What Colors to Avoid at a Wedding
There are some dresses that should traditionally be avoided when choosing a dress to attend a wedding: here are some suggestions.
Wedding season is almost here and maybe you've already received an invitation to a friend or relative's wedding. You already know which colors look best on you, but have you wondered if there are colors to avoid at a wedding ?
Here are answers to some of the most common questions regarding what colors to (not) wear to weddings .
Why can't you wear red to a wedding?
The first rule of what colors to avoid at a wedding has to do with the bride: nothing should overshadow or distract from the bride.
Red is a very flashy color and therefore it is often included in the list of colors to avoid. Red is the color of passion and love, but also of aggression: in short, it is a color that can give off somewhat dissonant messages if you wear it to a wedding.
Wearing red to a wedding can be inappropriate if the shade of red is very bright: however, there are many types of red and if you choose more delicate or dark shades, bride permitting, you can also wear this color. For example, as in this long floral print dress .
Why don't we wear black to weddings?
In the West, black is the color of mourning, death, and sometimes even illness, so it is one of the colors to avoid at a wedding , especially if it is a summer wedding and the ceremony is held in the morning. However, black is an elegant color, often listed among the colors that make us feel more comfortable. So should we completely ban it from our formal outfits? No, if we use a few precautions. First of all, you can avoid dressing entirely in black; if black is part of a pattern, is combined with other colors, or is part of an evening dress, perhaps enriched with some shiny accessories, it is one of the colors you can consider.
Can you wear a purple dress to a wedding?
Purple is a color closely linked to superstition: it is thought to bring bad luck. One of the reasons is linked to the Middle Ages and the world of theater: purple is the color of the sacred vestments that were worn during Lent, a period in which shows and performances were prohibited. Since then, purple in the theater brings bad luck and is also considered one of the colors to avoid at a wedding .
Yet conventions can be challenged: if Carlo Mollino, the architect who redesigned the Teatro Regio in Turin after the terrible fire of 1936, dared to cover the floor of the building with red and purple carpeting, then superstition can be put aside even at a wedding.
Just choose delicate shades like lilac (as in this long women's dress ), focus on pastel shades, use it for accessories in combination with another color. The important thing is to avoid purples that are too bright and sparkling.
White: Don't steal the show from the bride
The only time you can go to a wedding with a total-white look is if the bride indicates it in the invitation, as a dress code. Otherwise, white is one of the colors to avoid at a wedding : whether it is electric, cream, ivory, white must never be prevalent in the outfit of a guest.
The case is different when white is part of a pattern and is therefore combined with other colours, as in this long and elegant dress .
Gold and Silver: Two Colors to Avoid at a Wedding
The guest's look should be generally sober, so even colors like gold and silver should be carefully considered. Completely gold or silver dresses are not recommended: they are very flashy and more suitable for other contexts, for example a New Year's Eve party.
Of course, gold and silver are not forbidden when it comes to accessories: take a look at the advice we have given regarding wedding accessories for guests . In short, yes to sparkle, no to the Christmas Tree effect.
All these tips on colors to avoid at a wedding must however take into account some conditions that bring all colors into play without exceptions.
The wedding is the celebration of the newlyweds and therefore also the dress code, that is the indications on how to dress, is in their hands: the ceremonies are as varied as the couples are different. Therefore the newlyweds could choose a theme or colors that are completely unexpected. There are ceremonies in which the guests must dress entirely in white, in which the color chosen for the theme is red, or purple or even black.
There are weddings where a long and elegant dress is required, or sporty spouses who will require sneakers or even where the theme is an era and therefore the ceremony almost turns into a masquerade party.
The most sensible and respectful thing to do, in the absence of instructions on what to wear to the ceremony in the invitation, is to contact the bride and ask her or someone close to her whether or not that color of the dress that drove you crazy and that you really want to wear to her wedding is allowed, maybe before buying it, just to be on the safe side. That way you will really no longer have any doubts about which colors to avoid at a wedding .
And remember: on Kalè Store you can find formal dresses in many colors to choose from!