Two podcasters have revived a wedding myth suggesting that guests wearing red suggest that they’ve had sex with the groom. Georgie Mitchell, a wedding planner in Gloucestershire, U.K. and Beth Smith, a creative director in Gloucester, briefly discussed the myth on an episode of their podcast, “The Unfiltered Bride,” and it has since gone viral on social media.
The episode, titled “It Ain’t Your Day,” gave general tips on being a “good wedding guest,” including colors and clothing styles the wedding professionals think guests should dodge. Smith asked Mitchell if there were other colors guests should avoid outside of white. Then Mitchell laughed while sharing the old wives’ tale that wearing red means you’ve slept with the groom.
She explained that the myth shouldn’t stop guests from wearing what they want but acknowledged that guests should carefully consider their wedding day attire. Mitchell said you shouldn’t rule out red as a color but added that she thinks it depends on the dress. Smith said she believes red can be perceived as naughty or sexy. Mitchell agreed with the idea that red could be attention-grabbing.
A clip of Smith and Mitchell’s filmed in-studio discussion was shared on The Unfiltered Bride TikTok account, receiving over 1.1 million views. Thousands of TikTok users have shared, liked, and saved the video, but not everyone agrees that wearing red to a wedding has a negative meaning. One TikToker user was happy to hear Smith and Mitchell’s discussion, adding that you shouldn’t wear red because it’ll stand out more.
Another user said they were told that wearing red to a wedding means representing lust and attempting to seduce the groom. However, several users wrote that they’ve never heard this old wives’ tale while admitting to wearing red as a wedding guest or knowing people who’ve worn the controversial color to a relative or close friend’s wedding. Others expressed confusion about the red guidance because they’ve been asked to wear red as a wedding party member.
Others noted that not every culture rejects the color red for wedding guests, and it is widely accepted in traditional Indian and Chinese weddings because it’s seen as a lucky color. Some commenters from parts of Europe argued that red isn’t a no for wedding guests. The origin of the controversial red dress fable is unclear, but cautionary and curious discussions have happened on various online forums.
Some blogs indicate that wearing red to weddings to send a message about a past flame is a practice in the South, but there’s no additional evidence. On the other hand, there’s not much discussion about whether men who wear red suits to weddings send a message about sleeping with the bride.
Brides Magazine, a well-known online wedding planning resource that gives tips for guests and couples before and after the aisle, recommends ignoring the myth about what wearing red to a wedding means for wedding guests.
Red is a popular color for weddings, and various wedding-planning websites have given tips on incorporating the controversial color in personal styling, décor, and wedding party attire.
