Guests wearing red to a wedding

[metallicafan]

I have read many times that women should not wear a red dress to a wedding because it could possibly draw attention away from the bride.   But, thinking about it,  how is a red dress any different from bright yellow, fuschia,  cobalt blue, or a bright green dress?  Would a person also be wrong for wearing any of these colors too? 
I will be attending a wedding later this year, but my dress is a dark purple.

I also read that you shouldn't wear a black dress either, but over the years, all the weddings I've attended, 90% of the women wore black dresses,  including me! It was rare to see color.  I've gotten away from black  dresses, I'm tired of them.

So, what do you all think? Is red, or any other bright color out for a wedding?

[Yvaine]

The thing about red was more about sex than brightness per se. It used to be associated with being a "scarlet woman" or was supposed to imply you'd slept with the groom!  Yes, it's quite silly and old-fashioned.

[Harriet Jones]

I think the point behind these "rules" was that you're not supposed to be attracting attention towards yourself and away from the bride.  I'd think at long as you were wearing something appropriate for the venue and time of day, you're fine. 

[Zizi-K]

I think the only color one should truly avoid is white. Most people like to look their best for a wedding, and if that is a red dress, so be it. I don't think it detracts from the bride in the least, nor do I associate red with anything untoward. I think that is an anarchonistic concept.

[rose red]

Brides wear red wedding dresses in several countries (China, for example), but I think it's fine for guests in places where that's not the custom. There are many shades of red and many are subtle and appropriate.

[Hmmmmm]

The thing about red was more about sex than brightness per se. It used to be associated with being a "scarlet woman" or was supposed to imply you'd slept with the groom!  Yes, it's quite silly and old-fashioned.

Good grief... I had no idea that was ever a concept. I wore a reddish dress to my BIL's wedding. Hope no one thought that! 

IMHO the only color I won't wear to a wedding is white or a cream color. And I'm like the OP, tired of seeing everyone in black at weddings so am always going for color these days.

[Yvaine]

Oh, and obviously don't wear it to a Chinese wedding, because it's like wearing white to a US one.

[metallicafan]

I am attending a dinner dance next month, and I bought a gorgeous Red lace sheath dress. I'd like to wear it to a wedding in the future.

[greencat]

Well, there's a lot of research that indicates that red draws the attention of other people - there's a reason that it's got strong cultural associations with strong emotions.

I have two nearly identical long-sleeved, knee-length sweater dresses.  One is bright scarlet red, the other a purple-ish navy blue.  The red one has a higher neckline and is a bit longer, but it looks considerably less modest than the navy blue one, which is work-appropriate.  I wouldn't wear the red dress to a wedding, because it's very attention-grabbing.

On the other hand, I've certainly seen and owned other red dresses that are perfectly appropriate looking. 

[Mergatroyd]

I've seen red bridesmaids dresses, I hope nobody thought all six of them slept with the groom 

Actually I am glad you posted this OP, I like red, and would probably have worn it to a wedding sooner or later. The last weddings I went to I wore Teal. I've also worn pink, dark purple, and various patterns (oh the nineties!)

[sammycat]

I've seen all colours of the rainbow worn to weddings, including black, white and red (and one dress that was made up of all three colours).  It's never detracted from the bride or bridal party, nor would I assign negative motives to anyone I did see wearing any of those colours. In fact, I've never given any thought to a person's wedding attire other than thinking 'she looks nice/lovely/awful'. The colour was irrelevant in those cases.

It's the style that matters to me, not the colour. I'd much rather see someone wearing an appropriately styled dress in red/black/white than a lady turning up in a skimpy dress that doesn't hide anything, or replica of the wedding dress, but in an "acceptable" colour, eg. blue.

[jedikaiti]

Really, I think the only hard & fast rule of what not to wear is to try to not blend in with the wedding party - if bride's in white and the bridesmaids are in red, then it's probably best to avoid both colors, or dif at least go with a shade/style combo that is very obviously different.

[kudeebee]

Really, I think the only hard & fast rule of what not to wear is to try to not blend in with the wedding party - if bride's in white and the bridesmaids are in red, then it's probably best to avoid both colors, or dif at least go with a shade/style combo that is very obviously different.

Which is great if you know what color the bridesmaids' dresses are.  I had no clue what the bm dress color was until I arrived at the last weddings I have attended.  I could see how guests could end up in a similar color very easily.

Now if a person knows the color and style, that would be a whole different subject.

[Billia]

I say any colour is fine and I've even seen a creamy white done tactfully although I would never do it! I think it's just more about not to wear something attention seeking. That's pretty subjective though obviously.

Slightly related I was at a wedding recently and one of the guests (an 18 year old girl) happened to wear the exact same shade  as the bridesmaids. She had no way of possibly knowing or having any hint of what colour the maids were going to be in and it was an honest coincidence. The dress wasn't similar in any other way so it wasn't like it even stood out. But another guest (50 year old woman) made the comment "Oh trying to be one of the bridesmaids were you! hahaha!" poor girl was horrified and really upset that she'd made a blunder or that her dress was awkward or people were noticing and thinking it was awkward.

[EllenS]

Yes, I think the principle that still holds true is "Don't make a spectacle of yourself." Once upon a time, a lady wearing a red dress in "polite" company, or in a church, was a spectacle. That's no longer the case.