# Cleavage at church wedding **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217 "2012-04-09T01:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/1 "2012-04-09T01:15:42Z")
I don’t know if I learned this as a young adult, or pulled outta my arse, but I thought it was frowned upon for a bride to show cleavage if she was marrying in a house of worship. (I’m Catholic FWIW) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/2 "2012-04-09T01:21:13Z")
I also learned that bare shoulders were frowned upon in a house of worship. But try finding a contemporary wedding dress without them… ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/3 "2012-04-09T01:22:45Z")
I think it depends on how much - a touch of cleavage is fine - a huge deep V - maybe not so much. However, if the priest wasn’t bothered you probably shouldn’t be either. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/4 "2012-04-09T01:24:06Z")
People also used to dress up to ride a plane, and no woman would be seen out without her gloves. Standards of dress have changed everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/5 "2012-04-09T01:37:24Z")
**alice** -I’ve never experienced my self. ☹ But wanted to know where I got the idea. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/6 "2012-04-09T02:10:02Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > However, if the priest wasn’t bothered you probably shouldn’t be either. Has a priest ever refused to marry someone (in the church) because of clothing? These days, they’re happy to get whoever they can. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/7 "2012-04-09T02:13:54Z")
Cleavage is where you put the stem of the rose. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/8 "2012-04-09T05:25:35Z")
[Don’t tell the Russians](http://urbangrounds.com/2009/12/russian-bride-wedding-dress-boobs/) ---
**Author:** ![Killswitch\_Stunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@Killswitch\_Stunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Killswitch_Stunner)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/9 "2012-04-09T08:33:32Z")
If you’re a hot bride, show that skin. Your wedding is a huge moment and you wanna look better than every other chick there, so do what you want. Pretty sure you won’t go to hell for a little cleavage, that’s just silly. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/10 "2012-04-09T10:11:03Z")
Having sex on the altar is frowned upon. Apart from that, anything goes, depending on tradition, religion, and personal proclivities. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/11 "2012-04-09T10:43:37Z")
God made those tits for a reason. Show them off! ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/12 "2012-04-09T10:45:11Z")
I was best man at a wedding where the bride had her boobs hanging out. Not a church wedding, but still, to me, it was tacky. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/13 "2012-04-09T12:54:23Z")
It’s fine. Just so long as you’re not showing it at your funeral. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/14 "2012-04-09T13:31:53Z")
A friend told me last week that they had to find a different church for their wedding because her dress allowed people to see her shoulders. Not sure what denomination it was, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Catholic or Baptist (my first two guesses). ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/15 "2012-04-09T13:43:47Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > I also learned that bare shoulders were frowned upon in a house of worship. But try finding a contemporary wedding dress without them… My memory is that strapless was frowned on, not bare shoulders. It’s not that difficult to find a wedding dress that’s not strapless, although it might be difficult to find one with a sleeve/neckline combination that covers the shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/16 "2012-04-09T14:29:45Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I don’t know if I learned this as a young adult, or pulled outta my arse, but I thought it was frowned upon for a bride to show cleavage if she was marrying in a house of worship. (I’m Catholic FWIW) I suspect this depends on the house of worship. I got married in a Conservative Jewish wedding, and one of the rules, set by the rabbi who was doing the wedding, was “no cleavage”. That’s not a problem for me- mine are too low and set too far apart to really have cleavage, even if I did wear a dress that showed it. Which I didn’t, because I never do. I don’t remember if I was required to cover my shoulders, but I did. I don’t like the modern bride’s “uniform” of a strapless dress. Mine are big enough that strapless bras generally don’t get the job done for me without being hugely uncomfortable. Some brides deal with a ban on bare shoulders by getting a wrap to cover their shoulders during the ceremony, which they then don’t wear at the reception. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/17 "2012-04-09T14:34:31Z")
Boob cleavage is acceptable. Butt cleavage, however, is right out. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/18 "2012-04-09T15:57:29Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Don’t tell the Russians](http://urbangrounds.com/2009/12/russian-bride-wedding-dress-boobs/) Please, god, yes, tell the Russions! ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/19 "2012-04-09T16:54:08Z")
I can’t speak to weddings, as I haven’t been to one in many years. I have, however, recently attended several funerals where the families tended to be, shall we say, a little redneck-leaning. I can attest to the fact that excessive cleavage is indeed a current fashion trend in redneck funeral attire. I made to joke to my wife after one funeral, “If I can see the whole dragon tattoo on the side of your breast at a funeral, you may be a redneck.” At the last one, in addition to the impressive display of bosom, one young lady was wearing a short black lace dress that had a flesh-colored lining. I did a double take to see if she was wearing anything under the lace. It would be very suitable at a late-night dance club. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217/20 "2012-04-09T17:00:24Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Boob cleavage is acceptable. Butt cleavage, however, is right out. And Beaver Cleavage is a definite no-no. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleavage-at-church-wedding/618217.md?page=2)