Any ideas on what dress for the mother of the bride or how to pick one? I don't want my mom to be in a dress that looks more like "grandma of the bride" and I want her to be comfortable too. She doesn't like form fitting dresses like the trumpet/mermaid styles so not sure what route to go with her. Thanks!
Re: Mother of Bride Dress??
ETA - My mom also bought hers online, but it was mostly due to the fact that they live out in the country and aren't within an hour of a store that would carry a dress she'd want. I told her that the dress choice was totally hers. She still wanted to FaceTime with me so I could let her know how they looked. She liked the ability to try them on at home and see how they'd look with certain accessories.
I loathe dresses. Honestly, I do not own one. I dreaded dress shopping for my son and daughter's weddings. I like clean, structured looks.
I started by shopping online. I began by "shopping" at stores with flawless return policies, such as Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's. I would find a dress I liked, and then google the designer. I found that most of the dresses I liked were typically by Calvin Klein, and Tadashi Shoji. I would then look on their websites and find which stores carried the dress I liked.
Let your mother go her own route. Do not dictate style, color, or length to her. She does NOT have to match the bridal party. My daughter knew how much I hated dresses and did not care if I wore some pant version. I would never wear a long gown. The day is about you and your FI, NOT the dress your mom wears. It will be a long and emotional day for her. She needs to feel comfortable inside and out.
If you have set a formal evening wedding, them Mom needs to shop for a cocktail or evening dress. Major department stores are a good start. If you are having a daytime wedding, them Mom probably would wear a suit or dress, like in more formal churches.
If the two of you live near each other, you all could go shopping together for her dress/suit. Make a fun day of it.
She ended up going to some kind of formal dress store (not a bridal shop but something similar?) and got some great style & fit advice from the woman there. She took that information with her to other stores to find a more affordable option. A few of her good friends went with her once she narrowed down the choices down to just a few (I didn't live nearby, otherwise I would have gone with her).