Wedding etiquette: Kate Forster slams controlling wedding rules and destination weddings

Australian author Kate Forster has declared war on wedding dress codes, destination ceremonies and what she sees as the increasingly “controlling” nature of modern weddings.

The author, known for her hilarious videos and no-filter opinions on cultural issues, has taken aim at couples who dictate what their guests can wear in the name of getting the perfect wedding photos.

Forster shared her thoughts in an Instagram video, which now has 160k views, after having a conversation with her daughter about weddings, admitting she was stunned to discover just how many rules some couples now have for their guests.

“I didn’t realise that you people are telling guests what they should wear for your wedding because of your photos,” she said.

“I think you’ve missed what a wedding is.”

Forster argued the point of a wedding was fairly simple, to stand in front of the people you love, promise to stick together and celebrate.

“Everyone goes, ‘Yeah’. Take some photos. Eat some cake. F...ing happy days,” she said.

But apparently, that level of simplicity is now asking too much.

Forster has taken particular issue with the growing list of wedding fashion commandments, from banned colours and prints to instructions about exactly what guests should wear.

“The fact that there’s like no prints, no colours, no this, no that. You’ve got to wear this. You’ve got to wear that. F... off!” she said.

“I would rather not go to your wedding.”

Then came the destination weddings.

Forster has questioned whether couples really expected their friends and family to spend their holidays travelling across the world for their big day.

“As for these f...ing destination weddings, do you think we are kings and queens? Not going to that either,” she said.

“I don’t want to spend my holiday talking to your future mother-in-law, who I think is a b.....”

While Forster stressed couples could ultimately do whatever they wanted for their own wedding, she had one firm request for guests.

“Do not tell me what to wear,” she said.

She also questioned whether some couples had become so focused on creating the perfect-looking wedding that they had forgotten what the celebration was actually about.

“Stop being so f...ing controlling and performative,” she said.

“It’s weird and yucky, and yeah, I’m judging you.”

Forster also offered up her own highly scientific assessment of the best weddings, based on her extensive experience.

“Because I’m 110, I’ve been to a lot of the weddings,” she joked.

“The best weddings were the small ones. The best weddings were the private ones. The best weddings were not f...ing performance central.”