Can you wear black to a wedding?

[OhEmGee24]

If accessorised with another colour, probably cream? It's a church wedding then hotel reception

Wear what you like apart from a full length white gown and veil obviously

Brighten it up with accessories to stop it looking like you are in mourning.

One woman wore black patterned with red to my wedding, with a black hat.

It did look a bit sombre in the photos tbh. I wouldnt have minded anyone wearing white to my wedding.

I hope so, or the outfit I've got planned for 3 weeks' time is a no-no

FWIW This is not a church wedding but a v. relaxed one with a v. relaxed bride thank the Lord, and I'll be wearing a vintage 50s dress in black cotton with white polka dots. If I can get the bloody thing to zip up

Link to what you're planning??

I don't know how to link but it's asos occasion dress with pleat detail - either in black or champagne!

No, don't. If you knew the bride didn't mind, you wouldn't be asking here.

So you don't know the bride's attitude, and you can't ask now, as she'd have no polite option but to say yes regardless of what she really thinks.

It remains the case that the colour of mourning is widely held to look bad at a wedding (though I hope no-one would be so rude as to mention it to the face of someone wearing black, or white come to that). There's a whole palette of other options out there, so unless extremely broke or extremely pregnant (or both) there really isn't any need for it.

What about the same dress in the champagne colour?

Hang on OMG I'll see if I can find it!

I really honestly think 90% of brides wouldn't give a monkey's, and the remaining 10% should get over themselves, tbh. It's so frustrating that something that should be so happy and lovely and relaxed as a wedding ends up a bit fraught.

Do you mean this?

Blimey have you got the figure for it?!

That dress in black is not even slightly funereal. It looks like a cocktail frock if anything.

I would be a bit wary of something so super glam and short and sexy at a church wedding though - would you wear a jacket or wrap or something, then whisk it off for the evening? [old gimmer]

You can wear black to a wedding. I don't think people pay much attention to 'the rules' for dressing at weddings now (unless you turn up in a bridal gown yourself!!).

I'd wear a white blazer/cream blazer I think!

Mind you having just seen Jodies link, if it is that dress it is a bit nightclubby for a wedding with the see-through mesh at the front!

Well - a cream/white blazer over it, and cream/white/nude accessories, would certainly make it anything but sombre!

But I'm with Dexter - it's a chic dress and black is just fine for a wedding IMO but .. I'm not sure it's the right 'tone' for a wedding, especially a church one, IYSWIM....

You can wear what you like of course. Is it a good idea to wear black to a wedding. Absolutely not.

I had my bridesmaids in black! (with striking sashes that matched my dress)

In fact, I've worn black or black and white to qutie a lot of weddings. I asked the bride in advance the first time but once I'd done it once I realised that it's no big dal anymore. That particular dress was a black 50s style with silver embroidery and I paired it with a pink and silver shawl. Looked lovely if I do say so myself!

Damn, sorry about the typos!

Don't forget fashions change!

My Mum can't bear it when I wear black (for any event) - she ways when she was my age black was worn only for mourning and people who'd pretty much resigned from 'public life'/socialising.

Of course under those circumstances wearing black to a wedding would be a bit off. But black nowadays is not reserved just for widows so it's not such a loaded colour.

and as if a bride is going to be narrow-eyed scanning the crowd for sartorial infractions! She'll have other things on her mind, like how gorgeous she looks and how all her friends and family are there and how much her tiara hurts

Incidentally when I went to a church with lots of West Indian members, their colour for mourning was lilac... dunno if they avoided wearing it to weddings though.

I know it looks short in the pic but that model's 5'9 I'm a short arse at 5'4!

I don't think black at weddings is a no-no any more and would happily wear it. Am thinking of wearing <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=ted+baker+silk+black+maxi+dress+embellished+neckline&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=atv&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=960&bih=1150&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=t0ubQ0ttH_Z5kM:&imgrefurl=www.girls-dress.co.uk/product/1/CACUSO-TED-BLACK/Ted-Baker-Black-Embellished-Halter-Maxi-Dress.html&docid=lZz72QWNCeBjKM&itg=1&imgurl=www.girls-dress.co.uk/img/1/1123/1.jpg&w=600&h=600&ei=KV39T5DMComV0QWS7piBBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=107&vpy=198&dur=456&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=101&ty=79&sig=100905212096207828663&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=141&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:76" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this to a wedding this weekend in fact.

I have to say though that your chosen dress is quite cocktail-ish or even clubby, not something I'd wear to a wedding, in either colour.

I don't really like black at weddings (unless it's just for the evening do). An outfit with black in the pattern is fine, as long as it's not the predominant colour, IMO.

I think black is v chic at weddings. Probably looks nicer at more urban ones though, rather than country-house ones!

Although I'd totally wear a light cotton or linen black dress to a beach wedding, with bare feet and a tan yeah right, it'd have to be out of a can

I'm not keen on black for weddings and wouldn't wear that particular dress to a wedding in either colour, sorry.

Ok well then I'm open to suggestions! I'm 5'4 a size 6/8, an will spend up to £80 for the dress itself. Wedding is in four weeks

Ooo, fun dress hunt.
Tell us more. Best features? colouring? Shape? What's your style like - feminine, punky, French chic?