presence just nicely. Is it going to be okay? I don’t disapprove of the wedding, I just don’t want to be noticed, much.
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i think u should wear it. u will look beautiful and u should match ur husband and kids
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okay, i heard another new rule today. my dress isn’t black, red, or any kind of white-it’s gold. a bronzey, yellowy gold floaty polka dot cocktail dress. i’m going as the guest of one of the groomsmen. a friend of mine told me that gold is upstaging the bride and is inappropriate for family-oriented people, that it’s too flashy. what do you think? (p.s. the code is formal or semi-formal)
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Is it actually metallic, or just gold-colored? I would shy away from a metallic dress, but just something gold-colored I would think would be fine. Do you know any of the bridesmaids? They might be able to steer you better than I can. Or, is it that your friend the groomsman doesn’t like the dress and is trying to put you off it?
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it’s gold colored.well, doesn’t matter anyway. i went to get an estimate on tailoring the bust (it’s too big) and i can’t afford it on my budget. so sad, must return the dress to the store. i at least have a backup dress! :)(by the way, my friend who discouraged it isn’t the groomsman.)thanks for your time!
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Please help…I’m attending an afternoon outdoor wedding this Saturday (in Florida, so its pretty much a summer wedding!) and was just told it might not be a good idea to wear heels as much of the venue is grass. I was thinking of wearing a strapless reddish (softer than fire-engine) dress with a pinkish print all over it, since my original dress will look terrible without heels. This dress is also above the knee, but flares. I am very petite with absolutely no cleavage to speak of…is this dress inappropriate?? I don’t really have the $$ to buy another dress….p.s. I was told by the groom it will be “more casual” but I’m more worried about what the bride’s family will think.
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Please help…I’m attending an afternoon outdoor wedding this Saturday (in Florida, so its pretty much a summer wedding!) and was just told it might not be a good idea to wear heels as much of the venue is grass. I was thinking of wearing a strapless reddish (softer than fire-engine) dress with a pinkish print all over it, since my original dress will look terrible without heels. This dress is also above the knee, but flares. I am very petite with absolutely no cleavage to speak of…is this dress inappropriate?? I don’t really have the $$ to buy another dress….p.s. I was told by the groom it will be “more casual” but I’m more worried about what the bride’s family will think.
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Can you wear wedges? They won’t sink into the grass.Otherwise, a soft red and pink dress should be fine. If it’s strapless bring a shrug or little cardigan in case you go inside where it’s airconditioned (or if any part of the ceremony is in a church). Have fun!
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That’s a great idea…although I don’t own any….I decided to just ask the bride, who said “Be yourself girl!!”Thank you so much for your response Erin!
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I dissagree with everything! I’m a newly wed and at my wedding I didn’t dissaprove with my guests wearing white or black, I didn’t mind if they had a long or short dress and I really thought it was awesome if everyone looked, and they did, very sexy in a tasteful manner. I feel if a bride feels so insecure about themselves or their looks, then they should care, but I’m very confident and no matter what, the bride will shine above all!!!! It doesn’t matter what any other woman is wearing. I felt beautiful and all my bridesmaids along with guests looked amazing. I feel it makes for better pictures and a fabulous video….. Paola Peruzzaro, San Mateo, CA
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I dissagree with everything! I’m a newly wed and at my wedding I didn’t dissaprove with my guests wearing white or black, I didn’t mind if they had a long or short dress and I really thought it was awesome if everyone looked, and they did, very sexy in a tasteful manner. I feel if a bride feels so insecure about themselves or their looks, then they should care, but I’m very confident and no matter what, the bride will shine above all!!!! It doesn’t matter what any other woman is wearing. I felt beautiful and all my bridesmaids along with guests looked amazing. I feel it makes for better pictures and a fabulous video….. Paola Peruzzaro, San Mateo, CA
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I’m vaguely familiar with “the rules” but haven’t really gone to enough weddings to test them out. Here’s my issue: I have to attend a wedding reception where I know neither the bride nor groom. Although I need to look like a regular guest, I will be working (no I’m not a hired escort), and thus need to be fairly modest. But of course, still want to look good in an outfit I can reuse. The reception is in early afternoon at the beginning of summer. HOw do I dress work and wedding appropriate?
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I would wear a linen suit in a summery color — something with a pencil skirt and a lightweight jacket. Or a linen shift dress with a matching jacket. If you can pull off a hat, add a hat — that should be both worky and modest.
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What are your thoughts on wearing a floral pattern dress to a wedding?
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1.) I go to weddings to celebrate the union of two people. Not to judge the guests’ attire.2.) If you can’t wear black, what do you wear to a black tie wedding? Surely a bright, floral pattern would not be appropriate.3.) This is not the 1950s.4.) Only tall, thin women can get away with the wedding attire you presented. For the rest of us, black, red, and other solids are most flattering.
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I recently attended two weddings where there were a few skimpy, low-cut barely covering the bum dresses worn by guests. I was shocked, and told my DBF that if anyone showed up in inappropriate dresses to my wedding, Id ask them to leave!
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I am from the US and going to a summer (early August)wedding in England. At all the weddings I have been to in America, there have been guests in black so I bought a strapless, tea-length black dress that I will pair with black peep toe shoes and a aquamarine colored shawl for the service and the breakfast. After reading all these posts I am a bit paranoid that I should not be wearing a black dress at all, can someone please let me know if it will be okay? Will the other guests tar and feather me? And should I wear a hat or a fascinator? Will I look like an American who has seen Four Weddings and a Funeral one too many times if I do?
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I’m getting the “pre-wedding jitters”, but not because it’s my own wedding; I’m simply very concerned about what I should wear:) The details: An evening, August, very large wedding. The invitation was beautiful, but very vague on attire specifications. I prefer to dress very modestly, so I was leaning towards a smart, black or black/white dress. I think that it is appropriate to wear darker colors, since it is an evening wedding. If not black, what color? Royal blue, deep purple, or grey? The Bride and Groom are VERY laid back, but their parents are very traditional and the wedding is a huge production.Thoughts?
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I think any non-black, non-white/beige color is fine for an evening wedding; gray is nice, as is deep rose, sage green, etc. I think a black-and-white print is fine if you wouldn’t wear it to a funeral!
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These rules are old fashioned. Anyone (bride, family or guest) gets upset about the color of a guests dress needs to get a life. I can not believe how many people actually doubt their dress choices just by reading these rules! There is enough business feeding on peoples fear not having the perfect wedding. Lets spare the guests from this US wedding madness!! My advice to the brides: enjoy your wedding. You will shire and stand out no matter what.
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I am having trouble picking out a dress for my boyfriend’s brother’s wedding in October. I have a big chest so anything I get will not cover that aspect… I found this one cocktail dress that looks superb on me.. but the fact that it is red and silky material is killing me and making me doubt. I don’t want to be rude and “take the attention” from the bride.. I do need to look stunning however because my boyfriend is the best man and this is the first time that I will be meeting his ENTIRE family, so I need to make a good impression, although, I don’t want the red dress to take too much attention… did I mention that this was a catholic wedding, i don’t think its too traditional, but it will be in a church. HELP!
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Dear Blueeyes … have you asked your boyfriend? He’ll know whether his family follows tradition or goes their own way. If he doesn’t know, can you ask his mother? To be safe, I wouldn’t wear red. But that’s just me …
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I am attending a wedding for my boyfriends cousin in the middle of october at 3pm. I have a dress and it is an ivory, little below the knee strapless but very classy. I could add a black sweater to it or a black ribbon around it but it really doesnt look like a wedding dress at all. I wasn’t sure if this would work??
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what a bunch of outdated hogwash.This is 2008. Wake up and smell the 21st century.I’m wearing a lovely black dress with color accents to a late afternoon wedding, dinner afterward.
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So many RULES… Is there there anything that is appropriate to wear to an morning 10:30 church ceremony with reception immediately following at a lake club and also an late afternoon church ceremony with an adult reception to follow. I have two weddings to go to and a low budget. Anyone have any ideas?
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I would wear a floral dress with low heels in the morning and higher heels for the evening ceremony …
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Is a platinum dress appropriate or is it too close to white?
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I wore my only dress to my cousins wedding last September and it was black. And I will never do that again! I felt to bad and out of place. Next time I will buy an enexpensive dress thats not black.
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Thanks for linking again to this, I wholeheartedly agree. It reminded me of something, though: Was I the only person on the planet who stared in open-mouthed horror at Queen Elizabeth II’s choice of outfit for her son’s second wedding? Surely, wearing pale grey, ESPECIALLY when the bride is also wearing pale grey, is not quite right? I never saw/heard anyone commenting on this, despite all the normal talk of “wedding attire” of the rich and famous and designer dresses and hats and so on.
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I went to a summer wedding in Charleston that was outdoors on a plantation. I wore a floaty brown dress with a light grey sash that (happy surprises!) fit the setting very well, and I was very happy with my clearance purchase (25 bucks on a sale rack for a Ralph Lauren dress in perfect condition….worth every penny. I wore it twice that month alone). However, my Mom and her best friend the MOB both had problems finding dresses, and both ended up in mostly black with a little brown dresses, which didn’t bother anyone. Several others wore black. It was a pretty laid back wedding, but it was a little strange to see black at an outdoor summer wedding. I wasn’t really a huge fan of it, myself. I think it mostly depends on whatever is going to keep the bride and groom happy, and it’s always better to be safe then sorry. They have to live with the photos, not the guests. Even if it might be OK, why take the risk? No one wants to be the girl in the skimpy hot pink number, or end up wearing black when everyone else is in pastels. Everyone should have one super-neutral-awesomely-beautiful-wedding-guest-dress in their closet to pull out when you just aren’t sure. It’s one dress and you’ll definitely wear it more than once, even if it isn’t appropriate for every wedding. Is it appropriate for a bride to put any form of dress code on the invitation that might make this clearer? Especially if it said what guests COULD wear, rather than couldn’t, suggesting the color palette of the wedding itself? It might be a better solution for brides and families who do mind than leaving it to chance and being disappointed by guests or having to photoshop their photos later.
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Hi I have a white dress with a bunch of blue and green and yellow prints on it. The blue and yellow are the follows and the green are the leaves. Can I wear that?
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I totally agree with these rules. It is the bride’s day. My mother-in-law wore a cream dress to my wedding but the wedding was at her house and she helped with expenses. I recently saw pictures of her at her 50th anniversary where she and her husband renewed their vows and guess what, she was wearing that cream dress. Why she wore it to my wedding with her son I don’t know!
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To the people posting guests should dress however they please at weddings: What’s being discussed here aren’t RULES, really, but COMMON SENSE. Of course there are exceptions: If the invite requests you wear red, black and/or purple (which sounds very fun), go ahead and pay that compliment to your hosts. But why would you otherwise risk offending someone at a wedding… either the couple, their family, or even other guests? I mean, really stop and think about that: why would you risk offending someone on a day like that? I’m not so sure asking the bride her feelings about it is even a good way to go. What’s she going to say if you’re hopelessly and cluelessly in love with an inappropriate outfit, especially if you’re traveling from out of town? She has enough on her mind without having to walk you through the basics of common courtesy.If you’re stuck for a dress, can you borrow one from a friend who’s your size? It’s just for a day. Do you have a pale colored dress you don’t mind dying? Wet it thoroughly, pop it in a large, zippered lingerie bag so it isn’t scrunched up, fill a washer with cold water, pour in 2 bottles or Rit dye in your color of choice, and let it mix. Stop cycle and add garment on gentle. Poke it every now and then so it’s rotating, and submerged. Drip dry dress, then drop off at dry cleaner to be pressed. (Run the machine again on HOT afterwards with a splash of detergent and a lot of bleach.) If that sounds daunting, can you spend $30 at the flea market for a neat vintage dress that’s not black, white or red? Again, it only has to live through one day.If you can’t get off your @ss to attempt any of the above, maybe ask yourself why you’re going to this event in the first place.
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When I got married, if people asked what to wear I suggested that they wear colour similar to the palate I had chosen (which was reflected in the invite). My motivation – the group photos would look better, and it would promote the atmosphere I was trying to create! As for black, so many weddings are outdoors during summer, and black/navy just doesnt fit. My mother-in-law wore navy because and it didnt look very fitting (at least she felt confident, but the bridezilla in me did think it was a little selfish as I’d told her the suggested colours).
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I liked the article and the suggestions. Now i am in a different situation. I am Hindu, and going to attend a christian wedding this weekend. Can i wear a silk saree in white and fresh blue(saree is the beautiful dress indians wear to weddings!). Now is it okay to wear the saree? the wedding is at 2pm, reception 5pm onwards. So do i need to change for the reception? i can tell you that i look pretty classy and sober in that saree. please suggest asap. thanks 🙂
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I say yes, wear the sari! (Unless you know that the bride is wearing one too, which seems unlikely.)Have fun!
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I saw another anons post (9/17/07) about Hindu Indian weddings which may have helped me out a bit. Im attending an Islamic wedding, which will be slightly different. The bride will have a red traditional with gold embroidery and lots of jewelry. She and my other Muslim friends have told me to wear bright colors and that it is impossible to be overdressed at a wedding like this. I asked if it was okay to wear red and they said yes (and so did anon). I have a fantastic old prom dress and I was wondering if it would be tacky to pull that out of the closet for this wedding. Thanks for any help in advance!
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My wedding is in 3 days and last night my fiances girlfriend asked me if red was okay for the wedding. I said I really dont know how I feel about that trying to be nice. My wedding is at 4:00 PM on the beach and we are having only 15 guests. She showed me a chiffon and satin BCBG cocktail dress. Excuse me if I am wrong but she asked, I said I wasnt okay with it. Its my day and she should respect that. Instead I had it thrown in my face by my fiances brother that I have no respect for them and things they have done for me because they let me move in with them for a couple of weeks before I move out of state (No respect? I paid rent and cleaned up after them!)To me red should only be worn at weddings by the woman who is sleeping with the groom and is going to stand up and say I object! I really needed to vent to someone that feels the same way I feel about the subject. If the dress says Hey look at me! save it for the freaking bar!!
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She was going to wear a satin and chiffon cocktail dress actually on the beach? Aside from that’s going to look incongruous, it’ll probably self-destruct.
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i need your views on this dress girls i been looking everywere about the black at wedding but its the only dress that i actauly like…its black and creammm but iv seen my friend wedding pick n what the guest wear and they wear black alone or with colour…its a 2.00pm wedding and the bride is my best friend but she says it ok but im just wondering will it look…u no what i mean hahahttp://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Cream-And-Black-Paneling-Bodycon-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=582050cid=5186sh=0pge=0pgesize=200sort=-1clr=Black+Longer+Lengthplease tell me if its a no no or a go go??? lol x
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This speaks to something that has been bothering me for years in womens clothing. Whatever happened to colors?Why would anyone even dream of wearing either black or white at a wedding when they could be wearing Carolina Blue, rose-pink, turqoise, salmon, coral, seafoam green, rust, teal, lavender, butter yellow, olive, goldenrod, navy, plum, sapphire, burgundy, or, most appropriately of all for a summer wedding, a marvelous floral print combing half a doze of the above?Summer, garden-party weddings are what floral print fabric is FOR! But if you have lost touch with your femininity to the point that you would die in a floral print, abstract and geometric prints work too.If you absolutely MUST fade into the wallpaper, there is every possible shade of brown, all the medium and darker-but-not-too-dark greys, taupe if you want to be both grey and brown at the same time, and that strangely muddy color known as clay which combines brown, grey, and purple.Black is a harsh, cold, unforgiving color that only really looks good on a fraction of the population. Why women want to dress in uniform black on all occasions, like so many soldiers in some evil overlords army, instead of embracing the possibility of expressing their individuality through the ability to choose beautiful and flattering color escapes me completely.Its bad enough that men are forced into the boredom of their black and khaki uniformity. Why should women do the same?And even if the requirements of a womans career path mandate that uniform why would you continue to wear it on festive occasions?
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@Sarah Boss,That is a very nice bar, nightclub, and casino dress with much more visual interest than the standard, boring, plain, black sheath.It would be absolutely wonderful for the bachelorette party but its not really suitable for the wedding itself either in color or in cut. An afternoon wedding calls for, to put it frankly and bluntly, a less sexy look. Especially if its a church wedding. Try for a longer skirt, maybe in a fuller cut. Think pretty rather than sexy. Sleeves and straps are optional, but a wrap to cover your shoulders is appropriate. And look for a cheerful, festive color to express your joy in the occasion without the sort of dramatic elegance look suited to after dark. 🙂 If pretty doesnt suit your build and personality, you could go for sophisticated. Michelle Obamas famous, yellow sheath with that retro, Jackie Kennedy look would suit an afternoon wedding well.
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I am in desperate need of help. I am atending a formal wedding in october an found a beautiful long white and black drees to wear. but I don;t know if it will be apropiate. the dress is mostly white with a 3inch black ribon all around the chest (imperial cut) that ends in the back with a bow. And the rest of the dress is white with tiny black flowers embroided all over…would it be ok to wear it? and if it is… what color sandals should I use with it? thanks…
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I am attending a wedding on the 22nd August 2009, and am undecided about the dress that I am bought to wear. It is a silk dress and has brown, black, bright orange and taupe in a palm leave print with a black sash that ties under the bust. I will accessorise with black shoes, black bag and a black bolero. Is this too stark or will the orange and taupe break the black? Opinions please!! It is a betty jackson Black dress.
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I have been a florist for 37 years; in fact I just had 2 weddings today. I cant tell you how many Bridesmaids wear black dresses, not to mention red! With nearly every wedding etiquite rule thrown out over the years, I dont understand what all the stink is about. Nearly everyone has a little black dress, and they look lovely at a formal wedding. There arent many colors left to choose from in formal attire if you cut out black, grey, champagne, maize, and red. What are you supposed to wear without looking like a lollipop kid? As long as it isnt white or ivory and you bring a nice gift, who cares?
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