Wearing white to a wedding is strictly verboten – and those who donned the hue in honor of Taylor Swift’s Madison Square Garden star-studded nuptials quickly found themselves under fire.
While the dresses were not bridal white, social media warriors quickly rushed to the comments section to share their strong opinions… and many were not pleased on Swift’s behalf.
They called out the guests for being ‘attention seeking’ or ‘tone deaf’ and accused them of breaking the ultimate etiquette rule. However, according to many experts, they actually did nothing wrong.
Etiquette expert Nick Leighton told the Daily Mail, ‘The rule isn’t about color, it’s about not competing with the bride.’
The co-host of the Were You Raised By Wolves? podcast explained that the test is whether ‘a stranger at the reception would mistake you for the bride,’ adding, ‘when it’s Taylor Swift, that’s virtually impossible.’
While pictures have yet to surface of the Shake It Off singer’s mysterious Dior couture dress (although there are plenty of theories about what it looks like), the etiquette pro said he is ‘confident it’d be impossible to outshine her.’
Eras Tour backup dancer Tori Evans shared an Instagram Reel wearing what appeared to be a white dress and quickly went viral as fans rushed to criticize her strapless gown.
Her husband, actor T.J. Shaw, rushed to her defense in the comments, writing, ‘DRESS IS PINK CHAMPAGNE color for everyone that doesn’t understand lighting’ but it was too late.
Eras Tour backup dancer Tori Evans shared an Instagram Reel wearing what appeared to be a white dress and quickly went viral as fans rushed to criticize her strapless gown
Her husband, actor T.J. Shaw, rushed to her defense in the comments, writing, ‘DRESS IS PINK CHAMPAGNE color for everyone that doesn’t understand lighting’ but it was too late
One critic wrote, ‘Wayyyyy too close to white for a wedding yikes.’
Another said, ‘White to Taylor Swift’s wedding is insane.’
‘You wore WHITE????’ one confused commenter asked.
‘This “pink” dress does appear to look more bridal,’ bridal expert Zoe Burke said, adding, ‘the key thing is, this is someone who knows Taylor well and works with her.’
‘She presumably knows better than we do if the dress choice she has made will upset Taylor or not.’
Leighton clarified that ‘some of these dresses that look pretty bridal from afar aren’t going to confuse any other guests about who’s the lead at this event.’
Train frontman Pat Monahan shared a sweet TikTok alongside his wife Amber with the caption, ‘Being with the one you love before a big tour is life. Plus what an amazing night. Love you Amber, see you all soon.’
Amber showed off a ruffled white gown with hot pink flowers that would not ordinarily be confused for a wedding dress, but commenters were less convinced.
Train frontman Pat Monahan shared a sweet TikTok alongside his wife Amber with the caption,’Being with the one you love before a big tour is life’
Amber showed off a ruffled white gown with hot pink flowers that would not be confused for a wedding dress, but commenters were less convinced
‘Wearing white to TAYLOR SWIFT’S wedding is wild,’ an appalled commenter reacted.
One fan defended Amber, writing, ‘To the people in the comments who don’t seem to understand: the reason we don’t wear white to a wedding is so people don’t confuse a guest with the bride and outshine her on her big day. Absolutely no one is confusing a floral dress for a bridal gown simply because it has the color white in it.’
The gown even went viral on X (formerly Twitter), where a Swiftie shared it with the commentary: ‘Wearing white to Taylor’s wedding… how stupid could you be???’
‘A bold print on a white base is usually fine,’ Leighton clarified, which makes sense for Amber’s pink floral gown.
However, he did clarify that the rule is ‘if you aren’t sure, err on the side of caution and don’t wear it.’
Burke, the head of brand at wedding planning website Bridebook, told the Daily Mail, ‘A bold print on a white background is a patterned dress – nobody reasonable is going to bat an eyelid.’ She labeled the backlash as ‘unfair’ and said ‘it’s not in any way bridal, and has a very bold and clear floral print across it.’
Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese showed off a lace buttercream yellow dress that appeared quite bridal from afar
Etiquette expert Nick Leighton explained that the test is whether ‘a stranger at the reception mistake you for the bride,’ adding, ‘when it’s Taylor Swift, that’s virtually impossible’
Another controversial ensemble was courtesy of Dita Von Teese, who appeared in Swift’s 2022 music video for Bejeweled.
The burlesque dancer, 53, showed off a lace dress that she clarified was buttercream yellow on Instagram.
‘It could be a wedding dress. It’s so bridal,’ a follower remarked. Others were simply impressed by how ‘exquisite’ the haute couture creation appeared.
Burke, the leading UK wedding expert, explained, ‘Twenty years ago, a guest in an ambiguous ivory dress got a raised eyebrow from an auntie and that was the end of it. Now she’s in the photos forever, and thousands of strangers who weren’t there get to pass judgement.’
Leighton believes the outrage has gotten out of hand ‘and that’s its own etiquette crime.’
‘The victims, if there are any, are the couple themselves,’ he explained. ‘It’s not the place of other guests (or millions of strangers online) going after a guest on their behalf for what they wore.’
Leighton thinks Swift herself said it best: ‘One of the important rules in etiquette that definitely applies here is “step into the daylight, and let it go.”‘
