Wedding season is upon us, however, just because it’s ready for us, it doesn’t mean that we’re ready for it.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine attended an outdoor wedding and I accompanied her as her plus one. It was a morning wedding, the sky was blue, the air was thick with the sweet scent of flowers; you could even hear a lone bird twittering in the distance.
The scene would have been idyllic had not a quarter of the party turned up in floor length black dresses looking like extras from a Versace-sponsored funeral.
I don’t know when this happened but, somewhere along the way, everyone decided that the normal rules of etiquette just didn’t apply anymore. And the black creations weren’t even the worst of the bunch.
It’s not respectful or fitting to simply decide to show up in the first dress you thought was flattering
Everywhere you looked, it became abundantly obvious that people had literally thrown on the first dress they found and showed up. Short red dresses with cut-out diamonds at the side and gold platform shoes, a leopard print jumpsuit that looked like something Cher or Grace Jones would wear on stage and, my particular favourite of the morning, a black tutu dress complete with red corset the likes of which I’ve only seen in adverts for the Moulin Rouge.
Now, I’m all for expressing individuality and people wearing what they feel comfortable in; in the past I’ve even written about how you can get away with certain white garments at a wedding. I even understand how hard it is to find appropriate clothes for a morning wedding, however, the point I’m trying to make here is that someone else’s wedding is really not about you. Whether red is your favourite colour or leopard is your animal print of choice, it’s not respectful or fitting to simply decide to show up in the first dress you thought was flattering.
Dress codes are there for a reason and while no one is expecting you to max out your credit card, it would be nice if everyone just made a little more effort to make the entire wedding look more beautiful in their own way.
It’s not rocket science: if you have an event in the morning, stick to lighter colours and a simpler silhouette. It’s not ageing to wear a dress that doesn’t cling to every lump and bump God gave you; it’s just appropriate.