Footage of a wedding guest wearing a hooded sweatshirt and matching pair of sweatpants at the happy couple's reception has been met with anger online.
The video was shared to TikTok by the underdressed wedding guest's sister, Chanel Reid. "Only my brother would turn up to a wedding like this," she wrote alongside the clip.
At the time of writing, the video has been watched over 2.8 million times, with many viewers left unimpressed at the man's choice of casual attire. Check it out here.
While many of the traditions associated with weddings have changed and evolved over the years, formal dress remains a steadfast requirement for most nuptials.
For Hooman Bahrani, professional wedding photographer with Vesic Photography and founder of Wedding Day Timeline, anyone breaking from formality to wear something outlandish or alternative runs the risk of overshadowing the bride and groom.
Bahrani told Newsweek: "There is definitely a fine line between bringing your own style to a wedding in a way that makes sense, and using a wedding to make a statement to draw attention to yourself."
As a photographer, he said this is especially true when it comes to members of the family, with anyone breaking from tradition in danger of disrupting the pictures taken on the big day.
"We hear so much about how a wedding is about the bride, or the couple. But honestly, it's about them and their families," Bahrani said.
"For many people the wedding is the first time in a long time that all of these family members have gathered together. And these family portraits are very important—not only to a couple, but their parents, grandparents and other family members."
That assessment may go some way to explaining the reaction to Reid's brother in the TikTok video. In the clip, he can be seen sitting at a table during the reception wearing sweats.
But while his sister found his lack of formal attire hilarious, many on social media were less amused.
Adella Repellalalala said she would have been "fuming" if someone turned up to her wedding dressed like that. User2159899422722 wrote: "If he was at my wedding he would absolutely be asked to leave regardless of who he was."
Meanwhile, 16.dvf commented "classy" with Ashleigh Robins adding: "there's always one." Some sought to defend his actions though. Charlie Forrest said: "it's comfy," while S1MP4AM4RI commented: "if I had the choice I would."
Commenting on the notion of someone wearing sweats to a wedding reception, Bahrani told Newsweek: "If I saw this at a wedding I was photographing there's not much I could or would do at the moment. If the couples or parents were physically upset about it, I would quietly mention that later we can discuss some Photoshop tricks to remove the tracksuit."
Newsweek has contacted Reid for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jrCcnZyZo7Rus9Seqq1lp5qus7XNoGSsr5WWwbGtza2qZqqVmLKxwMiopWasmaDBsLeMr6CdnZ9ifniBkXFsbQ%3D%3D