Too white for a wedding?

[KookyOliveSwan]

I have 4 weddings to go to this summer, so I’m looking for a dress that I can wear to all of them.
I’ve fallen in love with this one, but is it too white/cream: https://www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/zimmermann/dresses/midi-dresses/floral-print-lace-paneled-cotton-voile-midi-dress/46376663162888639

I wouldn’t choose white or cream accessories, and for the church wedding I’d wear a sage coloured jacket with it.

It definitely isn’t bridal, but is it still too white?

I think it’s best to steer clear. The response to this post probably shows you that different people react to it - some people will think it’s fine and some won’t. Not worth the drama in my opinion, so find something else.

It’s a lovely dress but the wrong colour for a wedding. I think it looks a bit like a bridesmaid’s dress so would choose something else.

Op, only on mumsnet do people say something is too white that has other colours on it. In reality, people would wear that dress, it's not plain white or cream so it's fine. The no wearing white or cream is so you don't get mistaken for the bride or steal her thunder, no one in the world is going to think you're the bride and whilst the dress is lovely it's not going to take the shine off the bride in her wedding dress.

In photos it can

there are a million other colours to dress in

I take it to mean don’t blend your attire colour with the bride’s. So bride could be wearing a big meringue and huge veil and you could be 60 yrs old wearing a very simple dress but you still shouldn’t wear it in white. That’s my take anyway.

Out of all the many “is this too white for a wedding” threads which come up more than weekly, I’ve only ever seen one where the proposed outfit was indeed unsuitable. It was an ivory tulle skirt. Floral day dresses are not too white for weddings in the UK. Unsuitable means bridal or bridesmaid type dresses or outfits which may cause a stir for other reasons, outlandish or excessively revealing etc. because they are attention seeking which is gauche at someone else’s wedding.

I think it’s too pale. It’s a beautiful dress, but not for a wedding.

It’s beautiful but good grief the price!!!!

I think it's really beautiful (& am very jealous that I can neither afford it, nor do I have anywhere to wear it)!

It's not white, it's a rich clotted cream with pastel florals, & is rather Picnic at Hanging Rock (one of my favourite films!).

Yes, there is an implicit tradition that women shouldn't wear a full-on white dress to a wedding - out of respect/to avoid confusion. This has of late been taken to illogical extremes.

The dress is perfect wedding attire. It doesn't look anything like a traditional wedding dress - even less so when you accessorise it with other colours. As for it looking like a nightie - of course it doesn't. It's lingerie-influenced - a trend that is very "in" right now, along with drop waists - but it's been "in" on so many occasions in the last five or six decades (my personal reference period!) that it never really goes out of style, & I consider that dreamy romantic Victorian/1920s aesthetic to be a classic look.

Those who think it's too casual, I disagree with too. From previous MN threads it seems there are now lots of weddings where it's common to wear really revealing tight, short dresses (which, to me, look more like clubbing wear ...!). Fine, if you know that's the acceptable etiquette - but I still think that for the majority of weddings it isn't.

Please wear it to all four weddings, OP - you love it, it's beautiful & perfectly appropriate - & you should get your cost-per-wear down a bit! And with different-coloured jewellery/footwear/bags/jackets, it can look a bit different on each occasion.

(By the way, white wedding dresses didn't start with Queen Victoria - she just happened to be the first Royal bride to wear plain(ish) white rather than elaborate beaded, embroidered, heavy bridal robes. So she merely helped popularise white for the plebs!)

It really doesn't. Only if you are obsessing over it. Same goes for red or any bright colour.

Agreed. When I got married 25 years ago many of my guests wore floral dresses on a white background. Nobody threw red wine at my guests or sneered at them for embarrassing themselves - because they weren't. This fixation with the need to eradicate any white or cream from a guest's outfit is just another symptom of American bridezilla narcissism.

It’s a gorgeous dress and I would say appropriate

Beautiful and suitable.

There are dresses just as ice and much cheaper, on Monsoon. Do people really pay this much for a pretty, but not exceptional dress?

Clearly yes! And it's obviously a really special treat for the OP. I think if you saw it in the flesh (& felt it, & examined the cut), the comparison with a Monsoon dress wouldn't hold.

That said, the only dresses where I really marvel at the workmanship these days are vintage couture ones (where I've seen them at exhibitions), & other proper vintage high-end clothing - 20s & 30s beaded dresses, 50s ballgowns etc. I used to love visiting places like Saratoga Trunk in Glasgow, & Virginia Antiques in London (& so many more, mostly now closed!), & turning dresses inside out just to look at the boning & stitching & finishing!

I'm shocked at the price, but it's a very pretty dress and perfect for a summer wedding. I think the sage jacket you mentioned will prevent it from looking too pale/white in photos.

It so does! Especially if it’s only one other I. A white dress

solved anyway - poster has updated

Look on next, sone lovely wedding guest dresses at the moment! I’ve just bought two 😊

No from me. It’s the lace panels. Too bridal.

The 'no white to a wedding' rule is not something I've ever come across in real life. As long as you're not wearing an actual wedding dress you're fine.

Do people here have shares in Next, or are they paid to promote it? It seems to be suggested on every single S&B post right now!

It can be a very useful website - but it's not the only place to buy clothes?!

It’s lovely but maybe not £600 lovely.

I’d be looking for more ‘wow’ for my money, something like this one

https://www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/badgley-mischka/dresses/maxi-dresses/one-shoulder-floral-print-chiffon-maxi-dress/46376663163148136

It’s a gorgeous dress ans is perfect for a Wedding guest. No wonder you love it. 🥰

It's a beautiful elegant dress. If I was the bride I would be fine with a guest wearing it BUT I know that there are some that wouldn't agree. Could you ask the bride if she is OK with you wearing it?

All bases are covered then, plus if someone comments on the shade you can instantly say I showed the bride before I purchased it and she thought it was gorgeous.

The Zimmerman one is so much nicer than this

They look beautiful in real life

I’m sad I’m too fat for them 🙈