Everyone strives for perfection on their wedding day.
We all have different ideas of what makes a wedding special, whether you love huge ceremonies or low-key ones. Your wedding day is also the one day when you get to be a bit selfish and expect your guests to agree to your rules.
But one bride is locked in a battle future mother-in-law over one small detail in her upcoming wedding. The woman, who is planning a small ceremony with a “speakeasy bar vibe”, has asked her 30 guests to wear black – but the groom’s mum is refusing. She’s been sending the couple brightly coloured dress options, causing the bride to worry she’ll ruin the wedding photos by standing out.
In a post on Reddit, the bride-to-be vented: “I’m getting married later this year, and our guest count is less than 30. I am asking everyone to wear all black. It’s easy, and all outfits will match for photos. My mother-in-law has been sending my fiancé dress options for herself, all coloured. She said she doesn’t want to wear black to her son’s wedding.
“My wedding is being held in a hotel library with a speakeasy bar vibe. I think that makes the black dress code make more sense. Also, there is no wedding party! Since it is so small, it is just us and the guests, no bridal party or groomsmen. That’s one reason I want nice, coordinated pictures with everyone!”
Seeking advice, the distressed bride told online commenters she wasn’t sure how to tackle the situation if her mother-in-law defies the black attire rule, particularly as she isn’t contributing financially to the wedding.
The reaction from commenters was mixed, with some finding enforcing a dress code at weddings a challenging prospect, while others pondered what her fiancé made of his mother’s stance. There were also suggestions on how the bride might manage should her mother-in-law decide to appear in a colourful ensemble.
One person asked: “Why do you need a dress code that restricts people to one colour and a colour associated with funerals? Seems overly demanding and unnecessary.” Another added: “It’s weird to require guests to wear specific colours. They are there to celebrate you, not be your dress-up dolls. A speakeasy vibe would be so fun if people got to glam up.”
But a third suggested: “Make sure she’s on the end of photos so she can be edited out or photo-shopped into black.”