Will yellow grits work for this as well as white? Is there any difference other than aesthetic?

I'm not so familiar with grits, but I guess the situation is similar to polenta:

In addition to regional aspects (different kinds of corn grow better in different kinds of climates), white polenta has a slightly more delicate (maybe a bit more nutty?) flavour compared to yellow one, which is why fish dishes are traditionally served with white polenta while meat braises are accompanied with the yellow kind.

Regardless of this, I don't see a problem in substituting yellow for white grits/cornmeal/polenta, either – the differences really aren't that big.

While travelling down South Ive noticed that white grits were prevalent in the Shrimp and Grits I order. I cant detect any flavor difference, use a high quality stone ground product and you will be fine.