A bridesmaid has sparked a debate on TikTok after revealing the drastic alterations she made to the dress she would be wearing as part of the bridal party in her sister’s upcoming wedding.
Brittney Rae, who goes by the username @ brittneyraetoday on TikTok, documented her attempt to redesign the dress in a video uploaded last week, which she captioned: “Watch me try to make my bridesmaid dress less ugly before the wedding this weekend.”
In the video, which began with Rae wearing the green floor-length velvet bridesmaid dress she’d purchased, she explained that she “paid $300 for this frumpy robe,” before sharing a sketch of the alterations she planned to make to the dress.
As Rae cut out various portions of the dress, she noted that if she messes up the redesign, she will “have nothing to wear and the bride will KILL ME”.
In a follow-up video posted a few days later, Rae reflected on the alteration process, explaining that she had to “completely deconstruct” her bridesmaid dress and that she was a “little stressed,” before showing her wearing the final result.
While Rae was happy with the changes to the gown, many users who watched the viral TikToks, which were each viewed more than 1m times, accused Rae of attempting to steal the spotlight away from the bride, or of altering a dress that the bride chose specifically for the bridal party.
“You would be taken out of my bridal party if you did this to the dress I picked for you,” one person commented.
Another said: “I am going to say this… her wedding is not about you!”
“Did the bride give you permission? Then fine, great job. But if she didn’t, the wedding isn’t yours or about how you look,” someone else commented.
However, others pointed out that the bride could have chosen a specific colour, but then allowed the bridal party to pick their own dresses, with another viewer noting: “Y’all she clearly just bought a dress in the right colour and didn’t have to have a specific style.”
According to Rae, her sister did allow each of the bridesmaids to choose their own dresses as long as they were green, responding to one comment criticising her changes: “None of the dresses were the same. Not the same cut, fabric, or even the same shade of green.”
The bride also defended Rae in the comments, writing: “Hi bride here. They picked their own dresses in green. I LOVE what she did to her dress.”
The choice is not uncommon, as Brides says: “Gone are the days of everyone wearing the same dress,” and that brides are instead opting for a bridal party dressed in “dresses with different styles, fabrics, hemlines, and colours”.
In a follow-up video, Rae joked about the criticism, responding to a comment accusing her of trying to “upstage” the bride: “If I was trying to upstage a bride at her own wedding, I would have to do a little better than a homemade green velvet dress.”
Rae then proceeded to share some of the dress options that she would wear if her intention was to upstage the bride, such as a white gown or a red dress that is also see-through.
In another video, Rae shared videos and photos taken on the day of her sister’s wedding, in which she and the bride can be seen smiling.
The Independent has contacted Rae for comment.
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