The Duke of Sussex broke tradition when he married Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex—he actually wore a wedding band! What a royal renegade!
It’s not just the happy couple who are expected to adhere to protocol on their big day. Guests must also follow the guidelines set by the bride and groom, which include dress code, punctuality, gift-giving, and, most importantly, maintaining silence when the officiant asks if anyone knows of any legal reason the couple should not be joined in holy matrimony.
However, many celebrities have chosen to break tradition at weddings, often stealing the spotlight and attempting to become the center of attention. Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist in New York City and director of Comprehend the Mind, shared her expert opinion on this behavior. “Some guests might not even realize they’re doing it, as they are used to being the most noticed person in the room,” she told Nicki Swift exclusively. “In other cases, a sense of entitlement leads them to believe their presence is just as important as the bride’s. Whether intentional or not, this behavior often reveals deeper insecurities and a desire for control over social situations.”
Hmm… Which celebrities might fit this description? You may not be surprised to find out who they are.
Kylie Jenner’s thirsty foil frock
Kylie Jenner wore quite the statement piece to attend Justin and Hailey Bieber’s second wedding in September 2019. It appeared Jenner was insistent on upstaging the bride, clad in a J’Aton Couture crumpled gold foil off-the-shoulder cutout monstrosity, slit to the hip and barely covering her ample bust. She accessorized with a butterfly-adorned clutch bag. Sadly, or not, perhaps, Kylie failed in her quest to outshine Hailey, who looked drop-dead gorgeous in (all three) of her wedding weekend ensembles, leaving Kylie’s gold tin foil thirst trap firmly in the shade.
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The youngest of the KarJen siblings posted a carousel of pics showing her posing in the dress, including a somewhat bizarre one of her cupping her breasts and an adorable one of her kissing little Stormi Webster, who was way too cool for school in a gorgeous little pink net tutu.
However, Kylie’s legion of usually loyal and loving fans were divided in their opinion of her attire. “Are you out of your mind? Why on earth would you wear that as a GUEST at a WEDDING,” one asked. Well, because she’s Kylie Jenner, obviously. “u can come to my wedding and be dressed like that i won’t yell at u,” another promised. “Your entire outfit could feed a family for a month!” a third wrote, clearly unaware that Kylie’s $5,195 Judith Leiber Couture clutch bag alone could keep an average thrifty family of four in groceries for five months, according to Business Insider.
Kim Kardashians skimpy sheath
Kim Kardashian ensured all eyes would be on her when she attended the wedding of her former assistant and somewhat friend, Stephanie Shepherd, and music industry hotshot, Larry Jackson, in June 2023. Clearly ignoring the go-to rule of never outshining the bride, Kim hogged the limelight in a skintight, skimpy Alaïa teeny tiny cutout crossed bandeau top matched with a zigzag open-front laced-up maxi skirt with a gaping crotch that showed off her black leather undies to full effect. Keeping it Klassy Kim.
Kim Kardashian wears a VERY revealing outfit to Stephanie Shepherd’s wedding in Beverly Hills https://t.co/ifhZ98jm03 pic.twitter.com/xoOh7sTArF
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) June 27, 2023
It was an outfit that would have earned two thumbs up from Kanye “Ye” West and his soon-to-be ex- (or still happily married, depending on who you believe) wife, Bianca Censori. Although, Censori would likely have skipped the unnecessary undies and not bothered with the top half.
Shepherd worked as Kardashian’s assistant for four years before she was kicked to the curb. She started in 2013 when Kardashian suffered another fashion fail after the reality star-turned-business-mogul’s dress became the talk of the Met Gala — for all the wrong reasons. Kardashian was heavily pregnant at the time, and her full-length, long-sleeved, high-neck dress, created by former Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, displayed her baby bump to perfection. Unfortunately, though, it also spawned a flood of mocking memes and jokes, with people comparing the gown’s floral print to a sofa and equating her appearance to Robin William’s character in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” A look that Kardashian was very likely not aiming for.
Kendell Jenner’s barely there body barer
Kendall Jenner dared to bare pretty much all and everything when she attended her pal Lauren Perez’s November 2021 wedding to David Waltzer in Miami Beach. The bride went for a classy and understated Vera Wang number, the bridesmaids wore custom-made Bec and Bridge in cornflower blue, and the groom wore Prada. As for Jenner? Well, she wore a $1,450 Monotofficial SS22 diamond cut-out two-piece — and she certainly didn’t get a lot of fabric bang for her thousand-plus bucks.
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Even Jenner’s fans were dazed and confused by her choice of wedding attire. “Beautiful dress on a beautiful girl but for a wedding event/wedding festivities, day of or after party idc, it tacky and unacceptable to wear to a wedding event! Nobody else was so bold. Everyone else actually looked much more confident and sexy in their appropriate attire. “Not appropriate at all for a friend’s wedding,’ a social media user decreed.
However, the real star of the day — the bride, not Jenner, in case you were wondering — was all in on the dress and absolutely loved the look. “[KENDALL] LOOKED STUNNING AND I LOVED IT!” Perez replied to a hater in her Instagram comments, in all caps, no less (via Buzzfeed). Jenner weighed in too, insisting, “@laurenperez Obvi asked for your approval in advance too. We love a beach wedding.”
Cheryl Cole’s feathery frocky horror
Cheryl Cole’s choice of dress to attend Nigel Hall and Philip Bates’ 2018 wedding at Claridge’s in London was — well — interesting. One thing was sure: There was no chance of bumping into another guest wearing the same outfit because it’s hard to believe Cheryl did, quite frankly. The sheer pink Zuhair Murad Haute Couture frocky horror featured sheer panels, tons of feathers, and glittery crystal bits stuck over it, resembling “Sesame Street” Big Bird on a night out on the town.
NEW || 📸 HQ’s of @CherylOfficial arriving at Nigel Hall’s wedding at Claridges in London tonight 💖🌟(22/9) pic.twitter.com/B7IRJEGGgB
— Cheryl News (@CheryINews2) September 22, 2018
Daily Mail commenters were not kind to Cheryl, to say the least. “All the money and fame can NEVER amount to COMMON SENSE. Time to look in the mirror before you step out. PLEASE!!!!” one begged. “Such an inappropriate dress for a wedding but so typical of Needy Tweedy, always wanting the attention… even if it means upstaging a friend on their wedding day. Stay classy Cheryl,” another sniped. “What a horrible friend. the dress is hiedeous but clearly inttent on grabbing headlines. wow with friend like Cheryl who needs enemies? Pure tacky and clasless,” a third weighed in.
Most seemingly missed that the spouses were called Nigel Hall and Philip Bates. So, accusations of Cheryl stealing attention from the bride were pretty amusing, and she couldn’t resist clapping back in an Instagram attack thread. “Them: How could you wear such a thing to a wedding? I bet the bride was upset. Me: There wasn’t one,” she wrote, adding the emoji of two men, as noted by the Daily Express.
Hailey Bieber’s backless side boob bodycon
One of the downsides of having a stable packed to the brim with beautiful, bodacious celeb besties is that you’re very likely going to pale in comparison to them. Still, that didn’t stop Stephanie Shepherd from inviting all the biggest, brightest, and hottest stars she knows to her June 2023 wedding to Larry Jackson. Oh, and Kris Jenner landed an invite, too.
As previously discussed, Kim Kardashian was dressed to the nines in her best flesh-flashing attention-grabbing garb. She was given a run for her money by Hailey Bieber, who looked stunning with a capital S in a slinky, full-length, fitted number with a cutout back that allowed for plenty of side-boob baring. The gown was designed by the Vietnamese label of choice for all it-girls, Fancì Club.
Bieber posted a carousel of photos on Instagram showing her posing in the dress, and, the internet being the internet, she was inundated with negative critiques from the social media police, many of whom mistakenly took the dress’ pale blue hue for white, traditionally a definite no-no color for a wedding guest to wear. “Okay I was a fan of Hailey Bieber but why is she wearing a white dress at someone else’s (Stephanie shepherds) wedding?? So tasteless not a classy move ngl p similar to Kendall wearing that naked dress at her friends. Rule no1: don’t overstep on the bride,” one incensed commenter posted on X.
What’s the happs with the thirst traps?
It’s no surprise that some celebs choose to have secret courthouse weddings to ensure the day goes off without a hitch and to prevent flocks of paparazzi from spoiling the festivities. Not to mention the real possibility of guests ruining their big day. But then, what is a wedding without some drunken revelry, embarrassing dancing, a possible punch-up, and wondrously inappropriate outfits? Dr. Sanam Hafeez weighs in on some of the festive fashion faux pas wedding guests can make, explaining sometimes it’s purely accidental — and other times it’s definitely not.
“Wearing white to someone else’s wedding is usually seen as disrespectful, but some people still do it. Sometimes, it’s an innocent mistake. [But] some people don’t believe in wedding traditions and wear whatever they want,” Dr. Hafeez explains. “Maybe they borrowed a dress, packed the wrong one, or didn’t realize how white it looked in certain lighting. It’s also possible they didn’t even think about it or realize it would be a problem.”
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As for inappropriate, barely-there ensembles? “Some people dress to steal attention at a wedding because they feel a deep need for validation,” Dr. Hafeez says. “They might struggle with low self-esteem and use their appearance to gain approval from others. Others have a competitive nature and see beauty and status as something to ‘win,’ even at someone else’s event. Jealousy can also play a role — if they envy the bride’s happiness, they may try redirecting focus onto themselves.”
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