Gone are the days of thinking guests can’t wear black (or red) to a wedding! A new study shows the most searched for wedding guest colours. The study conducted by fabric experts Dalston Mill Fabrics analysed Google Trends data with over 8,995 search terms relating to different colours and styles of dresses to wear to a wedding to reveal the most popular colours for wedding guests this summer.
1. Black
The colour black comes in at number one, with 74,037 searches on average a month worldwide for people looking for black wedding guest outfits. This can be a surprising result as traditionally, black is considered a colour for mourning and may not be appropriate for a traditional wedding seen as such a joyful and celebratory event.
However, in recent years, black can be considered more of a classy and sleek look, and the thought process has shifted to it being more acceptable and welcoming to wear black to a wedding, as long as it fits the dress code.
Recent examples of wearing black to weddings are Made in Chelsea’s Ruby Adler and Kate Moss’s half-sister Lottie Moss, who both recently wore long black dresses to Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s Spanish wedding.
2. Green
The second most Googled colour to wear to a wedding is green, with 63,150 searches on average a month. Green can be viewed as a refreshing and vibrant colour to wear to a wedding and the colour is currently trending, due to being featured in Pantone’s Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week palette.
Nicole Richie led by example and wore a sheer green gown with a halter neckline designed by Alberta Ferretti that matched the venue’s landscape gardens to sister Sofia Richie’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
3. Pink
In third place is the colour pink, with 48,907 searches a month on average. Pink can be associated with purity, love, and good health, and can also add that refreshing splash of colour to spring and summer weddings.
With the latest trend of Barbiecore and Pantone announcing Viva Magenta as the colour of the year, pink can be expected to be seen everywhere in 2023, from runways to weddings.
4. Blue
Blue comes in fourth spot for most searched for wedding guest colour, with 44,547 searches a month on average. Blue has been seen as timeless colour for weddings as the ‘something blue’ traditional rhyme is from a belief that blue represents love, fidelity, and trust.
Blue has also made its mark on runways this year, appearing significantly in the Spring 2023 Couture shows, with one of the shows being Viktor & Rolf’s topsy, turvy dress display.
5. Red
With 30,247 searches a month on average, red comes in at the fifth spot. Red can symbolise passion and love and can be flexible as it has different shades that can be suited for different seasons, such as darker burgundy shades for autumn/winter.
Although, wearing the colour red to a wedding has been debated in the past, as the bright colour can sometimes draw attention away from the bride.
A spokesperson from Dalston Mill Fabrics commented on the findings: “It can be hard choosing what to wear to a wedding, as it’s such a special occasion, but finding out the bride and grooms dress code is essential. It’s fascinating to learn which colours wedding guests are searching for most and compare with traditions to see how the modern wedding is changing. The research also highlights that white wedding guest outfits rank as the 12th most popular, with 10,923 searches a month on average, which is relatively high up the ranking, considering this is the biggest no-go for a wedding.”
