While most people know that white should be avoided at weddings so as not to steal the show from the bride, the same caution is not always taken with the color red.
It may seem like a safe choice since the color suits many seasons, especially fall and winter weddings, but bridal styling expert Gabrielle Hurwitz warns against assuming red is harmless.
Speaking to Brides, she offered this advice: “Tradition dictates that guests do not wear red for fear that it might draw attention away from the happy couple.” Hurwitz explained that the dominant presence of red can overshadow more subtle shades that brides often wear, such as white, black, gray or beige.
She also mentioned that a red ensemble might raise eyebrows among older guests at formal events like churches and country clubs. Hurwitz addressed rumors that red clothing indicates they have slept with the groom, which she debunked as complete nonsense.
Hurwitz concluded, “As couples become more creative in the way they design their wedding, they also become more creative with the dress code. If the wedding or the couple is less traditional or the dress code is a little more creative, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wearing red as a wedding guest.”
The long-running debate about the appropriateness of wearing red to weddings has resurfaced on social media. Seeking advice, one Reddit user asked, “How true is it that wearing red to a wedding is bad? I’m going to a wedding and was about to buy a red (dark red, not bright red, if that matters) dress to wear when someone said that red is one of the colors not to wear to weddings. Is that true? What do you think?”
One commenter reflected on his own hesitation, noting, “I was going to wear red to my sister’s wedding until someone told me about it. They just told me as a sort of ‘did you know?’ trivia, but it made me paranoid for no reason, so I decided to pick a different dress.”
Another user in the thread challenged this superstition, noting, “There’s supposedly an old wives’ tale that says if you wear red, you’ve slept with the groom. That sounds completely idiotic to me. Something seductive and fire engine red might be a faux pas because it’s conspicuous, but burgundy is fine.”
Another person added a cultural aspect to the debate, pointing out: “Tradition dictates that guests don’t wear red for fear it might draw attention away from the happy couple. But in reality, unless the couple has said no red (and burgundy isn’t red anyway), it’s fine. But that also depends on the culture. I know that in some cultures the bride wears red.”
Another user added their opinion: “I don’t know how bad it really is, but the reason it’s called bad is because it’s a color that suggests you slept with the groom. How many people actually think that, I don’t know, so it’s a color I just avoid at weddings, even though it’s my favorite color.”
