I banned my wedding guests from wearing colourful clothes

Release time：2024-04-30 13:41:57 Source：Culture Clutch news portal

A bride has been branded a 'princess' by her mother-in-law for setting a strict dress code for her wedding guests. 

Shanie Ryan, 39, told all guests they had to wear nude or neutral colours - such as beige, pale pinks and shades of brown - on her special day so that everyone would 'match'.

The mother-of-one, from south London, implemented the strict dress code because she had a 'clear vision' of what her wedding pictures would look like after her big day.

She feared guests arriving in bright garish getups would create the 'wrong vibe' and ruin her once-in-a-lifetime pictures.

Shanie and her now-husband Tony Sinclair, 39, therefore wrote on the invitations there was a nude or neutral tone colour scheme - and even Shanie admitted it was 'a bit cheeky'.

'If anyone had turned up with true defiance - bright pink glitter, feathers, or crazy prom dress styles that had felt like a middle finger to us, I would have ushered them to the back of the shots, or the photographer would have edited them out,' she said.  

Shanie Ryan, 39, told all guests they had to wear nude or neutral colours on her special day. Above: Shanie with her husband Tony 

The mother-of-one, from south London , implemented the strict dress code because she had a 'clear vision' of what her wedding pictures would look like after her big day

Shanie said that if anyone went against her wishes, she would have edited them out of her pictures 

'I was fully prepared for it to come up in a speech and I'd have to laugh at myself- and it did come up.

'Everyone said to me they thought by my invite that there might be a bridezilla moment on the big day.

'I think there were some people who thought it was so over the top and extra.

'My mother-in-law said she thought I was being a princess - but on the day she was impressed.'

The pictures came out exactly as the bride had hoped - making the bold request worthwhile. 

'We had spent a good amount of money on our photographer and videographer and I had a clear idea of what pictures and videos I wanted,' Shanie said.

'I wanted cinematic and romantic - I was clear on the vision.

'The only thing I thought might take away from the plan was people coming in crazy bright colours, or glitters and feathers.

The interior designer said she did not want her pictures looking like a 'wacky warehouse'

The dress code specified the couple's preferred palette of 'light neutrals' - beige, nude, tan, cream, champagne, and pale golds

'I was worried it wouldn't matter how beautiful the shots were if the guests at the wedding were wearing the wrong vibe.'

Shanie and Tony, an entrepreneur, got married at Primrose Hill Farm in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on July 6 last year.

Their invite said: 'We (aka Shanie lol) have a vision for the overall visual appearance of our wedding photos (sic). 

'Therefore we kindly and respectfully ask that you adhere to our preferred dress code'.

The dress code specified their preferred palette of 'light neutrals' - beige, nude, tan, cream, champagne, and pale golds.

They asked that the styles be 'glamorous, formal, red carpet worthy' and could feature 'delicate prints, texture, gentle shimmer and embellishment'.

But the invite also specified guests were not allowed to wear 'bright colours, black, white, dark colours, neons, bold prints, polka dots, stripes, glitter'. 

The couple wanted to ensure their friends and family did not turn up in strong patterns or bold colours but wanted guests to 'dress up and feel fabulous'.

Shanie only made one exception as a guest of African descent wanted to wear traditional attire 

Shanie said: 'We just didn't want it to look like a wacky warehouse.

'I did have a little moment where I thought, "is this a bit cheeky?" especially because some people just love colour, or some people love black.

'But it added an element of fun to the run up, and everyone was excited to show off what they were wearing.'

Luckily, all guests obeyed the rules and Shanie managed to get the pictures that she wanted.

The bride made one pre-agreed exception for a guest of African descent, who wanted to attend her special day in traditional attire that did not match the colour scheme.

'I'm glad we did the colours, everyone on the day commented it looks so good and that it was a good idea,' Shanie said.

'People understood it when they got there even if they didn't before.

'With the rolling hills in the background it captured the essence of the day, and it was kind of a talking point too.'

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