WHEN it comes to picking a dress as a wedding guest, there a number of unspoken rules.
One woman’s pick had people criticising everything from the style to the colour.
In a Reddit post, user Wateraerobics_ shared a picture of the dress she was planning to wear to a wedding.
She posed in a bodycon spaghetti strap red dress with a plunging neckline and thigh slit.
“Going to a wedding in St Louis in November for my boyfriend’s cousin,” the poster explained.
She clarified that the event had a black tie dress code, which made her wonder if the look was “suitable.”
While red is often regarded as a no-go when it comes to weddings, Reddit users pointed out a string of other issues.
“To try to put it gently, that thigh slit is really, really high for a wedding,” wrote one person.
“It’s fairly exacerbated by the fact that it’s a body skimming silhouette.
“That, combined with the color, that some people, especially in the south, think is controversial, and that it’s relatively low cut, I personally would just find something else.”
“It’s too sexy for a wedding. The slit is just really high,” agreed another reader.
“It is a little too sexy, in my opinion. Also, you might want to avoid red [because] in some cultures, it’s only for the bride,” commented a third Redditor.
Another superstition says that guests who wear red to a wedding have been intimate with the groom.
Other Reddit users suggested saving the look for another occasion.
“Good for New Year’s Eve. The low-cut coupled with the colour and the high slit make it less appropriate for a wedding. I would keep looking,” wrote one person.
“Yes, it is great for a black tie event except not to a wedding,” agreed another reader.
“The high slit [and] the low neckline are exposing more than is appropriate for a wedding.
By Josie Griffiths, Fabulous deputy editor and bride-to-be.
Josie Griffiths said: I’ll never forget the wedding I went to in October 2022 where a guest wore a white dress.
It was ill-fitting, knee length and looked nothing like an actual wedding dress, but that didn’t stop everyone judging her.
The rules on wedding guest outfits – which are annoyingly loads stricter for women than they are for men – are meant to be about “not upstaging the bride”, which in reality is quite hard to do on someone else’s wedding day.
But if you get it wrong as a guest, you do end up looking a bit silly, and in front of loads of people who don’t know you personally.
It’s just not the occasion for your new white dress, as much as online stores love dumping them in the ‘wedding guest’ section.
I’d avoid anything too tight/short, and ditch super formal gowns unless the dress code calls for them – you don’t want to be in a full length sequin gown at a smart casual event.
Personally I don’t like black dresses either, it isn’t a funeral.
Otherwise you should be pretty safe. Technically wearing red means you’re in love with the groom, but that’s the kind of rule most people would scoff at nowadays.
I do always check what colour the bridesmaids are in, just to be safe, after the Spanish wedding where I watched them walk down the aisle in the exact same dress I’d had in my Asos shopping basket just weeks earlier.
If in doubt, safest to just double check with the bride… but if you’re already doubting your dress that might be all the answer you need.
“Looks great with a sultry looking vibe so enjoy wearing it for other occasions.
“I would absolutely not wear this to a family wedding,” said one commenter.
“This has too many things going on to be OK for black tie,” pointed out another reader.
“It’s too tight, too bright, too low-cut, slit too high, and I’m side-eying the fabric.
“For black tie, you need elegant, good fabric, clean lines, balanced, one or two features of interest.
