What the mother of the bride and mother of the groom should wear to the wedding? A lot of people go to wedding planners, costume designers, and bridal stylists with this question. What is the best choice of clothing? What outfit will be too much or will look ridiculous and how to avoid it? How to choose something appropriate but stylish? Those who make fun of such questions have never made a big and luxurious wedding for their children. It’s not just the newlyweds’ big day – it is a no less important day for their parents.
There are literally hundreds of dresses, costumes, pantsuits, jumpsuit, etc that will be a perfect fit for the mother of the bride and mother of the groom at a wedding. If the couple is having a simple and small wedding, just for a few closest family members and friends, it is much easier for their parents to dress up. But what if the wedding is grand and there are several hundreds of guests? The fathers of the bride and groom will be fine wearing a nice suit or tux – easy enough. But it is much more complicated for the mothers.
It can be hard sometimes to choose a dress that is modest and pretty, appropriate and flattering, festive and conservative at the same time. So, let’s try to determine the main features of the newlyweds’ mother’s attire for the wedding.
Contemporary style
First of all, the outfit of the mother of the bride or mother of the groom should be made in the contemporary style. Definitely not a ball-gown with a hooped skirt and not some jeans and a t-shirt. The best choice is an ensemble consisting of a dress (or blouse and skirt/pants) + a jacket. These women are among the heroes at the wedding, right along with their children. They go to the church with the couple, are there when the bride and groom sign the marriage license, take lots of photos with the newlyweds, celebrate with the couple at a wedding party, etc. The newlyweds’ parents participate in many wedding activities and so they need to be dressed conservatively and comfortably but, still, festively.
When the wedding party begins, the mothers can just take off the jacket and become less official and more ready to dance and have fun.
Appropriate design
Remember that the length and decolletage of the dress should be modest. Mid-calf length is perfect or knee-length, too. No mini-skirts. No deep necklines or open-back dresses. But it is perfectly ok to wear a tight-fitting dress or spaghetti straps or a sleeveless gown.
Embellishments
The attire of the mother of the bride or mother of the groom can be embellished, for example, with sparkles, glitter, crystals, lace, embroidery, etc. They make even a strict business suit more festive. So, the cut and style of clothes can be conservative but the attire will appear gorgeous and special.
Fine lace is also able to add a lovely look to the outfit. Or the sheer sleeves – they are beautiful and sophisticated.
But there should be just enough adornments to stand out from the crowd and not too many so that the mother wouldn’t outshine the bride.
Color palette
The mothers of the newlyweds should avoid white and black clothes. Of course, some black or white accents or details are acceptable and often look charming but not the whole attire. That’s because white at the wedding is a prerogative of the bride and black looks like a mourning color. But other colors are mostly fine for the mother of the bride or mother of the groom’s clothing. Still, it is better to choose not very bright colors. Navy blue, purple, lilac, burgundy, forest-green, ocean waves color – all these are great shades.
But the main advice for the bride’s and groom’s mother is, basically, to show off what you like about yourself. If you have nice legs, wear a dress with a shorter hem or a jumpsuit to emphasize your legs; if you like your shoulders and arms, choose a halter neck design for your dress; if you’re not sure what part of your body to accentuate, focus on the color of the fabric and on decorations. Just make sure that your attire is a little bit on the conservative side. And remember, everyone has a flattering feature, so find it and show it off!
