Wearing Black to a Wedding

The invitation to attend a wedding comes with certain etiquette that the individual has to follow. This not only includes the way one has to behave at the wedding, but also what one should wear while attending one. The attire for wedding guests will depend on the type of wedding they are attending.

Usually, weddings are formal events with the black tie as the dress code. However, as more and more couples are going for a casual or informal wedding, the rules about what to wear for the wedding have become a little considerate.

Apart from the type of dress, a lot of speculation goes on about the color of the dress. Most women avoid wearing anything white for the wedding, to ensure that it does not clash with the bride's wedding dress. However, nowadays, people do wear white to the wedding, but they ensure that it is nothing close to the bridal gown.

A lot of discussion is held about the guests can wear black for the wedding. This is because black is considered to be a color which is associated with mourning and is seen as a sign of ill luck by some. Nevertheless, as nowadays black is considered to be a color of elegance and sophistication, many women don't hesitate in wearing it to a wedding.

Black is a color which is associated with things that have a negative meaning like sadness, mourning, death, evil, etc. This is the reason people avoid use of black clothing to a happy and joyful occasion such as a wedding. In the earlier days, black was considered to be a sign of mourning or protest.

However, with time, this belief has been diminishing and many people consider it to be absolutely fine to wear black to a wedding.

Other than that, it is said that, even non-traditionalist brides prefer a black dress instead of the traditional white wedding gown. Therefore, if you have been called for a wedding and want to wear that really beautiful black dress, there is no reason that you should not.

Though black is no longer associated with mourning, make sure that you do not dress like you are going for a funeral. Keep the following tips in mind:

• Avoid wearing an all-black dress. Opt from a dress which is a combination of black with some other color. For instance, a black dress with white/red polka dots or stripes will look really great. 

• In case it is all-black, ensure that there are certain interesting accents on it, to make it appear festive.
• You also have the option of wearing vibrantly-colored accessories in neon shades, gold, or silver.
• Wearing statement jewelry will also up the look of your black dress.

• You can wear black accessories with some other colored dress. For instance, if you are wearing a purple dress, matching it with black colored accessories will definitely look great.
• Finally, keep in mind that ideally, black should not be worn to a daytime wedding, as is the case with most dark shades, unless the invite permits you to do so.

Black is considered to be appropriate only for evening weddings and receptions, but ff you still have doubts, talk to the bride about how she feels. Most brides today do not care about what their guests are wearing. However, if they do, it would be best not to offend her by wearing black.