quiltmom04

I always thought proper etiquette was what made people treat others with respect and kindness, not what clothes they had on, or which fork was used for the shrimp cocktail.

irishrose

For my husband's celebration of life three weeks ago, the guests were requested to were 'picnic clothes.' We were traipsing to a riverbank for the service with a picnic afterwards and dress clothes wouldn't have worked well.

I wasn't upset when my youngest daughter wore white to her brother's wedding. It did cause a problem, though minor. One of the flower girls freaked out crying at the entry to the sanctuary. My L saw the child headed for the bride with tears so she cut her off and comforted her. When the organist saw the flash of white, she stopped the processional and started 'Here comes the Bride'. Whoops, but she recovered when she saw it was the wrong L.

I like to dress for the occasion though I'm not judgmental about about what the younger generation wears if they are clean and covered.

mimiof4

I wore black to my son's wedding had a vibrant green sashing on the waist. I am a curvy MIL and black was my best bet, I told DIL ahead of time and all was okay.

Auntevie

I wore a hot pink dress to my dad's funeral. He would have wanted me to. So I think with any occasion, what is "proper" depends upon the people involved.....

That being said.... I think in most cases the bride should be the only person wearing white! It's HER special day!!

gramma nancy

When I saw, for the first time, a guest at a wedding wearing black, I was convinced I was even older than I thought. I have seen it several times now, but still can't get used to it. Having thus established my "old lady" credentials, I will add that I will always stick with my mother's injunction against anyone but the bride wearing white at the wedding. Guess other people didn't have the same mother

GingerK

I wore black pallazzo pants and a vibrant red,black and white top to my DD's wedding. (yes I asked her first) and I think I looked a little better than the mother of the groom who wore a pale blue lacy dress (BTW this took place in Mexico)

I wore black pants and a red top to a dear friend's funeral. His wife wore a beautiful winter white suit. You see, sometimes you NEED to celebrate not mourn. Our dear friend was there that day, in rock and roll music, wonderful pictures and great memories.

If in doubt, dress more conservatively, not less. You can always remove a jacket or scarf.

earthwalker

Must admit....weddings, funerals and christening/naming ceremonies are formal occasions for me...and I think dressing up a little and being appropriate for the day is a form of respect. That being said, if I were asked to dress a certain way to accommodate a "theme" I probably would. Mind you, maybe I'm a bit weird....I love wearing hats, stockings and "suiting up"...It's nice to dress up from time to time, pull of the gardening boots and jeans and glam up.
Remember girls....leggings are not pants and ugg boots and slippers are not for outside the house.

sewbizgirl

Never 'rival' the bride by wearing an all-white dress to her wedding. SUPER rude!

I worked doing alterations at a bridal shop for a while, and one of the loveliest trends was for the bride to pick out the color and fabric for bridesmaids, but let them buy any style dress that came in that fabric. That way they didn't all look "cookie cutter" and each one could wear a style that best suited their body and personality. But all being the same color and fabric, it was still cohesive and looked great.

In China, the bride traditionally wears bright RED.

Neesie

The "guest" apparently didn't have the respect for the couple, to dress appropriately. A formal wedding doesn't require guests to dress formally; it only requires wearing a respectful outfit. . . which isn't at all hard to manage.

It breaks my heart, to think a friend/guest would have that little respect, for the wedding couple.

JudyTheSewer

So true! We didn't care if you were in your greasy mechanics overalls from work - we were so glad you stopped to pay your respects to our parents.