Is this dress too white for a wedding guest?

[NewbieSM]

Hello all, I'm attending a good friend's wedding in couple of months and have purchased this dress as an option for the big day. For context the wedding is in Australia at a beach location so not super formal in dress code and a lot of the other guests will be wearing similar styles, so please no comments about it being too risqué for a wedding. Aussie weddings tend to be less traditional than British ones and slip dresses are commonly worn. My concern is that there is a lot of white on this dress so not sure if appropriate and I do not want to offend the bride. I would ask her but I'm friends with her fiancé and don't know her very well.

www.johansenofficial.com/collections/dresses/products/lilou-dress-hibiscus-print-blue?variant=44110010155230

Also forgot to add I would style with blue shoes and bag not white like the model to further distance myself from any bride like connotations

I think it's fine and a nice dress, but then I also find the idea that any white in a dress upstages the bride to be precious and self-absorbed so that might not the be the correct etiquette response.

Edit to add now I've seen your updatebon styling it: if the bride comes across as a reasonable person, I can't see why she'd have a problem with it.

It's not particularly nice but the pattern is fine.

I like it. I agree 100% with Lola smiles though, so may not be your best advisor.

What do you think the bride would think? Would she wear the dress? Is the thought that it’s too white likely to cross her mind ?

I can’t open for some reason

but a close friend… offended? Really?

Good lord don’t ask the fiancé!!

With the large flower print, it has no bridal vibes at all. I'm not a huge fan of the fabric (clearly not silk) and the cleavage area isn't particularly flattering on the model, but otherwise, it's fine and not too white at all.

I wore a similar style midi dress to a wedding, with bright royal blue flowers.
I mean you can clearly tell who the bride is, I always just make sure I’m not in the same colour as the wedding party other than that I’d go for it.

I wouldn't

I wouldn't either.

Assuming you are a tall slim 20 something with a great tan then go for it! Personally I find it a bit "look at meee" for a wedding guest but I'm a dumpy 50 year old 😀

As long as the bridesmaids aren't in blue. I think it's lovely and very appropriate for the type of wedding.

No, too white. And not that nice.

No I would never ask her (she has more important things to be dealing with) I just meant I'm friends with the groom not her specifically. Men tend not to know much about fashion etiquette plus he won't know what her dress looks like yet either.

As for the style yes I agree the bust line isn't particularly flattering on the model but am hoping it will look ok on me as I have similarly cut dresses which look good as I have a slightly fuller bust than her although not as tall nor blonde! Fabric wise yes silk would be better but I have other dresses in a tencel fabrication which is surprisingly cooling plus I don't really sweat much so hopefully will be ok.

I think if you’re unsure it’s best to avoid. Although a lot of people think the ‘no guests in white at weddings’ thing is silly and outdated a lot still go by it and so in my opinion it’s easier to just avoid the potential that kind of energy if you can.

Are you travelling to Australia for the wedding?

If you have to ask if a dress is appropriate, you already have your answer.

There are so many colours, why do women do this?

Its not your day.

That's far too much boob and nearly butt showing for a wedding !

Ok to give context, I'm 5ft 2 size 6 just turned 30 I am brunette with mid tanned skin. I hope this means I'm not past it because I'm not 22 anymore! I live in Queensland so accustomed to the heat and other guests are wearing similar styles with a lot of skin on show. I've just peeked at the brides Instagram and can see she has worn slip dresses at recent events and a wedding on her feed. None in white however. I like this dress so don't mind if others don't agree it's just the colour I wanted advice on. I'll find out what colour the bridesmaids are in and if it's blue I will buy a different dress.

It’s absolutely fine, OP.

As an Antipodean heading into the wedding season (although well past that stage of life myself), it’s absolutely fine.

Honestly - we are nowhere near as uptight about silly rules - and there is NO WAY a dress covered in big blue flowers is remotely bridal, even if we were bothered by such nonsense.

It’s quite revealing at the front and back but you don’t want anyone to mention that! I would say fine for an evening beach party, not so much for a wedding.

I would never pay that much money for a polyester dress!

It is the distance crowd shots when some dresses appear to lose their detail and just become a white dress.

There are so many colours, why do women do this?
Its not your day.
The OP hasn't said it's her day, but that sort of attitude is exactly why people will check. If you look on some threads there's an increasing list of what's not ok from any white, any cream, any pale colours that might in certain lighting conditions look close to white, any printed dress that has white as the background.

Women will often ask because bizarrely some other women think that any white on a non-wedding dress will upstage mega princess bride and leave the guests completely confused as to who the bride is. The guest then gets snark about trying to take over the day and other really shitty comments if the people involved have this outlook.

Other women, understandably, have the sense to know that a guest cocktail dress with white and another colour neither looks like a bridal gown, nor does it upstage a bride.

Any of my guests could have worn anything they damn well wanted

The thought of one of my guests getting anxious about their outfit would upset me