by Cheyenne Zieman
The mother of the bride is an important role, so your dress and outfit should reflect that for the special day. While the bride is the main attraction on her wedding day, the mother of the bride should also have special attention. Once decisions are made such as budget for your ensemble, length of dress, and wedding colors, you can start your search. It is best to shop for a dress six months before the event, if you have that much time, which allows you to casually shop without feeling rushed.
Only the bride should be in white or off white. You may have seen other mothers of the bride wear white to a wedding, but this is generally considered a major faux pas. Although gaining acceptance for wedding attire, it is still viewed inappropriate for the mother of the bride to wear black, no matter how good it looks or how slimming it is. Even dark shades of brown can be detrimental to the ambiance of the occasion. Your dress color should complement the wedding colors, but not exactly match the bridesmaid’s dress. Tones lighter or darker than their dresses are a good start. You may even consider silver, gold, or pastel, and choose solid colors over busy prints.
This is a great time to begin conversing with the new extended family. Many bride mothers coordinate with the groom’s mother to assure their dresses are color pleasing and have no style clashes. The next step is finding the right shoes. You will want something that matches or is the same tone as the dress and they are comfortable enough to stand in for several hours. Many times strappy heels look nicer with a formal dress than closed toe flats. Additionally, plan to treat yourself to a pedicure and manicure for the special day, especially if you select an open toe strappy shoe. Last but not least, plan the jewelry you will be wearing, particularly earrings, necklace, watch, and bracelets. The key to success is getting your entire outfit selected and purchased early, so you can handle other wedding matters. When the time arrives you will be ready to focus on the bride and her special day.
