While wearing white as a wedding guest is considered a major fashion faux pas, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s July 3 wedding saw her Eras Tour backup dancer Tori Evans break the long-standing rule.
Evans was quickly subjected to social media ridicule, with one user labeling her move “tacky,” and another noting they “would have kicked her out” if it had happened at their own wedding.
Bored Panda spoke with two renowned etiquette experts — Elaine Swann, founder of The Swann School of Protocol, and Jo Hayes, founder of EtiquetteExpert.org — to understand the outrage.
Both experts agreed that wearing white to someone else’s wedding was inappropriate.
“A big no. Oh, darling, how could you think this is OK?” Hayes said.
Tori Evans’ dress at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding drew backlash, and experts say the criticism is understandable
Evans opted for a sleek satin A-line gown for Taylor and Travis’ wedding, completing her look with the trending Scandinavian scarf.
After she was subjected to ridicule by Swifties, her husband, actor T.J. Shaw, clarified that the dress was not white but a “pink champagne” color.
He claimed the lighting in the picture made it appear white.
Critics, however, remained unconvinced.
One wrote that the dress was “way too close to white anyway,” adding, “yikes.”
“How stupid could you be to argue?” remarked another.
“Sure, in some lighting it may actually look the ‘pink champagne’ colour it actually is … but in the photos you’ve posted on Instagram, it looks white,” Hayes said, labeling it “an etiquette faux pas to the max.”
Moreover, she said the color was not the only issue, noting that the dress’s silhouette also looked bridal.
“You look gorgeous … but you also look like a bride,” Hayes added. “Think, darling. Think.”
“Guests should avoid anything that looks remotely bridal,” she advised.
White is not the only color guests should avoid wearing to a wedding
According to Hayes, “very light shades of cream as well as very pale pastels” should also be off-limits for wedding guests.
She encouraged attendees to use “common sense and intuition” while choosing their outfits.
If they’re still unsure, they can “seek guidance from a friend or family member.”
However, she urged women to avoid asking their husbands for advice, noting, “Most men don’t get this sort of thing.”
He’ll likely think you look amazing and say yes,” she joked.
@taylorswift NO PROBLEMS TODAY JUST CHAMPAGNE🥂SO stoked evermore has been honored like this. Congrats to all our fellow nominees!! #GRAMMYs ♬ original sound – Taylor Swift
Instead, she suggested asking “a sister, or random lady working at any respected clothing store.”
“A woman who has a clue about such things.”
Swann, when asked which colors guests should avoid, went on to list “off-white and beige.”
The experts gave the green light to dresses incorporating hints of white
Image credits: Tori Evans/theTSupdates
Evans was not the only person to be trolled for her outfit at Taylor and Travis’s wedding.
Train frontman Pat Monahan’s wife, Amber, also received flak for the same reason.
She wore a floral dress adorned with pink and blue accents set against a white background.
“Wearing white to Taylor Swift’s wedding is wild,” a critic commented under her viral picture.
Hayes labeled those who object to dresses with subtle white elements “silly.”
White cardigans and shawls as part of outfits were also deemed appropriate by the expert.
According to her, the only rule women need to follow as wedding guests is to “avoid wearing all white.”
Hayes asserted that the purpose of avoiding white is to avoid taking attention away from the bride, and none of those accents do that.
Swann also elaborated on what fashion choices by guests could be seen as attempts to steal the spotlight.
“Someone who is dressed far beyond the dress code” can draw scrutiny, she said, offering the example of a guest showing up in a tuxedo or a ball gown to a casual beach wedding with a relaxed dress code.
@ambermonahan444 Always about the omnipod 🤍 #omnipod #type1diabetes #diabetesawareness #dexcom #gardenwedding ♬ original sound – Stephanie Berger
However, she cautioned that “we mustn’t be too quick to judge people who are dressed well,” as “dressing well is a sign of respect for the occasion.”
Oprah Winfrey found herself in an outfit mishap for Meghan Markle’s wedding and corrected her mistake overnight
Swann remembered how, in 2018, the media icon attended Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding in a blush-pink Stella McCartney dress, though the dress was originally beige.
Hours after the royal wedding, Winfrey revealed on Instagram that she realized the dress would “photograph too close to white.”
She thanked the fashion house for working overnight to alter the gown to the right shade ahead of the ceremony.
Winfrey, however, would not have been the only wedding guest to show up in white had she not changed her mind at the last minute
Kate Middleton also wore an off-white bespoke Alexander McQueen coat dress, which she had previously worn on several royal occasions.
The outfit was not widely considered inappropriate because its tailored structure and knee-length hem clearly distinguished it from traditional bridal attire.
“The lesson here is: if the dress seems a bit light, take a photo, try it in different light, and if it can be misconstrued as white, change it,” Swann added.
“Poor choice by the guest,” a netizen said about Evans
