Why is it not ok for wedding guests to wear white?

[poshsinglemum]

Following on from guests wearing black thread?

Why is it considered a threat, snub or bad manners?

Is it to do with competing with the bride it being her big day?

I think it is traditionally an attempt to upstage the bride but nowadays I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid.

Yes, on your wedding day the bride should be the only one in white. It's considered very bad manners to compete!

Yep, it's about not looking like you're competing with the bride

It's disrespectful to the bride. The groom's mother was wearing white at a wedding I went to recently, after being asked not to

that makes sense thanks.

The only person who should look like a bride at a wedding is the actual bride. A white evening dress could look very bridal and would be an attempt to upstage the bride (esp if the guest looked better).

At my friends wedding, her mum wore white (think she was trying to relive her own wedding day tbh. She also didn't want to invite any of the brides friends, but that's another story)

I think people do still disaprove of guests wearing white, so if you did it I think you be talked about. This would bother some people more than others.

At a wedding I went to a guest wore a white prom dress. She got an awful lot of looks.

White makes the bride stand out so another white dress competes for the eye even if the wearer isn't aiming to compete with the bride per se.

I love wearing white and have a lot of white dresses and clothes, but there's no way I would dream of wearing white to a wedding!

It's just the bridal colour. That's very, very ingrained in our culture. Even day-to-day I wouldn't wear an entirely white formal outfit because it's a bit... bridal. It would be a bit of a statement to turn up to a wedding in a white dress, like you're trying to get in on the act. A white dress stands out in group photos too.

I wouldn't and I would give squitty eyed looks to anyone who did

Black and white is OK, a white dress with black details for example.
at the MILs and MOBs wearing white.

yes as its competing with the bride

friends mil wore white and really upset my friend :(

My mother wore a white skirt suit to my wedding but did not look remotely bridal:o so I wasn't bothered. BUT another evilwitch guest wore this flowy light romantic blouse, linen trousers + thong (all white) and boy was I mad

My cousin wore a white suit to my wedding and I was really p'd off. We'd argued a few weeks earlier because I didn't invite her (very) new boyfriend to the day do. We only wanted close family there.

I think it is completely rude to wear white to someone else's wedding (but my bridesmaids wore black and I think they looked stunning so who am I to comment!)

I think black for bridesmaids is really elegant. Also, they stand a chance of actually wearing the dress again.

A friend of mine made her bridesmaids wear turquoise. Couldn't help thinking that she must really hate her bridesmaids.

See I couldn't have told you if anyone wore white to my wedding as I was having such a fantastic time I wouldn't have noticed.

Its traditional not to because of upstaging the bride but I wouldn't give a sh*t. Although I probably wouldn't do it in case the bride was upset (did wear a cream dress once (very non bridal short a-line dress) with cdoloured accessories)

MIL wore a long, pale cream dress to my wedding (as did I). I was a bit worried people would think badly of her but all the comments I got were very positive - they all just thought she looked stunning. My mum was much more 'properly' dressed but much more obviously judged for the way she behaved.

I think people tend to be too inclined to worry about what's 'proper' or traditional, and not worried enough about real good manners that come from wanting to make someone feel good about themselves.

Would never wear white/cream to a wedding.

That is just plain bad manners - the bride will most likely be in white/cream so why the hell would you do that??
Unless you were monumentally self-obsessed??

There is absolutely no excuse that would cut it (as far as I was concerned) for a guest to turn up in a white/cream outfit.

hah my SIL also wore an off-white trouser suit to my wedding. I didn't even notice at the time, realised when I saw the photos. She is paler than pale (on the very of blue) and it was not a good look for her.

very = verge

I have a friend from a small town near Nottingham and she told me that she has been to several weddings there where mums put their DD's in bridesmaid dresses - regardless of whether they were bridesmaids or not. I was a bit at that

Well my MIL wore JEANS to my sisters wedding!
I think that beats the white trouser suit!

at jeans. How? why? I wouldn't wear jeans to the doctor

I went to a wedding where the bride's family were in jeans/ tracksuits and the groom's family in tails/ formal wear. Very odd.

My Mum wore an oyster coloured dress to my wedding, she rang me from the shop terribly upset because she'd found the perfect dress but she was very worried that I would be upset about the colour.

Didn't feel upstaged at all, and it was nice that she sort of fitted into the bridal party, without being in a bridesmaid dress IYSWM.

I would have thrown a fit if MIL had worn any shade of white though :)