Melania Trump's Inappropriate Wedding Guest Dress That Nearly Upstaged The Bride

A wedding should be a joyous occasion, but there's one nuptials situation that can bring down the mood instantly. To avoid pearl-clutching stares, weeks of regret, and, worst of all, upsetting the bride, it's vital not to wear the wrong outfit as a guest. The list of what constitutes an inappropriate wedding-guest 'fit varies between generations and cultures, but one unbreakable rule across the board tends to be related to color. Specifically, it's not okay to wear white to a wedding, and by extension, any color that could be misconstrued as white. So, when Melania Trump appeared at the 2017 nuptials of Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton in a blush gown, we had a few questions. Some even had her pinned as one of the celebs who wore inappropriate outfits to other people's weddings. 

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At the June wedding, the FLOTUS looked radiant in a flowing chiffon pale-pink gown from Gilles Mendel, and she paired the summery custom frock with a pair of ultra-stylish Manolo Blahnik heels. But even though she objectively looked stunning, the pink hue of the dress was a little too close to being white for comfort. While it might have clearly been pink in real life, photographs of the first lady taken outside make the dress seem lighter, potentially upstaging the bride. "Nice of Flotus to wear the same color as the bride, she looks thrilled," one X user weighed in. "Never outshine the bride."

A close look at the photos of Melania Trump from Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton's wedding show that the gown is definitely pink. But still, light pastels are a risky move for wedding guests since they can break two major rules: Don't veer too close to white, and don't cause the bride any stress. "I wore a light pink to a wedding recently and was initially concerned with it being photographed as white," one Reddit user noted, adding that pink is acceptable to wear to a wedding provided that it's dark rather than a soft hue. "If it is pale enough to look white or almost white in some lighting/in photos, I'd pick something else," another said in the same thread. Meanwhile, a Redditor in another thread also voted that light pink is a no-go: "I wouldn't wear that color to a wedding myself, as it's too close to white in my opinion."

Attending weddings can be a costly exercise, so if you've got a light-pink gown and can't justify buying something else, there are a few ways to minimize the risk. Firstly, ensure that the bridesmaids aren't wearing a similar pink since you don't want to unknowingly match the bridal party in a color that's already risky on its own. Ask the couple whether it's okay to wear the dress, and show them a photo so they can judge for themselves whether it's too close to white. As long as you've got prior approval, you're good to go. It's unknown whether Melania got permission from Linton to choose such a light pink, but if she didn't, it's possible that the bride might not have been too impressed.

The 2017 wedding of Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton wasn't the first time that Melania Trump looked beautiful as a wedding guest, and it wasn't the last time she chose a dress that leaned dangerously close to white. Notably, she went with a peach shade for stepdaughter Tiffany Trump's nuptials, who tied the knot with Michael Boulos in November 2022. This one earned some backlash from the online community, with some social media users deciding that Melania Trump wore an inappropriate dress to Tiffany's wedding purely because of the color.

"Okay we've all talked about 'the crop' but has anyone said anything about Melania going full Evil Stepmother and wearing a dress that can only be described as 'not white because I'm wearing a belt,'" one X user prompted. However, others felt that the dress was clearly peach, and therefore not in violation of any wedding-guest rules. "Melania wore an understated dress for 2 reasons, #1 because she isn't Tiffany's mother and 2nd, chose something understated, not to dress like the fashionista she is, to not take away from Tiffany's beautiful wedding dress!" a fan argued. "Some will make ugly comments regardless of her choice." If that's true, then the same logic might apply to Melania's 2017 wedding-guest dress. Whether it's peach or pink, some folks believe a frock is fair game as long as it's not white. Still, for the safest outcome at your next wedding, check with the couple ahead of time to see which camp they fall into. 

While the first lady's fashion has occasionally caused a stir when she's been a wedding guest, she's been less controversial at red-carpet events. Here are all of Melania Trump's Met Gala looks ranked by how well she nailed the theme.