A wedding invitation just came in the mail–you have been invited to a wedding! While it’s a pleasure to partake in the couple’s big day and celebrate with them, attending a wedding requires a lot of effort too from picking a proper wedding gift, booking a hotel, and most importantly, choosing your outfit! When it comes to what to wear to a wedding, you have a lot to consider: color scheme, designs, price, etc.  

With regards to the color scheme, we’ve found that many people are considering wearing red to weddings and we can certainly understand why! It’s a dazzling, romantic, and elegant color. And it’s also a lucky color in Chinese culture! So wearing red to a wedding should be a good choice, right? Well, not always! 

Wearing Red to a Chinese Wedding Could be Inappropriate

If you are attending a Chinese wedding, wearing red is not recommended in most cases. While the color red is auspicious in Chinese culture, naturally, many people might think that it’s totally acceptable to wear it to any celebratory occasion. But weddings are an exception, wearing red to a Chinese wedding might offend the couple, especially if you are thinking of wearing a red qipao.  

The color red represents luck and happiness in Chinese culture. Therefore, at Chinese weddings, the bride usually wears a traditional Chinese wedding dress such as a red qipao or qun kwa with gold and silver embroidery. In many modern Asian-American weddings, the bride will wear a white wedding dress as their ceremony dress, and a traditional Chinese wedding dress at their reception or tea ceremony. Therefore, there is an unspoken rule that a red qipao is exclusive to the bride. 

As a guest, you wouldn’t want to be mistaken as the bride, which could be offensive. Of course, if the couple specifically requests that their guests wear red to bring them more luck and happiness, then you are more than welcome to wear red for their wedding. 

However, it’s still appropriate to incorporate hints of the color red into your outfit. For example, you can choose to wear red jewelry to subtly complement your dress. In this way, you can show your respect to the bride and bring the newlyweds extra good luck.  

Other Dress Color Options for Wedding Guests

Besides red and white, black is another color that you should avoid when attending an Asian-American wedding, since it’s the color of death and bad luck in Chinese culture. 

Are you wondering what other dress color options are appropriate to wear to a wedding? We have a few elegant qipaos that are not red, but made in shades of blue, green, and purple that could be perfect for you to wear as a wedding guest.

Anna Dress | Blue Velvet Cheongsam 

Our Anna Dress is perfect for you to wear to a wedding as a guest: it’s gorgeous but not too loud. It’s soft and stretchy, elegantly adorned with floral patterns and rhinestones. 

Lauren Dress | Purple Embroidered Silk Dress

The Lauren Dress is another elegant option for wedding guests to wear. It’s stylish and comfortable. The knee-length and round neckline design is perfect for those who are looking for a modest and graceful dress. 

Ming-Na Bespoke Dress | Green Silk Qipao

Our bespoke Ming-Na dress is a traditional sheath cheongsam with colorful embroideries over a dark green silk fabric. The color green represents longevity and vibrancy, which makes it an auspicious option to wear to a wedding. You can also customize the color of this bespoke dress.

Tammy Bespoke Dress | Purple Silk Qipao

Another popular design is the Tammy Bespoke Dress, which features beautiful and colorful floral embroideries over a purple silk fabric. Purple is a safe and stunning color choice for wedding guests and this dress also offers the option of customizing to different colors. 

Conclusion

If you are attending a wedding, just be mindful of choosing a red dress, in case you might come across as disrespectful to the couple. A bright and loud hue of red could be too distracting at a wedding. Instead, if you want to wear red, opt to wear darker shades of red instead. 

When going to a Chinese wedding, be aware of the traditions and avoid wearing the same color qipao as the bride. Most importantly, choose the dress that you feel the most comfortable and confident in so you can enjoy the wedding and have fun! 

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More to Love:

- 22 Inspirational Cheongsam Dresses That Are Not Red

- Going to a Chinese Wedding? Here are the Do’s and Don’ts 

- Wedding Dress Color Meanings for Modern Chinese Weddings