A TikToker defended herself over a wedding guest dress controversy after viewers thought it looked too white: 'The dress is clearly green'

• A TikToker posted a video of a green dress that she said would be ideal to wear as a wedding guest.
• The post ignited an intense debate, as some users said the pale dress looked too similar to white.

A TikToker faced an onslaught of criticism for sharing a "wedding guest" outfit that people thought would insult the bride because it looked too white, despite the fact it was actually green.

On March 16, Lauren Candy shared a video of her trying on a sage green dress from online retailer ASOS, with an on-screen caption saying she thought it was "quite possibly the most beautiful wedding guest dress ever."

While Candy's previous videos, which often involve her doing try-on hauls of various outfits, typically receive under 500,000 views, her wedding guest post went viral, receiving 2.8 million views and proving to be one of her most controversial posts to date.

Dozens of commenters said the dress looked too pale and too similar to white in the video, and that even though it had colorful embroidery on it, it might insult the bride at any wedding she wore it to, due to the common convention that only the bride wears white on her wedding day.

"If someone says something looks white - don't wear it to a wedding," one user wrote.

Other commenters disagreed, saying the dress did not look particularly white to them and that they did not think people had any reason to criticize the dress.

"I don't understand the comments I would not be offended if you turned up to my wedding in this it's clearly green & absolutely beautiful," one user wrote.

Another person commented: "I love wedding guest dress videos because people treat a dress that might be white if you squint in the right lighting like it's a hate crime."

Later on the same day, Candy posted a follow-up video responding to a comment that said her dress was "totally not appropriate" for a wedding because of its color.

"Personally if someone wore it to my wedding I'd be saying how beautiful they are and can I borrow it, but of course, everyone has their own opinions," she said in the clip.

She also shared a clip of the dress laid out next to a white vest, where the contrast between the two colors could be seen more easily. "The dress is clearly green," she explained.

Many commenters under Candy's second clip said they thought the criticism showed people were taking wedding etiquette rules "too far" and being too critical of others, while some doubled down on their initial statement that the dress looked too white, saying in particular that it would likely appear white in the wedding photographs due to how pale it looked in the TikToker's first video.

Creators who have shared ideas for dresses to wear as a guest at a wedding have previously faced similar backlash on TikTok when commenters said the outfit looked white.

Wedding etiquette is an explosively popular topic on TikTok, with creators sharing their thoughts on some of the most common wedding dos and don'ts, such as how to dress if you're a wedding guest, or whether it is OK to ask for a plus one to the ceremony if you were not given one on the invitation.

Lauren Candy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.