Hailey Bieber has divided fans after she appeared to attend her friend Stephanie Shepherd’s wedding in a white dress.
Over the weekend, Bieber, 26, was accompanied by her husband Justin Bieber as they attended the Beverly Hills nuptials, where they were joined by fellow celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Malika Haqq, according to photos of the festivities shared by the DailyMail.
For the occasion, the Rhode Skin founder opted for a white, backless, long-sleeved gown with a high neck. She paired the look, which she later shared photos of on Instagram, with teal eyeshadow, a pale blue fur purse, and simple jewellery.
According to the photographs, Justin wore an oversized white button-down shirt and black trousers for the wedding of Shepherd, Kardashian’s former assistant, while the Skims founder, her mother, and Haqq were all photographed in black gowns.
On social media, Bieber’s outfit choice has sparked criticism from fans, with some questioning the model’s choice to wear white to a wedding.
“The only thing I want to know is why the f*** you wore white to a WEDDING,” one person commented under Bieber’s photos, while another asked: “Why is she wearing white to a wedding???”
“Isn’t it against wedding law to wear anything close to white to a wedding?” someone else wrote. “I’m not even hating but it’s a huge yikes…”
According to Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, who previously spoke to The Independent, the rule against wearing white still applies for most weddings, as she noted that “white is still reserved for the bride” and that guests “should select another colour” when choosing an outfit.
As for why guests should avoid white for a wedding, wedding dress designer Madeline Gardner previously told The Knot that it comes down to “the most important thing to keep in mind,” not upstaging the bride.
Although many of Bieber’s fans questioned her dress choice, others argued that the model’s dress was actually light blue.
“Her dress is light blue, not white,” one person claimed in the comments under Bieber’s Instagram post, while another said: “Before y’all start with your think pieces… the dress is baby blue. She wore baby blue head to toe.”
However, others suggested that, even if Bieber’s dress was light blue, the light shade meant that it was still a breach of wedding etiquette. “This is too close to white I fear,” one person tweeted.
“Is it me or is that dress pretty much white,” someone else wrote in response to the photos of the couple.
While most were in agreement that guests should generally avoid wearing white to a wedding, others pointed out that Shepherd may have requested that attendees wear either white or black to her nuptials.
“The theme was white and black right? Because it doesn’t make sense for this woman to be in WHITE at a wedding. I’ll be giving the benefit of the doubt,” one person tweeted.
Although Shepherd did not post photos from the wedding, Swizz Beats shared an album of photos taken during the reception, in which Alicia Keys could be seen wearing a green dress.
Bieber was not the only guest who faced backlash over the outfit she wore to the wedding, as fans also questioned the appropriateness of Kardashian’s dress, which featured a bra-style top and a skirt with cut-out details. “Is she going to a club or a wedding?” one critic asked.
Shepherd, who previously held the role of COO of Kardashian’s KKW company before parting ways with The Kardashians star, married Larry Jackson, the former global creative director at Apple Music who recently created music company Gamma.
Olivia Wilde faced similar criticism earlier this year after she wore a white gown to Colton Underwood’s wedding to Jordan C Brown.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Bieber for comment.
