What Should The Mother of the Bride Wear?

As if helping your child choose a bridal gown isn’t enough drama, now, as the Mother of the Bride, you must choose a dress that is flattering, appropriate, and elegant. You don’t want to draw focus from the bride, but you still want to look fabulous. Use the following few simple guidelines to make deciding what the mother of the bride should wear easier and less stressful:

What Time Is It?

The time of day the ceremony and reception take place should influence your choice of gown as a mother of the bride. Knee or tea-length dresses may work for morning and afternoon weddings, but if it is an evening affair, you’ll probably want a full-length gown.

Where is It?

Your choice is easier if the wedding is in a traditional place of worship. Respect the officiant and the venue’s guidelines. It’s generally not a great idea to wear something sleeveless, low-cut or otherwise too revealing in a traditional venue.

The growth in destination weddings, however, has affected the choice of appropriate attire. If keeping the happy couple happy means you need to appear on a mountain or a beach, you’ll have to adjust not just your dress but your footwear. You could encounter mud, sand, grass or rocks, so you’ll want a gown that’s not too fussy and an appropriate weight for the weather conditions.

Color

You want to compliment, not overpower, the bridal party, and be considerate of the mother of the grooms’ choice as well. But you don’t have to limit yourself to dull colors. Find something that will look good in the photos next to the bride and surrounded by the bridal party. Make sure there is sufficient contrast with the bride’s gown. If the bride has gone with a traditional white or ivory, a light champagne color may look too washed out, or worse, too similar a match.

By now, you know what colors complement you, your skin tone, hair, and eye color. Choose something in a reliable shade that will reflect the mood of the wedding, the time of day or night, and makes you feel classy and elegant. But don’t allow your choice to come as a surprise to the bride—you may meet up with a bridal meltdown if you choose bright red (whose day is this, again?), black (it’s a wedding, not a funeral) or white (it’s the bride’s day, remember?).

Style

No rule says you have to wear a sheath-style jacket dress. Styles for mother of the bride dresses have evolved to include beading, sequins, ruching, and figure-hugging or flowing silhouettes. Designers have freed the mother of the bride from dowdiness and have created new choices with flattering necklines, trendy capes, and elegant sleeves. You’ll see many of these gorgeous choices in Terani mother of the bride dresses, as well as other gowns available at your local or online bridal boutique.

Finally, when deciding what a mother of the bride should wear, remember it’s going to be a long day. From photos through the ceremony and reception, you could be on your feet, moving around greeting guests, and seeing to last-minute arrangements from noon to midnight. Beauty, elegance, and classiness are paramount, but so is comfort.