What do you think about having your bride's maids wearing black?

Uh- at our wedding the bridesmaids wore black.
It was not bad luck at all.

The coolest part was that the bridesmaids were actually able to wear the dresses more than once.

It’s very nontraditional. Traditionally, black is for funerals.

However, I like the idea. Most women can find an opportunity to wear a black dress again, and pretty much everyone looks good in black. I hate hate hate when brides want their best friends in some ugly color and hideous get up. Why wouldn’t you want your friends to feel pretty?!?!

Weddings are such a personal thing that I have a firm ‘whatever the bride and groom want’ policy.

Personally I could go either way. I think it’s a style choice.

Elegant dresses rather than embarassing your friends by making them wear mauve dresses with huge bows and floppy hats? Where is your fun?

It actually is perfectly acceptable, but there are a few caveats to conider. Is this an afternoon wedding? Does the ceremony take place outdoors? If the answer to either is “yes” then black is right out. Black works for an evening, indoor wedding where the groom and his groomsmen are also wearing black.
Do not question me on this.
Actually, I like black.

I would have to agree with everyone so far and also believe you can’t go wrong with black! You know it will suite all skin types, hair colour and is sliming! Lol

@breedmitch – good point! That was another thing that came up in the convo yesterday. My gf didn’t believe that it would be an appropriate colour unless it was at night.

Why can’t you wear black outside?

Who’s wedding is it?
I agree that brides maids shouldn’t wear black – I think its wrong for ANYONE at the wedding to wear black!

I was a bridesmaid in a wedding that had black and white as the theme. We wore black dresses, and it looked great. We really could wear them again, too.

@pinkparaluies How about the mens’ suits?

@Sarcasm Thats fine. But its pretty taboo to wear black to a wedding.

I know of several of the weddings that I’ve been to where the bridesmaids didn’t look good in their dresses that were all the same and in the chosen color. The best looking group was when the bride chose black for her color and a length and let the girls find a dress that suited them best.

As for wearing black being “taboo,” the long standing tradition of ladies not wearing black to a wedding has been overturned. Its an old-fashioned and out of date attitude that it is inappropriate to wear black at a wedding.

@Likeradar: I’m pretty sure I said not to question me on this.~

@avvooooooo, I agree and believe the same thing. However, i know that some ppl (like my gf and @pinkparaluies) don’t feel the same. But I guess it’s the same with funerals also – it is only acceptable to wear all black to those? My mother believes that wearing black to a funeral is outdated and too melancholy. I have to admit, I would prefer ppl to show up to my funeral in bright colours, celebrating my life rather a dismal reflection of it!

@Courtybean The rule for funerals now is “conservative.” Nothing hanging out, classic nice clothes, and a trend toward darker colors. White, or a bright, as an accent color isn’t seen as disrespectful, but it should probably be limited. There are more options now as far as attire so the rules are changing.

@breedmitch yes sir. :)

Where can we find these “rules”?

Emily Post

Ah, good point @avvooooooo! I guess at the end of the day it is personal preference. At my funeral I would like everyone to wear bright colours because that is a reflection of myself and my life. :-)

It’s good to know these things!

Googling things like “wearing black to a wedding etiquette” and “proper funeral attire” and so on also get you what the current ideas on proper dress are.

@Courtybean If that’s what you want, let it be known to family members. Maybe that kind of discussion could be had the next time you attend some kind of ceremony of that type. Its hard to have those kind of discussions without freaking people out. When people are already thinking about death and dying, its easier to broach the subject without the freak out. :)

Sorry, life isn’t google for me. I’d rather go by what my friends, family, and community believe in.

Either way—Wear what you please! ;) & Best of luck and wishes to the happy couple.

This looks nice. I like the idea of “everyone get their own dress as long as it’s black.” It lends a nice air of personalization to the party.

not sure about whatever it is they’re carrying…

@PandoraBoxx -That’s gorgoues! I think personalized dresses are great! The black and the white looks fantastic! I wasn’t too sure about their balls of flowers though!! lol.

I always thought I would like to have everyone pick their own dress either that or (if you’v seen it) do as they do in the Sex and the City movie and have each person in a colour of their choice that is fitting to the wedding/theme.

I agree @PandoraBoxx… it looks beautiful!!

I agree with awoooo – a friend of mine choose the color and let the brides maids get whatever dress they wanted. The end result was stunning and looked very elegant. And, they’re the happiest couple I know, so I don’t think it was any form of bad luck. In fact, if my wedding hadn’t been canceled I would’ve stolen the idea.

@pinkparaluies: Yes, by all means wear what you please, just know that we (other guests) will be talking about you behind your back.~
“I can’t believe she wore that. Such bad taste.”

Much of wedding tradition feeds into clone mentality—you do things at a wedding because everyone expects you to do it, because everyone else does it. A whole industry has developed around people choosing from things that an industry tells you “this is what you buy in order to have a ‘wedding’.”

A wedding is a ceremony that is a solemnization of a promise and a party to celebrate. What you chose to wear to a ceremony should only be important to you, and how you view the day. All brides are beautiful, no one remembers what the bridesmaids had on except the bride and the bridesmaids. They will remember, however, if there wasn’t enough to eat at the reception.

@PandoraBoxx That bridal party looks great! Each bridesmaid was able to get something flattering and maybe even already owned their dress. Who cares if it’s black- they look happy and elegant.

@PandoraBoxx – Hahahahahaha! I’m rolling round laughing! It’s so true isn’t it? I think most people think of weddings as 1) free alcohol 2) free food! Will definately make sure I have enough of BOTH at mine!

Times have changed. Black is becoming more accepted at weddings. I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s elegant and slimming. If black is bad luck, shouldn’t almost every wedding be cursed? The groom’s tux is usually black…What’s the difference if it’s a black tux or a dress?

I love the idea, there is nothing wrong with it.

I personally have always liked brides in tea length dresses like this or this (not the most attractive make-up on the last one but the dress is wonderful) or this and the groom in a nice, dark suit. Apparently tea length is a hot wedding fashion for 2010 weddings.

@PandoraBoxx it baffles me that the model in the third picture just has to carry one of those small dogs

@Simone_De_Beauvoir, me too. The dress is adorable. Maybe they think it makes her look like Grace Kelly to have the dog?

@PandoraBoxx The only thing I wish the bride had stipulated in the picture that you put up is length. I think different dresses works best when they’re all the same length and color, but whatever differences in other ways. The up-and-down hemline look is kind of distracting.

@avvooooooo, I agree. It looks like just two were in short dresses; perhaps they had a different role in the wedding party?

Tell her in India the color of her dress is for funerals. It’s all in where you grew up.
It’s just a color and one that will look damn good on every one of them – without overpowering her up at the altar.

its your wedding, not everyone else who disagrees. you have achieved happiness with your soulmate and he wouldnt care what you wore. things are always difficult, but its only as difficult as you want it to be. =] so do nt let others get to you. i go for the black