Today I'm excited to introduce you to my first guest blogger Carol Rame. Not only is she a talented wedding planner and blogger, but a longtime friend of mine going back to our elementary school days. We lost touch for a little while but were able to reconnect through facebook over a year ago.
Carol is a Certified Wedding Coordinator and a member of the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. On her blog ‘Noteworthy’ she writes about the ins and outs of planning dream weddings. Her high attention to detail has allowed her to become greatly successful in just one short year. She offers full planning packages including design and decor, and just launched an i-Planning service which allows brides worldwide to consult with her via e-mail to plan their ultimate wedding experience!
Recently Carol received an email from a friend inquiring about wedding attire etiquette as it pertains to the little black dress. I thought it would be appropriate to share with all of you. Here is the question and how she responded:
"I have to ask your professional opinion for a friend of mine...we need you to settle our debate. She wants to wear a dress to her friend's wedding, but it is black.
Is it bad etiquette to wear a black dress to a wedding...or is that old fashioned? Please help!"
So here goes-the great debate.
In many circumstances, black has obtained a bad rap simply because it is seen as the colour to wear when in mourning.
It used to be (and still is followed by the majority) that the only colour not to wear was white to a wedding, as only the Bride should be in white on her wedding day.
Now I suppose if you were the Mother of the Bride, or Groom, it would cause a bit of a stir, however when in doubt, I would suggest to play it safe and ask the Bride herself how she feels about it.
In my own personal opinion however, I tend to view the "little black dress" as being very timeless, chic, and classy, especially for such a formal occasion (think Audrey Hepburn).
I do believe that the stigma of "mourning" has worn off quite a bit, and in some cultures white is actually seen as the colour for mourning. I think that as long as the "black tie affair" is around, there will always be black tuxes worn, which naturally look good when paired with the little black dress.
Nowadays, there are many couples who are opting for black to be their wedding party colours (which traditionally wasn't done until more recent years). Now what I would recommend is, just because you wear black, doesn't mean you have to go all black-have some fun with it!
Dress it up with your accessories! Try wearing a softer colour with it during the day (like white or pale pink, even silver) and swap the look for an evening one later (by going with a bold colour or gold). There are so many ways to dress it up or down with shoes, a fancy clutch, jewellery, scarves, and belts-try it out and add a splash to it!
~Carol
Thank you Carol for being my guest blogger today and for sharing your insight on a question I think many women have wondered at some point. Especially when some women travel from overseas to North America it is important for them to know what to expect since every culture and country is different. HERE is Carol's original post on this topic.
Since we are on the topic of the little black dress, and because a few of you have recently e-mailed me with some fashion-related questions, I thought I'd show you a favorite from my own closet. This dress travels well, doesn't wrinkle and I have got so much use out of it. I originally purchased this dress for my cousin's wedding a few years ago. They had both the smaller and larger size but not mine, so I bought the larger size and had it tailored to fit.
While I love color, I typically opt for black especially for evening and very formal weddings. The reason why this dress works is because the strapless style is classic and timeless. It hits right at the knee so it is appropriate for a variety of occasions and venues. I love the fun detail that the tulle and bow add to this dress and the length makes it perfect for the dance floor. ;)
Celebrity Solstice Cruise {Greece, Italy, Turkey} July 2009
What are your thoughts on wearing black to a wedding? Do you do it? Are you completely opposed? Leave a comment, we would love to hear from you!
