Wedding - colour code for guests…?!

[BigGlassOfWine]

Have just received a wedding invitation, and it’s got an actual colour chart (ivory, beige and various shades of green) as dress code attached. Lovely people, but I fear they have let themselves be talked into it by the wedding planner…
are colour codes a Thing these days?
I really don’t like the idea of buying a dress I won’t wear again, green doesn’t suit me 😝

A few years ago, I would have totally sneered at this, I was then invited to an 'all white' party and I have to say, it all looked amazing - the people, the decor, the photos - genuinely, everyone and everything looked stunning.

I still wouldn't dictate it though. I think if you are going to do this kind of thing, make it as easy and accessible as possible for most people e.g. monochrome - whites, greys & blacks.

The specific tones of green is a ball ache

Is it an African wedding? Very normal to have a colour theme, or even a specific print. If you're not from their culture they might not necessarily expect you to join in (although the non-Africans in my family always do.)

My Scottish mother thought that green was an unlucky colour. I wear green myself but would be hard pushed to sport it at a wedding- I do think it is regarded as unlucky in some cultures.

I wore a green wedding dress to my wedding.....

Also, how many people refused to categorise themselves as chunksters and wore the thin person’s colour scheme? 😁

They probably had to stand on scales before being allowed entry 😀

I almost exclusively wear green but the rebel in me would be tempted to turn up in red for this!

the thing I find really hard about a colour code, is the idea that everyone buys new for a wedding.

I'm afraid I wear a favourite good dress form the cupboard.
For my brothers wedding I borrowed a dress form a friend.
I have no desire to buy another fancy dress, apart from anything else I fundamentally object on environmental grounds.

None of the clothes in my wardrobe are ivory, beige or green. So I would be stuffed.

Do people really alwyas buy new?

No, I don't buy new for weddings. I mean I probably will for my cousin's wedding this year but only because I haven't been to a wedding for years and nothing I have fits. Previously I had a couple of outfits that I rotated for weddings.

Aside from the fact that telling guests what colours to wear is ridiculous, surely it's insane to have ivory listed as a permitted colour. Surely ivory (aka almost white) is the one colour to avoid as a wedding guest! Are you married OP? I'd be tempted to wear my own wedding dress!!

Previously I would have found this annoying, but in a world with eBay, Vinted and Depop, the obvious answer is to buy something inexpensively just for the wedding and resell it afterwards. This is what I do for most events now as I can buy something specifically for the event but it's not cluttering my wardrobe afterwards.

which is nice.

But I find it really hard to find a dress that I like and that suits me.
I am tall, but not tall enough for places like Long Tall Sally.
I am also a size 20, so not exactly off the peg in most shops
Pretty much all dresses are too high in the waist, so finding a decent dress that works and fits me is like finding gold dust.

Not easy to just buy and sell again.

Christmas tree costume?. Some sympathy to a point.. We had a very small wedding. Dc in black /white - bm dresses with black sash and boys in white shirt /black tie.. A guest ignored our no dc invited and turned up with 2 x dd's. One sporting a fuchsia pink dress. Stood at the side of every frigging photo like a Where's Wally.??!!

his fiancée doesn’t strike me as the bridezilla type, I think they’ve just let the wedding planner (oh yes 😛) run away with things

Well, that kind of says it all, really.
Colour code? Really 🙄
Wear what you want to wear. What are they going to do? Throw you out?

Army surplus maybe....?

Avoiding the wedding colour? Sure. My invites were sent in ivory with the wedding theme on them (the deep purple and tartan) to give a clue to guests. As such, a friend from out of town brought two dresses with her and one happened to be the same as my MOH so she opted for her other option so she wouldn't look like she was trying to be part of the wedding party.
But to demand guests go out and buy new dresses and accessories in a colour you specify, one that they may not even like and would likely never wear again? RUDE.

I think it's rude to dictate what guests can wear to their wedding! I'd be tempted not to go.

It just adds stress and expense for guests for no good reason when it's not meaningful or traditional (OP doesn't mention it being a culture where it is).

Fancy dress theme of the hobby that brought them together or a meaningful colour like the charity mentioned, ok, that could be fun. Buy a new outfit just for the sake of pictures seems a bit lame and thoughtless. I love seeing the colourful finery at a wedding and you don't know whether people can really afford to buy something in a colour that doesn't suit them, even cheaply.

Even if it's a Nigerian wedding as suggested then in my experience (I've been to many Yoruba ones) it is not compulsory for all guests to wear the families' colours. Family, bridal party, groomsmen, anyone else who wishes to does and it looks stunning. You'll still see plenty of guests in other colours though. The outfits are usually tailored rather than off the peg so it's quite a bit of time and cost for someone who isn't super close.

There aren't many women who'd feel comfortable wearing ivory to another woman's wedding! I think this could bite her on the bum.
I guess it's okay for those guests who suit the colour scheme and who would buy a new outfit anyway/already own an appropriate outfit. It sucks for people who look terrible in the colours or are in a budget.

Weddings are expensive and it's not thoughtful to add more expenses for your guests. The best weddings are the ones where guests comfort is a priority.

That list above mind, with the crazy bride who wants all the women in designer shoes 😁.
Where would you even get orange suede trousers?

It’s not a ‘thing’ in the UK.

I run an events business and we attend circa 20 weddings a year. I have never seen this in the UK.

Personally I wouldn’t adhere to this bridezilla ridiculous request.

I went to a colour coded funeral once but I didn't get the memo, I thought I'd gone to the wrong church with all the men wearing bright pink ties and the ladies bright pink scarves - and they were off to a wedding!
(I know people are often asked to wear the deceased's favourite colour but everyone had the same tie and scarf)

Wow! Are you calling most of us miserable old cunts then?? That's brave of you! 😆🤷‍♀️🙄

Wear a sequined gold dress. Tell them it’s “shimmery beige.” I’m sure you could find a great one on Vinted.

I was at a younger relatives wedding this summer, and a LOT of the younger guests were wearing orange shades (the wedding colours) so I guess they'd asked about the colour scheme and chosen to blend in. Surely it's not that popular a colour?

I think it's just something younger people like to do. So putting the colours on the invite makes sense if that's the trend, to save them asking.

But as information not instructions!

I got married in November and all we put was be comfy and happy.
I'd decline the invite lol