Bridesmaid Backed for Wearing White Dress to 'Infuriated' Sister's Wedding

Internet commenters rallied behind one 28-year-old woman who wore a white dress to her sister's wedding—despite explicit instructions not to do so.

In a viral Reddit post published on the r/AmITheA**hole forum, Redditor u/obvvsttuct (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she was honored to serve as a bridesmaid but revealed how indecision and a lack of financial resources left her at the mercy of her sister's wrath.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for wearing a white dress to my sister's wedding?" the post has received nearly 8,000 upvotes and 1,500 comments since October 14.

"For months, my sister planned her wedding," OP began. "I was one of her bridesmaids."

Continuing to explain that her sister refused to pay for dresses for her bridal party, the original poster said her refusal was accompanied by a curious request: for bridesmaids to wear white.

The original poster also said she purchased a white dress for the wedding, spending more than $1,700, before her sister changed her mind.

"I really care about my sister, so I put a lot of thought and time into choosing my dress hoping it would be okay for her wedding," OP wrote. "I found this beautiful lace corset, long white dress...[for] around £1500 and the boutique had a no return policy.

"My sister was overjoyed. She exclaimed she LOVED the dress...[but] a week before the wedding...I wake up to texts and calls from my sister," OP continued. "I open my sister's texts and see, 'Change of plan, I do not want bridesmaids wearing white. White is for the bride and all the other bridesmaids are now wearing teal.'

"My heart literally sank, I did not have enough money to buy another dress...I let my sister and family know this and attended the wedding," OP added. "Everyone was giving me dirty looks and stares, especially the groom. My sister was infuriated with me afterwards and my entire family is ignoring me."

Wearing white to a wedding can be risky business.

With the exception of nuptials that require all guests and wedding party members to dress alike, white is usually reserved for the bride.

Anyone else wearing it is likely to stand out and, more importantly, steal some of the bride's thunder—which is sure to cause problems.

"It is standard etiquette for ladies to avoid wearing the color white as a guest of a wedding," Alexis Eliopoulos O'Mara, master wedding consultant and owner of Unique Weddings by Alexis, told Newsweek.

"The bride typically wants to enjoy being the only one in white on her wedding day," Eliopoulos O'Mara added.

Last year, the average cost of a new wedding dress in the U.S. was $1,800, according to The Knot's 2021 Real Weddings Survey.

The Knot also reported that dresses worn by bridal party members cost around $130 per person, marking a major disparity between bride and bridesmaid.

In the viral Reddit post, however, the original poster said she spent upwards of $1,700 on a bridesmaid dress, and was adamant that her sister encouraged that purchase, going so far as to say that the gown would be "perfect" for her wedding.

Throughout the viral post's comment section, many Redditors took issue with this encouraging behavior and speculated that the original poster was shamelessly set up.

"The entire 'only the bride wears white' goes out the window when the bride explicitly states that you should buy the white dress for her wedding," Redditor u/Certified_freshk wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 15,000 upvotes.

"Your sister sucks," they continued. "If she wants you to wear a teal dress, that's fine, as long as she reimburses you for the white one."

Redditor u/HunterDangerous1366, whose comment has received nearly 6,000 upvotes, offered a more investigative perspective.

"Your sister was setting you up to fail here," they wrote. "She watched you spend £1500 on a dress after [okay-ing] it and seeing it on.

"I think she didn't want you in her wedding party? [Or] maybe you looked too good in the dress? Maybe she was jealous," they added. "Who knows, but she did you dirty here."

"Your sister is being ridiculous," Redditor u/mdsnbelle chimed in. "Who the hell changes up the entire color scheme a week before the wedding? Your sister either set you up to fail...or she really is a flake."

Newsweek has reached out to u/obvvsttuct for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.