Influencer hits back at backlash over white wedding guest dress

It's a known fact that guests should avoid wearing white to a wedding – unless a specific request has been issued. One influencer found herself in hot water after doing just that, but there's more to the story.

Tahlia Skaines, who boasts over 800,000 followers online, responded to backlash after her white wedding guest dress sparked a debate on Instagram.

"A beautiful day celebrating love," she captioned the photo of her donning a long white, barely-there gown for the Bali wedding.

Inevitably, the comments were flooded with people criticising Tahlia for her outfit choice – given the controversial colour.

"Seriously? Even if there isn’t a dress code did you forget that this day isn’t about you? You wore a nearly identical dress to the bride… have just a shred of decency and decorum ffs," one harshly wrote, while another simply penned: "Not appropriate to wear to a wedding."

Tahlia has since turned to her YouTube channel to offer further context.

"The theme is white," she informed viewers, adding that she didn't know the theme was white until two days prior.

"This is one of those things that is self-inflicted... like I'm the problem. I didn't know the theme was white. I did actually see the invitation nine months ago. I don't remember seeing white on there."

Tahlia explained that she already had her outfit planned, but soon figured there was a colour code and was scrambling to find something to wear from her suitcase.

"I tried another dress on, and felt like there was a little bit of stomach showing," she continued. "I think also, because the theme is white and I already feel illegal wearing white, it already feels so wrong on so many levels."

Fortunately for Tahlia, she managed to hire a new backup dress from a rental service that was delivered just in time for the wedding.

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