Mom's Dress

schnoebelenbride13

Does anyone know what the "etiquette" is for the mother of the bride dress? I've seen some cute dresses that are shorter rather than "Formal" looking. She would like it to be something that she can wear again.  Thanks!!!

JessAndTrav

IMHO, as long as your mother and you are happy with the dress, then it shouldn't really matter.

I'm sure that whatever is selected will be better than some of thee tank-tops/short combinations I've seen at weddings.

God bless rednecks, I guess.

Gabrielle76

The mother of the bride picks her own dress (if you want the super traditional version, it should never be black, because in ye olden times that meant she was protesting the marriage. However, it means nothing now days.) It should match the formality of the event, but that's about it.

pokepoke27

Whatever she chooses that matches the formality of the wedding will be fine.

My mother actually used a dress of mine that I wore to a Mardi Gras ball - she just had it altered from floor to knee length. 

andrea2473

Tradition be damned, my mom wore a knee-length black cocktail dress and looked stunning.  Just let her wear whatever her style is depending on the casualty or formality of the wedding.

ETA:  and I don't mean "let" literally.  Of course she doesn't need OP's permission.

Summer2011Bride

I've seen many MOBs in cocktail-length dresses that looked fabulous. I think anything she feels comfortable wearing and loves is what she should be wearing. There are some very formal-looking shorter dresses out there that I would find appropriate for an MOB at a wedding.

achiduck

As far as I'm concerned as long as the MOB doesn't show up looking like a streetwalker it's a-ok.

But technically her dress should be in line with how formal the wedding is. She probably shouldn't be wearing a floor length beaded evening gown if you're geting married in a park and having a BBQ reception, KWIM?

Ilovethelaw07

Tell your mom not to feel trapped by the mother-of-the-bride dresses you see at bridal stores.  My mom tried those, and felt really frumpy.  She should definitely pick something that makes her feel comfortable.  Choosing a short dress that can be worn again sounds like a great idea to me!

Natrasha

Agree w/PP- as long as it goes with the formality of the wedding, she'll look great. I also hate the "MOB" dresses in most bridal stores. They are so frumpy. Let your mom look gorgeous! Mine wore a cocktail dress to my sister's wedding and looked great. She went a little more formal with mine.

And here's where I take every opportunity to AW my gorgeous mom:

Habs2Hart

My mom has great legs, so she wore a knee length cocktail dress.  It looked beautiful on her. 

Bkseller13

My mom doesn't do dresses, she wore black slacks and a pretty blouse.  She freaked at first, "I can't wear a dress, I can't wear heels."  I fired back, "Nobody's asking you to.  Wear what you want."  She did, and she looked great and was comfortable.  Let her find something that "speaks" to her.  She'll look great and feel great about it.

RebeccaB88

My mom also hated the MOB dresses at the bridal store.  She thought they were for ladies way older than her.  To my sister's wedding she wore a very chic knee-length cocktail suit in platinum.  I expect she will want something similar for mine.  It was appropriate and very her.

egm900

Natrasha- your mom looks fabulous!

My mom is wearing a knee length cocktail suit she found at her favorite store.  As PP said, the MOB selection isn't always that great, so she should go for what she feels comfortable in, just try to match the formality of the event.