I contributed to an article in Southern Living Magazine
on wearing a black dress to attend a wedding.
There has been a controversy for years about wearing black to a wedding. Recently, Kendall Jenner from Keeping Up With the Kardashian wearing a black dress with cutouts that showed her midriff at a friend's wedding created a feeding frenzy. Kendall wanted to be the center of attention at the wedding, and she got the attention. But, taking attention from the bride is poor etiquette.
Black has symbolic meaning communicating evil and death and formality. It is used in negatively charged words like blackmail and blocklist, but it can symbolize class, wealth, and elegance.
I know many women think they look skinner in a black dress. It does cut down and the worries about an unflattering print, but know it can say Nonverbally, "I have a wish to look good, and I matter more than you, so I am willing to wear a somber color to your celebratory event."
So if the bridal event is formal and in the evening, a simple black dress may be appropriate. Still, I would recommend getting permission to wear it and making sure the bridesmaids are not wearing black dresses as you again would be "stealing" attention and the role of the bridesmaids.
Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
