It’s sheer madness.
The drums of wedding dress war are sounding throughout social media as a young, ultramodern bride is virally defying her modest mom’s request that she wear a traditionally conservative frock on her big day.
“[Mother of the bride says] ‘I only want my daughter in a ballgown,’” read the closed-caption of a trending Instagram Reel, which featured a redheaded woman trying on wedding dresses at Celebration Bridal and Tux boutique in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In the controversial clip, which has drummed up over 29,000 likes, the unnamed bride-to-be is seen confidently strutting around the dress shop in an all-white, hip-hugging number with a plunging sweetheart neckline and a sheer, floor-length skirt that showcased her bare thighs.
As the nearly-wed models the risqué raiment, another young woman hands her a bouquet of flowers. The duo then boldly sashays towards the camera — as if to signify a wanton disregard for her mother’s ballgown wishes. (The apparent bride in the clip appears to be an employee of the bridal boutique).
The caption of the post read: “All jokes aside — it’s your day, your way,” encouraging the redhead and other brides to wear whatever they want for their nuptials.
However, disapproving commenters argued that the clinging, skin-flaunting wedding dress was nothing more than an indecent disaster.
“The see-through skirt looks trashy,” rebuked a hater.
“I am so sick of gowns that look like lingerie,” wrote a separate naysayer.
“Little girls trying to exert their independence but still need mommy to pay. How cute,” another mocked.
“That dress is too short for a wedding dress,” said another commentator, in part, “[It] needs a bit of an underskirt.”
The criticisms echoed those received by a recent bride from Australia who virally donned a see-through wedding dress while tying the knot on her special day in April. On TikTok, detractors of the sheer ensemble deemed it a “slutty” spectacle. A separate newlywed from down under, too, felt the internet’s wrath for recently showing “too much skin” in her “naked” wedding dress.
But luckily for the ginger-headed bride-to-be on Instagram, a small army of virtual supporters rushed to her defense in the comments, agreeing that she should wear the dress of her dreams — despite reprimands from finger-wagging frumps.
“All these boomers in here saying [her dress] needs a liner underneath…Just because y’all want to cover up doesn’t mean we do,” penned an advocate for the bride, chastising folks over age 59 for attempting to force their outdated fashions on Gen Z and Millennial women. “Mind your business,” the comment continued, in part.
Another backer wrote, “Not the mom’s day. My mom tried to pull all kinds of shenanigans after backing out [of my wedding] two weeks beforehand because I didn’t want my day to be what she wanted. Good riddance.”
“Momma, it’s none of your business,” said another. “You did your day, let her do hers. Selfish.”
Others advised the mother of the bride to approach the wedding gown shopping experience with grace and understanding.
“Celebrate your daughter’s independence and personal style!” encouraged an online onlooker.
“This is the first step in solidifying a divide between you and your child. How you react or attempt to control your daughter on her path to her own life can have irreversible damage,” the said well-wisher.
“Choose your relationship over your opinion.”