Anonymous
05/18/2026 21:51
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are invited to several high school graduation parties in the next few weeks. I know the graduating girls usually wear white dresses. Is it ok for the guests to also wear white/ off white dresses ? Or is it like a wedding where it’s a faux pas for anyone other than the bride to wear white?
That is not a thing around here.
Maybe in Alabama?
It’s a thing everywhere. I wore a white dress for my high school and college graduations (and the parties). I’m not from Alabama.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 11:04
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
I’d pick a different color because white is hard to pull off for a variety of reasons. But if you can pull it off, just don’t get a dress like the farce wear!
Anonymous
05/18/2026 10:57
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
I don’t think the women who are confused by this question should be giving fashion advice - they clearly don’t have good fashion sense.
White dresses for graduation have been standard in my experience for at least 50 years. As a mom, I’d pick a different color.
White dresses for graduation have been standard in my experience for at least 50 years. As a mom, I’d pick a different color.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:51
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:Business attire or business casual. What the guest speaker would wear.
It's not prom.
Is the speaker coming to the backyard party after? The white dress is for the ceremony who knows what someone will wear to their party.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:49
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:Business attire or business casual. What the guest speaker would wear.
It's not prom.
What? You can absolutely wear a nice, summery dress . . . white or otherwise. It's a celebration of achievement, not a business event.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:49
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If it's one of the more matronly Lilly Pulitzer or similar, those are expensive and I would get some wear out of it at graduations. You are not going to be mistaken for a graduate who wears strappy short stuff, FFS.
Also, is the white dress at graduation relatively new? I never did it 30-40 years ago. Just a nice dress or outfit. Especially if robes were involved.
We wore white dresses in 1998 at my Fairfax county high school.
+1 We wore white in my FCPS school on 1994.
What’s different today is how short they are! My DD ordered a bunch to try on yesterday and thankfully threw in a pair of white bike shorts, because I don’t think she’ll be able to sit down otherwise.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:46
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Business attire or business casual. What the guest speaker would wear.
It's not prom.
It's not prom.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:44
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:Of course. It's not a wedding...but it's still a tad early for white dresses for adults.
Memorial Day is in a week.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 08:38
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Of course. It's not a wedding...but it's still a tad early for white dresses for adults.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 04:47
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:I think it's fine. We're getting to be a society of so many absurd rules. I recently heard someone say no pastels to weddings bc they might look white under certain lighting. Come on.
+1. I have seen posts about wearing a floral dress with a white background to a wedding. For the record, a FLORAL DRESS will not look similar to a bridal gown.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 00:29
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
There is no rule that says girls wear white at graduation. Some girls do it, not all.
My DD's middle school ceremony, a group of girls wore short white dresses. I can tell you that by the time something makes it to MIDDLE SCHOOL... the trend has run its course.
Of course you can wear white, OP. Wear whatever you damn well like!
My DD's middle school ceremony, a group of girls wore short white dresses. I can tell you that by the time something makes it to MIDDLE SCHOOL... the trend has run its course.
Of course you can wear white, OP. Wear whatever you damn well like!
Anonymous
05/18/2026 00:22
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:We are invited to several high school graduation parties in the next few weeks. I know the graduating girls usually wear white dresses. Is it ok for the guests to also wear white/ off white dresses ? Or is it like a wedding where it’s a faux pas for anyone other than the bride to wear white?
That is not a thing around here.
Maybe in Alabama?
Anonymous
05/17/2026 20:13
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:A middle aged woman in a white summer dress? No. Just no.
This. Let the young people wear white.
Anonymous
05/17/2026 20:06
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
I think it's fine. We're getting to be a society of so many absurd rules. I recently heard someone say no pastels to weddings bc they might look white under certain lighting. Come on.
Anonymous
05/17/2026 20:05
Subject: Grad party etiquette: wearing white
Anonymous wrote:When did this trend even start?
It's always been a private school thing. We wore white dresses 20+ years ago but we also wore robes over them, so in theory you could've gotten away with wearing another color. But we were supposed to wear white dresses under our robes and boys were supposed to wear blue shirts with ties.