Unless the wedding invitation specifies a particular dress code, you're free to use your best judgement and wear what you think works best for the occasion.
This is exactly what nutrition and fitness coach Liz Krueger did when she had to attend a friend's wedding on a warm June day.
The 33-year-old from Minneapolis knew it was going to be a 90-degree day so she opted for a form-fitting strapless mini-dress and heels, but her outfit of choice was not well-received by some of the guests and it made her the target of physical and verbal bullying.
After the eventful night, Krueger took to Instagram to share her experience with her followers, revealing that because of the dress "so many women" were rude to her.
There was someone who came up to her and slapped her behind as a "dare from her friends," and another spilled "a full beer" down her arms.
"Just one of maaaaany acts of kindness of the night!" Krueger wrote sarcastically.
She revealed that she almost called it a night after one of the incidents, but decided to stick around and enjoy the party because she has "thick skin," and is "able to laugh at things and not take it personally." She also credited her good friends and husband for being by her side and helping her remain strong throughout the night.
"Regardless, we had one heck of s fun night and no "grown" women's comments/glares could bring me down as a wedding guest," she concluded the post.
The bodybuilder shared her story with the public because she wanted to remind everyone that adults can be bullies too, and to not be afraid to "stand up for yourself."
She wrote on Facebook:
Let this be a lesson to everyone. Your actions have consequences. People deserve respect, no matter what they are wearing. When these things happen to you, you have the RIGHT to talk about them, even when the person in the wrong tells you your 'story' is BS. Stand up for yourself. Don't be a quiet lamb. Be confident. Be strong. At the end of the day, know who you are, so when someone (or thousands of people) try to tell you different...you know you're right and they are wrong.
She introduced the hashtag #KreuegerKindness as part a movement to encourage people to put an end to the kind of shaming and bullying she experienced.
"I'm going to actively make it a priority to do good things for other women, every single day from here on out," she wrote on Instagram. "I'm hoping to inspire others to do the same, just as I have with fitness journey."
Krueger explained that "anything as simple as a complimenting a women daily, buying them a coffee/lunch, taking the time to speak to someone who's in a hard place, volunteering with girls who have been bullied, getting to know women deeper than surface level and making a point myself to not judge a book by its cover on a daily basis," can make a difference.
