Mother of the Bride Dresses

How and When to Choose the Perfect Gown

A wedding day, in the eyes of the women, is all about the dress. Brides are transformed from an every-day woman into a vision of splendor, while her bridesmaids are often bedecked in gowns only the bride can truly love. For the mother of the bride (or the mother of the groom), finding the perfect dress can be serious, emotional business.

For most mothers, this process becomes so emotional because they want to find a gown that their daughters will love. They want a dress that makes them feel beautiful on their daughter's big day, a dress that will bring a smile to both the bride's and their own faces. Most often, the chosen gown is a floor-length affair topped by a formal jacket. Whether this is the path you think you'll follow or not, there are a lot of thoughts that go into the choosing of mother of the bride dresses.

How and When to Choose Your Dress

Generally speaking, it is best to wait on choosing your dress until the bride and bridesmaids' dresses have been picked. Within this array of gowns, the bride will establish a color scheme. The mother of the bride dress should compliment that color scheme, but not duplicate the colors themselves. If at all possible, it is best to coordinate with the mother of the groom's dress as well; if one wears a long dress, the other should also wear a long dress.

Beyond thinking about complimenting the bride's color scheme and trying to coordinate with the groom's mother, you might think about simply asking the bride what she would suggest so that your choice of color and style (whether long, short, modern, or classic) compliments the overall style of the wedding.

Some things should go without saying, but it's best to mention them anyway. Remember to stay away from white, or any other color that the bride herself will be wearing on her special day. Black dresses, for obvious funereal reasons, are also not appropriate.

Plan ahead, and purchase your dress as soon as possible. In many stores, you will have to special order mother of the bride dresses because these specialty shops only stock a limited number of styles, sizes, and colors.

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