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Being the mother of the bride is a bittersweet occasion. It means you have successfully raised your daughter and she is about to marry the man of her dreams.

It is an exciting time in her life and for your family. You want to look your best for her special day so here are five tips for picking the perfect dress on this momentous occasion:

  1. Pick a style that looks the best on you! While you may have a certain colour or theme for the wedding, you want to ultimately pick a dress style that is flattering for your figure. Take some time to explore options online and look at some online designer dresses. You may get an idea of what you want to look for after you look at various styles online. When you are considering a style make sure to think about how comfortable it will be. The last thing you want to be is uncomfortable when you are moving around on a day that could easily last 6-8 hours!
  2. Choose a colour that brings out your facial features and complements your skin. Unless your daughter has specifically asked you to, you do not necessarily have to wear the same colour as the bridesmaids. However, you should pick a colour that goes with the colour palette and does not clash with the other dresses. If you are in contact with the groom’s mother, it is also beneficial to make sure the colour of your dress does not clash with her dress. There will be a lot of pictures and you do not want to stand out like a sore thumb. The focus should be on your beautiful daughter and her new husband!
  3. Start shopping at least six months prior to the wedding date. You want to have enough time to find the perfect dress and have it altered if necessary. As the mother of the bride, dress up to be the best version of yourself on this exciting day. Take your daughter along with you or send her some pictures to see what she thinks. Shopping this early in advance will also help keep your options open. Dresses from certain designers cannot be delivered by the following week or even month. The production process can be longer than you would expect and you don’t want to limit your options.
  4. Consider the season, time of day and the setting of the ceremony and reception. You don’t want to be sporting the latest sleeveless, knee length dress in the dead of winter. If the ceremony will be outside and the reception will be indoors, you may consider a wrap for your dress. Looking at websites of an online designer may help brainstorm some accessory options for different weather situations.
  5. Do some research. If you find a dress you like in stores, but it does not come in the colour you wanted look around online. Another thing to consider is looking into an Australian designer because they often take fashion ideas from the best markets all over the world. There are so many options available with the Internet. If you leave yourself enough time you could even be able to order a one-of-a-kind dress online!

Picking the perfect dress is certainly fun, but most of all enjoy your daughter’s special day.

Have you had any experience shopping for a mother of the bride outfit? Please SHARE your experience in the comments below.

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  • I was supposed to be dealing with this but due to covid everything was put on hold until we are able to travel between States without issue.

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  • I heard some workmates talking about this today! I’ll have to pass on this article

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  • I made sure my Mum had something that was to her taste, and that she felt comfortable in. Mum also wanted something she would wear again. She looked lovely.

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  • Think it all depends on the type of wedding and how important you think it is to look in a certain way. My husband and I married in Florida just with the 2 of us. I wore a purple woolen dress with a long cardigan from the same material over it and my brown long boots :) I’ve wore my dress for many years after that and still do ! You never know my daughter doesn’t want a massive wedding either… For me comfort is important, a colour & design I feel happy in and I certainly would like to have something I could wear again.

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  • A lot of this is common sense but thanks for sharing.

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  • Great tips – fortunately I am passed that and my grand daughters just want me to be there in the background, so not nearly as worrisome.

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  • I know of one wedding that the bridegroom’s Mum got her dress a couple of months before the wedding, then was asked the same week as the wedding what colour she was wearing by the Bride’s Mum. She hadn’t even had a good look at dresses. If the bridesmaid dresses are being bought “off the rack” be aware that the dress colours could be changed. I know one bride who changed the colours as the first colour chosen didn’t look nice on one of the bridesmaids. One wedding I went to the weather for that time of the year is usually fine and reasonably warm. It was very cold blustering winds, then came the rain which within 5 minutes was heavy hail, some of it like fine gravel which took a considerable time to melt.. I don’t know how none of the cars were damaged. We all had to run for cover.

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  • Great advise, my mum looked gorgeous on my Wedding day but it took her ages to find what she liked.

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  • It will be a LNG time before I need this advice, but thanks!

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  • My mum found the perfect outfit on her first outing. She went to a store she new would have classic, stylish designs, and was lucky to find a great outfit in her size.

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  • A great article. I found that giving ourselves plenty of time to find Mum a dress was critical as it really took the pressure off!

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  • Now that’s a little off still! Great insights.

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  • Lke ge

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  • Not an easy task but some excellent advice here! Thanks.

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  • Shopping for a wedding is always fun, from dresses to presents. Thanks for sharing your tips.

    Reply

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