A South London bride was branded a “princess” for setting a dress code for her wedding guests – but said it was “worth it” for the perfect wedding shots. Shanie Ryan, 39, told all guests they had to wear nude or neutral colours – like beige, pale pinks and plain browns – to her big day so they would all match.
She 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 the pictures.
So Shanie and her now-husband Tony Sinclair, 39, wrote on the invitations there was a nude or neutral tone colour scheme for guests’ outfits. Interior designer and presenter Shanie said guests mocked her while family accused her of being a “princess” for the request – and even Shanie admitted it was “a bit cheeky”.
But the pictures came out exactly as she had hoped – making the colour scheme worthwhile. Mum-of-one Shanie, from South London, said: “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.
“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. 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, 2023. Their invite said: “We (aka Shanie lol) have a vision for the overall visual appearance of our wedding photos. 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 may not wear “bright colours, black, white, dark colours, neons, bold prints, polka dots, stripes, glitter”. They wanted to make sure guests didn’t turn up in strong patterns or bold colours but wanted guests to “dress up and feel fabulous”.
“We just didn’t want it to look like a wacky warehouse,” she said. “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.”
She added: “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 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.”
Luckily, all guests obeyed the rules. She made one pre-agreed exception for a guest of African descent, who wanted to attend in traditional attire which didn’t match the colour scheme.
Shanie added: “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.
“I’m glad we did the colours, everyone on the day commented it looks so good and that it was a good idea. 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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