Is this a new twist on weddings?

[Jackie in AR]

Our family is invited to a wedding that will be held at our church. The wedding invitation includes this line:

All guests are invited to wear black and white attire.

Is this something new? I've never been involved in a wedding where the regular guests were told what colors to wear.

Does it mean that we must wear those colors if we attend?

Maybe I'm just out of the loop and this has been standard practice for a while.

[Unicorn]

My guess is they picked black and white as their colors, and it is ok to wear black or white, which are traditionally not worn to weddings. No, you don't have to, they're just letting you know you can if you want.

Dh and I went to a local restaurant a couple of years ago and they were hosting a rehearsel dinner. EVERYONE was dressed in camo. It was cute!

[Michelle T]

Just how formal the attire will be. I guess the bride and groom really want their wedding to be entirely color-schemed and matched!

I would assume you can wear whatever you want, they just would prefer you be in black and white.

Seems a bit much to me, but some people really go crazy with weddings.
Michelle T

[PrairieAir]

I agree with Unicorn's answer. It says the guests are invited to wear black and white, not required. I once attended a wedding where the bride and groom (ds' Highland dance teacher) invited the guests to wear tartans, either their (guests') family's or any they owned. It was a fun wedding!

[melissel]

Actually, black and white weddings are theme weddings, from what I've seen. They'd probably like you to wear black and white, but won't turn you away at the door if you come in another color, LOL! Just Google "black and white wedding" and you'll see lots of theme advice.

[hana]

Strikes me as a big enough task just to coordinate the bridesmaids--can't imagine taking on the guests as well. :eek:

[gardenschooler]

I think I'd have to wear a bright magenta dress if I got an invitation like that! :)

[WTMindy]

the bride (or groom, or whoever you know) what that means. I would just tell them that I don't get out much and don't want to make a social faux pax. That would be odd, indeed, if they told the guest what colors to wear!

[Mamagistra]

I think I'd have to wear a bright magenta dress if I got an invitation like that! :)

LOL Me too!

[CleoQc]

I think I'd have to wear a bright magenta dress if I got an invitation like that! :)

Oh man, you just brought back some painful memories..

I was about 16, vacationing with my parents in Martinique. It was during the Carnival - which we didn't realise. One day, we took the ferry to go downtown, and everyone was looking at me. I was wearing a bright red dress but didn't realize at the time that it was the reason people were staring at me. On the ferry, it wasn't obvious, but every single person was wearing black and white. My parents, by fluke, were in dark blue and white, so they fit in. But I did not.

We got to town, and there are millions of people everywhere, you couldn't walk anywhere without fighting your way. And I was the only one not in black and white! Everywhere we went, people turned around and pointed at me, laughed out loud and snickered. Oh, it was painful for the 16yo that I was at the time. :rolleyes:

[Virginia Dawn]

I've seen an invitation like this before, and from what I heard about the bride and the wedding, the black and white attire was *preferred.*

In this case the bride was seriously miffed at those who those who chose not to comply. You might want to consider the temperament of the bride when deciding what to wear. ;-)

My friend with the invitation skipped the wedding.

[Jackie in AR]

Oh man, you just brought back some painful memories..

I was about 16, vacationing with my parents in Martinique. It was during the Carnival - which we didn't realise. One day, we took the ferry to go downtown, and everyone was looking at me. I was wearing a bright red dress but didn't realize at the time that it was the reason people were staring at me. On the ferry, it wasn't obvious, but every single person was wearing black and white. My parents, by fluke, were in dark blue and white, so they fit in. But I did not.

We got to town, and there are millions of people everywhere, you couldn't walk anywhere without fighting your way. And I was the only one not in black and white! Everywhere we went, people turned around and pointed at me, laughed out loud and snickered. Oh, it was painful for the 16yo that I was at the time. :rolleyes:

OK, Cleo, I think I'll skip the magenta dress. :D

How embarassing that must have been for you as a teenager.

[Jackie in AR]

I'm going to discretely inquire as to exactly what the invitation means.

I'm not inclined to go shopping for all six of us to show up in black and white. Heck, I'm not even inclined to shop so I can show up in black and white.

Thanks, everyone.

[Ellie]

I'd be tempted to wear something really loud and vibrant.

Young brides may try to get away with this, but it is not ok. The only reason they can get away with it is that their guests buckle under. Don't do it! The bride is not allowed to tell her guests what colors to wear. Ever.

[Kay in Cal]

I actually chose not to attend a wedding last year because the invitation said "Black formal cocktail attire please". We couldn't afford either a new suit for dh (even a rental would have been over our budget) or a new black "cocktail" dress for me--and where would I ever wear such a thing again? It was a friend I would have liked to have attended, but not $400 worth, ya know?

FWIW, the bride was a middle aged (in her late 40s) woman and having her third wedding.