A short answer to the question, “Can you wear a patterned white dress to a wedding?” is no. It’s standard etiquette for wedding guests not to wear white, cream, or ivory to avoid upstaging or upsetting the bride. Most etiquette experts agree that wearing white isn’t just gauche – it’s incredibly disrespectful.
Why You Shouldn’t Wear White to a Wedding
If you’re wondering, “Can you wear a patterned white dress to wedding?” there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t. Here are some of them:
- If you have to ask, the answer is probably no. It’s easy to justify it and say that your dress’ pattern completely dominates the white background. However, what might seem okay to you might not be okay for other people. Err on the side of caution and just another color family altogether.
- Even if you try asking the bride and she gives you the go-signal, there’s always a slight chance that she’s only saying yes to be polite. After all, no bride wants to be labeled as a bridezilla.
- Whether or not the bride genuinely doesn’t care about your white patterned dress, there will most likely be other guests or family members who’ll think you’re rude. Do you want to spend the entire ceremony with people glaring at you or have someone spilling some red wine on you because they believe they’re doing the bride a favor?
- The rule of not wearing white is incredibly easy. It costs you almost nothing to follow. You don’t have to spend time, money, or energy to avoid wearing white, off white, patterned white or striped white dresses. It’s a cost-effective way to keep the people you care about happy during their special day.
When Can You Wear White to a Wedding
- It’s part of the theme – If the couple specifically asks you to wear white, then you can stop worrying about the taboo against white dresses. For instance, some brides might be planning to wear a bright red gown and wish for the rest of her guests to wear white. Another bride might be planning an all-white wedding.
- You’re wearing it as an accent color – If you really want to have some white on you while you’re attending someone else’s wedding, then consider wearing white accessories instead. After all, it’s hard to imagine a bride getting upset because a guest is wearing white shoes or carrying a white bag.
Conclusion
Can you wear a patterned white dress to wedding? No. Even if you think that reserving white, or anything else in that color family, for the bride is a meaningless tradition, there’s no point in crossing that line with the people who just wanted to share the happiest day of their lives with you. Know more about wedding fashion.