Australian influencer Tahlia Skaines attended a friend's wedding in Greece wearing a $700 lemon-yellow gown, sparking debate online about whether guests should upstage the bride. Critics accused her of drawing too much attention away from the couple, while others praised her look as "magical." This incident follows a similar controversy at another wedding where Skaines wore a cream-colored cutout gown. Fashion and etiquette experts weigh in, with designer Amanda Perna advising against wearing anything that could be mistaken for a bridal gown or becoming the main topic of conversation, whereas etiquette expert Nick Leighton emphasizes following the invitation guidelines while still looking one's best.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Tahlia Skaines, an Australian influencer, sparked controversy by wearing a plunging lemon-yellow gown to a friend's wedding in Greece, causing some attendees to accuse her of upstaging the bride. On social media, many commented that she "literally outdid the bride," while others praised her outfit for looking "magical." This isn't Skaines' first time facing criticism; in 2024, she wore a revealing cream-colored cutout gown to another wedding in Bali and was criticized as being inappropriate, despite claiming that guests were instructed to wear white. Despite the backlash, Skaines maintains that her intentions were positive and notes that the bride had approved of her outfit. The incident has reignited discussions about etiquette at weddings, particularly regarding when dressing fashionably crosses into territory where one overshadows the couple getting married.
Written for “Influencer Wedding Upstage” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
While the lore says the bride is always the most beautiful person in the room, Australian influencer Tahlia Skaines has a knack for challenging that assumption.
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Skaines → say → assumption
Skaines may have committed a bridal faux pas after turning up to a friend’s wedding in Greece in a plunging lemon-yellow gown — prompting critics to accuse her of one of matrimony’s most controversial offenses.
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Skaines → commit → offenses
“Literally outdid the bride!” one commenter declared on her Instagram after the 31-year-old posted photos from the nuptials, while others gushed that she looked “magical.”
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she → outdo → nuptials
In 2024, after wearing a revealing cream-colored cutout gown to another wedding in Bali, critics online were quick to call the look “tacky” and inappropriate for someone else’s big day.
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critics → wear → day
Skaines pushed back at the time, saying guests had actually been instructed to wear white — and that the bride herself loved her dress.
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bride → push → dress
Now, despite ditching white for yellow, she’s once again found herself at the center of the same debate: When does looking fabulous at a wedding cross the line into stealing the bride’s spotlight?
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looking → ditch → spotlight
Etiquette and fashion experts say there’s a big difference between dressing to impress and dressing to steal the show — and simply being beautiful, glamorous or even the best-dressed person in the room isn’t necessarily poor form.
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being → say → room
“You cannot upstage a bride simply by looking beautiful,” fashion designer Amanda Perna told The Post.
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Perna → upstage → Post
“You upstage a bride when your choices intentionally redirect attention toward you.”
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choices → upstage → you
Perna, founder and creative director of The House of Perna and a two-time “Project Runway” designer, has a simple mantra for wedding guests: “Be memorable, but don’t become the event.
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Perna → have → guests
That means skipping the obvious bridal offenders—like wearing any variation of white—unless specifically requested, and avoiding the dramatic trains, bridal-style lace, or pretty much anything that could be mistaken for a bridal gown.
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that → mean → gown
She’d also said to avoid wearing anything so revealing or theatrical that it becomes the main topic of conversation.
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it → say → conversation
“My test is: Is everyone going to remember how great I looked, or are they going to remember that I wore THAT to someone else’s wedding?” Perna said.
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Perna → go → wedding
But a guest shouldn’t have to deliberately dial down her own looks to protect a bride’s ego, according to etiquette expert Nick Leighton.
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guest → have → Leighton
“It’s true that you shouldn’t go out of your way to upstage a bride, but you’re also allowed to look your best, too,” said Leighton, co-host of the etiquette podcast “Were You Raised By Wolves?”
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You → ’ → Wolves
“Etiquette doesn’t require you to dim your light, but it does require you to be mindful of the occasion.
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it → require → occasion
For Leighton, the real judge is what’s on the invitation: What was the dress code, and did the couple give instructions about colors, themes, or formality?
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couple → ’ → colors
“If Tahlia followed the invitation — both in letter and spirit — then she’s in the clear,” he said.
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he → follow → clear
But it’s a dilemma that has sent the internet into a spiral.
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that → ’ → spiral
In one viral Reddit confession, a wedding guest wondered whether she had “upstaged” a bride by wearing a dove-gray saree, even though she showed the outfit to both the bride and groom before the wedding and received their approval.
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she → wonder → approval
At the reception, she said the groom’s mother repeatedly complimented her while members of the bridal party bristled, with one bridesmaid even allegedly attempting to spill a drink on her, which for Reddit was too far.
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which → say → Reddit
“You had taken every possible precaution with your outfit,” one person wrote.
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person → take → outfit
And experts say the attention-grabbing guest problem can go well beyond what someone is wearing.
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someone → say → what
“Every guest wants to feel like part of the wedding,” said Stacy Stahl, co-founder of wedding entertainment app Betting on the Wedding.
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Stahl → want → Wedding
“The wrong kind of guest makes the day about her outfit,” she said.
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she → make → outfit
“The right kind makes the couple’s moments the whole show.”
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moments → make → ?
And for anyone standing in front of the mirror wondering whether they’ve crossed into no-go territory, Perna said there is a final test.
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Perna → stand → territory
“If someone posted a photo of you standing next to the bride, would anyone wonder which one of you was getting married?” she said.
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she → post → you
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