Weddings are stressful affairs but also events where the overall feel, expectations, and protocol vary from couple to couple. Some weddings are child-friendly, while others are child-free. Some brides make outrageous demands of their bridesmaids, while others are happy as long as they wear a matching color.
But if there's one thing that just about every engaged couple can agree on, it's that nobody but the bride should show up in a white dress. Regardless of the position taken on what can admittedly be arbitrary wedding traditions, it's commonly agreed that — if nothing else — wearing white to a wedding isn't worth the hassle.
Coming in hot
A woman named Isabella Santos Giha posted a video to TikTok after attending a friend's wedding.
And she wasn't happy about what she had to report from the big day.
A disappointing sight
Although the video was brief, Giha's caption stated that two different guests at her friend's wedding wore white dresses to the event.
And in both cases, it was hard not to see their gowns as having a bridal style.
Even more blatant
But while Giha was less than impressed with the standing woman, she was particularly thrown by the audacity of this seated guest.
As she put it, "This one legit wore a wedding dress."
A public service announcement
While this typically isn't something most people need to be told, Giha felt compelled to send a message to her hundreds of thousands of followers with this video.
As she said in her description, "Please never wear WHITE a someone's wedding. It is sad and disrespectful."
The impact
To emphasize why it's not a good idea, Giha also showed her friend's reaction to these guests.
As she twisted her hair nervously, Giha's caption stated, "The bride got sad."
Commenters were shocked
Naturally — given the widely-recognized faux pas in play here — the majority of commenters were horrified on the bride's behalf.
As one of them wrote, "Y'all, it is a big deal the bride is meant to be the star or the center of attention wearing a white wedding dress. It also could be their first."
Retaliation plans
Another common sentiment was that the appropriate response to a wedding guest wearing a white dress was to ruin the dress with a staining liquid like grape juice.
Indeed, one bride-to-be once went viral for her list of rules for guests, and that list included a warning that her bridesmaids were instructed to ruin any white dresses they saw.
A relatable experience
Yet despite how many people couldn't fathom the gall of wearing a white dress to a wedding, others came forward with stories that demonstrated what a surprisingly common etiquette violation it is.
As one user relayed, "Happened to me! And has the audacity to wear the same dress to HER OWN WEDDING! A month after mine."
A common culprit
Among the commenters who reported similar phenomena, a trend started to emerge. Namely, many of the people guilty of this faux pas were the brides' mothers-in-law.
As one woman said about her egregious case, "She also did it too at her nephew's wedding and wanted to do it at my soon-to-be sister-in-law’s wedding. Crazy people."
A few meek confessions
The video also prompted some commenters to confess their own similar indiscretions sheepishly. But in most cases, they were a little too young to realize what was wrong.
As one of them said, "I wore white once on accident when I was 17. I didn't know. It was a lace skater skirt with a laced crop top."
A shared hope
Others expressed their hope that the two guests were kicked out of the venue for what they were wearing. That didn't appear to be the case, but it didn't stop some users from sharing how they would have done it.
As one of them relayed, "Me as a friend... 'Excuse me, can you n your +1 come with me?' Walk them to the exit. 'Go change your dress and come back if u like. Thank you.'"
The shade of it all
In the words of one commenter, "I wouldn't be sad because I know damn well my guests would be throwing all the shade, so I don't have to, and I'd look graceful for being unbothered."
In response, an amused Giha said that was exactly how her friends responded to the two guests.
Is it a big deal?
One commenter said they never understood this tradition and asked how it affected the meaning of the ceremony.
And while most people replied that it's considered rude because it comes off as an attempt to upstage the bride, one commenter said it also potentially confuses extended family as to who the bride is.
A groundswell of support
People were clearly disheartened to hear that these guests made the bride sad, and they were also united on one major point.
Namely, that the bride looked absolutely gorgeous and that she was the star of the show no matter what her guests did. What do you think of this situation?