On Saturday I was getting ready to attend an evening wedding reception. I already had an idea of what I wanted to wear in mind and put on a long black maxi dress. I was pretty happy with my choice, simple and elegant. Then suddenly I thought about the question - should you wear black to a wedding?

Commonly, it’s considered inappropriate to wear black at a wedding as it can be seen as ‘morbid’ as black is worn to funerals, which is why many women wouldn’t opt to wear black as their first choice. This is especially the case, if the bride and groom are quite traditional, they may not appreciate you wearing black.

I think the couple should make it clear before hand IF they had any concerns with their guests wearing black (or white - that’s a completely different blog post) to their wedding. This way no-one is offended or embarrassed as this has been previously addressed.

On Saturday, I changed at the last minute because I was a plus one for Mark’s friend’s wedding, I didn’t really know the bride and groom. Therefore I opted for a bright yellow dress to be on the safe side as I didn’t want to cause offence. However, there were other women and girls wearing black, the couple seemed very relaxed, so I assumed that the idea of whether wearing black was appropriate or not, hadn’t even crossed their minds.

Personally, I haven’t got a problem with wearing black to a wedding. It’s not morbid to me; the mindset I or others may have when dressing for a wedding and funeral is completely different.

It’s fashionable in my opinion, especially with the rise of the black bridesmaids dresses. I’ve rounded up 5 of my favourite black dresses to wear for a wedding:

All Saints

Missguided

Coast

Topshop
Lipsy

I asked a couple of brides for their opinions of wearing black to their wedding.

Lauren - 24 - “My guests can wear whatever colour they like…black, white, red, rainbow. In my opinion, a wedding is not about what colour your guests are wearing. It is about everyone feeling happy, comfortable and having a good day!”

Emma-Louise - 25 “I wouldn’t mind if someone wore black, wouldn’t be happy if someone wore white though, which I have seen a lot of lately.”

Harriet Hicks - 27 “I think black accessories can look very chic & striking but a full black outfit is a bit morbid. If someone wore a black outfit to my wedding I would feel as though they are trying to make a point, like a long lost lover has turned up!”

1 in 3 brides to be didn’t want their guests to wear black to their wedding. Which is why I want to know your thoughts about wearing black to a wedding. Does it matter or don’t you mind guests wearing black? If so, can we twist this old tradition?

*Featured image by Candi Coffman Photography