Wedding faux pas

[orange]

Marie at a wedding

I loved that dress and Marie in it. It's gold not white and I would wear such beautiful dress at a wedding (if my sylhouette it allows.not )/

It's very ivory/gold to me which is a possible color for the bride.  I think it's always best to stay away from whites and creams but if you know that the bride is wearing white then this isn't a big deal, I suppose.  Ultimately if I wanted to wear this color I'd ask the bride for approval (because really, she's the only one who matters ).

I've got a couple of nice dresses in that colour which I just can't bring myself to wear to a wedding, even though I love both those dresses. The colour, for me anyway, is just too close to bridal colours and I'd be worried that people thought I was trying to compete with the bride, even if she gave her approval!

I've noticed a lot of people wearing black at weddings recently, I guess it's less of a no no these days?

[PeDe]

I honestly don't see the hoopla with a white wedding dress. White stood as the symbol of status that also carried "a connotation of innocence and sexual purity". Since the majority of women live in an active pre-marital relationship the colour white does not apply anymore, because women are not virgins and innocent in the old meaning of those words.

It's a tradtion, I get it, but I think it should not be taken to the point of being insulted or a faux pas. The most important thing is not to outshine the bride, because it is her day. I loved Letitia's dress on the evening before the wedding, and I can imagine a dress like this worn as a wedding gown.

Here are some interesting tidbits:

Though many wedding traditions are specific to cultures, one component of the ceremonies generally remains universal: the beautiful, delicate dress of the bride.

White has long been accepted as the traditional color of the wedding dress, but wedding gowns were not always white. The marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert in 1840 had more influence on weddings than any other. Though brides continued to wed in gowns of different colors, depending on the circumstance, white was the color of choice and has remained so today.

Royal brides before Victoria did not typically wear white, instead choosing "heavy brocaded gowns embroidered with white and silver thread," with red being a particularly popular color in Western Europe more generally. European and American brides had been wearing a plethora of colors, including blue, yellow, and practical colors like black, brown, or gray.

From Godey's Lady's Book, 1949, "Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue, whatever may be the material. It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one."

Brides in cultures around the world have married in a variety of vibrant colors, attaching different meanings to each color. Some have universal meaning--purple and gold for royalty, white for purity and black for death. Here are a few others:

Morocco:
Bright yellow, because it scares away the evil eye; or green, because it is the color of plants and brings good luck.

Africa:
Colors and patterns are worn that represent their villages.

Israel
And Jews around the world wear white which represents spiritual purity and clarity; blue embodies mystical powers.

China:
Red, the color of joy and luck.

Japan:
White silk wedding kimono lined in red, which symbolizes happiness and a new beginning.

Spain:
Spanish Roman Catholic brides wear blank gowns and lacy mantillas to show their devotion until death. India: A silk sari made of silk embroidered with gold thread. Depending on the region, the silk is red or white with a red border or a combination of yellow, green and white.

Korea:
A lime-green wonsam or hwarrot is worn over the traditional wedding dress, the hanbok. The womsam and hwarrot are embroidered with flowers and butterflies, and banded with red, symbolizing heaven; indigo, for earth; and yellow for humanity. The bride's hands are covered in white, the symbol of respect.

USA:
Americans did not always believe white was traditional.
During the Revolutionary War, some brides wore red to symbolize the independence the Colonists desired. Other brides wore purple, which represents honor and courage during the Civil War as a tribute to the dead.

The Wedding Veil
During the times of arranged marriages, the bride's face was covered until the groom was committed to her at the ceremony. In America, the veil became popular when Nelly Curtis married President Washington's aide, Major Lawrence Lewis. He became so enamored by her after catching sight of her through a lace curtain, she decided to wear a veil on her wedding day.

[irishthanhy]

I honestly don't see the hoopla with a white wedding dress. White stood as the symbol of status that also carried "a connotation of innocence and sexual purity". Since the majority of women live in an active pre-marital relationship the colour white does not apply anymore, because women are not virgins and innocent in the old meaning of those words.

It's a tradtion, I get it, but I think it should not be taken to the point of being insulted or a faux pas. The most important thing is not to outshine the bride, because it is her day. I loved Letitia's dress on the evening before the wedding, and I can imagine a dress like this worn as a wedding gown.

I agree with you, but people will talk if you wear white.  Personally I think it's the bride's opinion that matters and nothing you could wear should take the attention away from the bride.  Everyone else should just ignore you're inappropriateness or whatever and focus on the bride.  The hens should shoulder some of the responsibility for their gossip and whatnot.

Also, grats on 4500.

[Holly Golightly]

Maybe... but we all forget that she was "the bridesmaid" so she wore what her sister choosed and approved. So if her sister wanted her in white what is the problem?
And she looked stunning for my big surprise.

ITA with you Sassi 

She is the bride's maid, so it was ultimately Kate's choice what she wore. Even if Pippa chose, Kate could have vetoed it if she didn't like it.

And she looked surprisingly spectacular in it!

[Marianne]

Marie's dress is nearly white.

I would consider Pippa's dress as a faux pas, she looked nice but too much cleavage for maid of honour.

Well, yes, but I do not believe for a second that Kate or Pippa will have been allowed to just go ahead design a dress without it having to be approved by the Queen and/or the palace. And I think the "bride decoy" explanation really makes sense.

Well Marie was at a wedding with some private friends in France in this white underwear dress - and the Queen MII would not give her approval as she didn't attend this wedding nor has the time to look at all Maries gowns. That is just my guess. 

[LadyBunion]

the bride will have chosen Pippa's outfit for the wedding - white is not unusual for the bridesmaids - Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones dressed her bridesmaids in white also.

[lupina]

No breach of protocol here, quite normal for bridesmaids to wear white, unlike Yrma as a guest with her flowing white number at someone's wedding, that is tabu....



White bridesmaids were OK for QE2, so they are OK for everyone...


lupina

[Flamingo]

I don't think you should wear a long white dress to a wedding, the sort that could be worn by a bride herself, unless you're a bridesmaid like Pippa or QEII's girls and therefore have the bride's approval.  However, I've never really understood why it's wrong to wear a shorter, more casual white dress or suit.  The bride is the one in the long, flowing white dress and veil, often with a train, a full skirt, embroidery/beadwork, etc.  Pretty sure a simple white knee-length dress won't outshine her.

[Rearden]

who said anything about wearing white? I was talking about the cleavage 

[hennabane]

All I know is that Mares made herself look the fool wearing a flowing, full, white skirt. If I was Kate, I wouldn't want that beast trying (ever so desperately) to even steal a tiny bit of my thunder. Just desserts.

[Clara]

She was wearing a red dress but the coat, the hat, the hose...looked white, what do you think? 

[Little_star]

I think there's a difference between a bridesmaid wearing white and a guest wearing white.

[Snow Queen]

Marie at a wedding

I loved that dress and Marie in it. It's gold not white and I would wear such beautiful dress at a wedding (if my sylhouette it allows.not )/

Me too. This is one of my favorite Marie dresses. I think she should have curled her hair though to go along with the romantic look of the dress.

[Snow Queen]

Marie at a wedding

I loved that dress and Marie in it. It's gold not white and I would wear such beautiful dress at a wedding (if my sylhouette it allows.not )/

It's very ivory/gold to me which is a possible color for the bride.  I think it's always best to stay away from whites and creams but if you know that the bride is wearing white then this isn't a big deal, I suppose.  Ultimately if I wanted to wear this color I'd ask the bride for approval (because really, she's the only one who matters ).

Marie's dress is nearly white.

I would consider Pippa's dress as a faux pas, she looked nice but too much cleavage for maid of honour.

Well, yes, but I do not believe for a second that Kate or Pippa will have been allowed to just go ahead design a dress without it having to be approved by the Queen and/or the palace. And I think the "bride decoy" explanation really makes sense.

I posted about the "bride decoy thing in the wedding thread but for those who didn't see it/don't know it: long ago the purpose of bridesmaids were to act as sort of decoys of the bride, protecting her from evil spirits/kidnappers.  Lady Sarah Chatto had all her bridesmaids all in white dresses that were similar to her.  I imagine she was nodding to the ancient tradition (since her dress was so very much a nod to another age).  I'd quite like something like this if I were getting married in an old church.


Source.

IMO...Lady Sarah Chatto's wedding was near perfect. Everything about this picture is lovely and timeless. 

[Flamingo]

She was wearing a red dress but the coat, the hat, the hose...looked white, what do you think? 

On TV Sonja's outfit looked sort of cream-colored, but most of the pictures make it look white, so I think white's the accurate color.  The red dress doesn't save it for me...white is the dominant impression here.  I personally don't think a guest in white upstages the bride, but I still wouldn't wear white to a wedding, just because it's generally considered a rule...which I think all these royal women must know.  I don't think it's ignorance...I think it's either A) the guest in white doesn't care about rules, B) the guest in white is feeling obnoxious, C) the guest in white wants attention, or D) the guest in white is crabby and is sending some sort of passive-aggressive message.  (Ie, in Sonja's case, "I don't know what YOU'RE doing in white, Kate.  I somehow got through 9 years without shacking up with my prince, and you've been living together for how long?")