White isn’t the only color to avoid at a wedding.
In some cultures, it’s actually customary for certain members of the wedding party to don red, as a symbol of marital prosperity. But to some folks, red can signal something quite unsavory.
Wedding planners Georgie Mitchell and Bethany Smith, based in the UK, revealed on the Unfiltered Bride podcast the shocking reason to avoid a red dress, particularly at weddings in the Western world.
Turns out, wearing red to a wedding means to some that “you’ve slept with the groom.”
“Old Wives’ Tale, but yeah,” Mitchell explained.
However, both wedding planners agreed on a more modern reason for not wearing red: It could be seen as a way to grab the attention away from the bride.
“I feel like red can seen as like quite sexy,” Smith said. “Naughty.”
“A bit ‘look at me,'” Mitchell added of the attention-grabbing hue, but also wouldn’t rule it out as an option for a wedding guest as it “depends on the dress.”
A video clip of the conversation was posted to TikTok and received 1.1 million views, with people in the comments stunned by the revelation.
“I always thought you shouldn’t wear red because it’s so flashy,” one person wrote.
“I’ll wear red to be toxic. Make ’em think,” someone quipped.
“Not me wearing a red dress to one of my best friends weddings,” a shocked user realized.
“Not my mom picking out a red dress for my brother’s wedding,” another laughed.
One person added black as a color not to wear, writing, “Black: no, as it’s for funerals (unless specified) & red is because the eyes are naturally drawn to it so it takes attention & eyes away from the bride.”
“I think the only color you should avoid (apart from white) is the same colors as the bridesmaids — they should stand out,” another suggested.
Critics were on the right track when they posited that scarlet red may be too eye-catching of color for a wedding, according to an article published last year on Brides.com. “Visually, it’s quite bold. In a photo, your eye is immediately drawn to the color, especially if it’s next to neutrals like white, black, gray or beige,” said bridal fashion stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz — and put to rest the rumor that red may hint at a former fling with the groom.
However, someone pointed out that in other cultures red is a good sign.
“Only in America 😂😂😂😂 in different cultures, red means luck, joy or happiness,” they wrote.
