Mother of Bride Dress??

Re: Mother of Bride Dress??

• CMGragain member

  

  August 2017

  missaggie-2 said:

  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!

  Your mother gets to pick her dress.  You have no input on this.  She goes shopping until she find something that she likes.
  

  

  

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• ILoveBeachMusic Indiana member

  

  August 2017

  Tell your mom not to go to bridal shops that have MOB dresses. In my experience they look more dowdy. I went to Nordstrom's, Saks and Von Maur. Actually, I looked on the internet and just ordered a bunch and returned the ones I didn't keep (I have all those stores in my area so I returned to store). It is up to her to decide what type of dress she will wear - long, short, mid length- unless of course you are having a true black tie event. Dillards also has good dresses, but there isn't one near me. Just tell her to wear something she feels comfortable wearing, if she asks.

  

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• holyguacamole79 a taco truck in Houston member

  

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  missaggie-2 said:

  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!

   My mom found hers at Nordstrom, I believe.  She also didn't want a dress that screamed "Mother of the Bride".  Hers was a deep blue and had a bolero.  It was really cute and got a lot of compliments.  
  
  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.
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  

  

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• MobKaz Chicago suburbs member

  

  August 2017

  ILoveBeachMusic said:

  Tell your mom not to go to bridal shops that have MOB dresses. In my experience they look more dowdy. I went to Nordstrom's, Saks and Von Maur. Actually, I looked on the internet and just ordered a bunch and returned the ones I didn't keep (I have all those stores in my area so I returned to store). It is up to her to decide what type of dress she will wear - long, short, mid length- unless of course you are having a true black tie event. Dillards also has good dresses, but there isn't one near me. Just tell her to wear something she feels comfortable wearing, if she asks.

  100% ^^ this. 
  
  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.
  
  
  

  

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• ei34 member

  

  August 2017

  My mom wore a dress from Neiman Marcus to my wedding and one from Lord & Tatkor to my sister's.  "Mother of the bride" sections of bridal shops didn't have the style she liked (sleek evening gown).

  

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• CMGragain member

  

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  Hey, I bought my MOB dress on Ebay.  I paid more to have it altered to fit than I actually spent for the dress.  I still love that dress, and have worn it since the wedding.
  

  

  

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• its_ms_m member

  

  August 2017

  Thank you all! For clarification, I don't want to dictate what my mother wears, but she is at a loss for what she wants to wear so I wanted to see what was typical.

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• CMGragain member

  

  August 2017

  There is nothing "typical".  At evening weddings, I see MOBs in long evening gowns or cocktail dresses.  At afternoon weddings, a suit or dress.  The only thing that really distinguishes them from other guests is their special corsage.
  
  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.
  

  

  

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• artbyallie mod

  

  August 2017

  Whatever she wears will be a 'mother of the bride dress' (or not a dress at all, if she prefers pants!) because she is the MOB. Tell her to please not stress and just wear something she feels beautiful in.

  

  

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• ILoveBeachMusic Indiana member

  

  August 2017

  I will disagree a bit with @CMGragain. I wore a cocktail dress to DD's mid afternoon wedding. A lot of the guests did too. The reception went until 11:00 and I was more comfortable wearing a dress I could dance in rather than a suit or church type dress. I think the most important thing is that your mother is comfortable with what she wears.

  

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• CMGragain member

  

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  ILoveBeachMusic said:

  I will disagree a bit with @CMGragain. I wore a cocktail dress to DD's mid afternoon wedding. A lot of the guests did too. The reception went until 11:00 and I was more comfortable wearing a dress I could dance in rather than a suit or church type dress. I think the most important thing is that your mother is comfortable with what she wears.

  I should have clarified more carefully.  Daughter had a late morning ceremony followed by a brunch reception.  This was a time for suits and dresses.  A mid-afternoon cake and punch wedding would also.  I do agree that a later afternoon ceremony (4:00PM or later) would call for more cocktail type dresses since there would be dancing. 
  

  

  

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• short+sassy member

  

  August 2017

  its_ms_m said:

  Thank you all! For clarification, I don't want to dictate what my mother wears, but she is at a loss for what she wants to wear so I wanted to see what was typical.

  
  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.

  

  

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• MesmrEwe member

  

  August 2017

  Have her choose what she wants to wear!  The only "rule of thumb" is that it not be a bridal gown - js...  Time was that the MOB dresses looked more like GMOB dresses, now pretty much the MOB dress can run the spectrum of a dressy outfit she loves to formalwear.  The dress I'm wearing on Saturday is technically listed as a MOB dress where I ordered it from and I consider it simply a knee-length formal.  The important thing is that she chooses something to wear that she feels comfortable and confident wearing.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Same goes for the shoes - especially the shoes!

  

  

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• MissKittyDanger member

  

  August 2017

  My mum and I went shopping at a Vintage pop up shop. The dress is beautiful and she can wear it again if she wants

  

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• knottief16b91b9887217a6 member

  

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  I just went through this with my mom! She found one she LOVED at Lord&Taylor. Check there, Macy's, Sears, JCPenny's first. You'll be surprised what you find! My mom's is Navy blue with a bit of sparkle, cap sleeves, A-line, looks super comfy. We shopped around a LOT. But we made those trips into shopping "days", so it was more fun. Just us. We went to David's Bridal first, then some small bridal boutiques in our area...then got the idea, Hey! Maybe the mall stores would have what we're looking for! And voila! Lord&Taylor. The entire time she kept asking me what I liked, what I wanted her in (and to be honest, I didn't like the frumpy ones on her at all, and also I was praying like mad that she wouldn't pick a pant-suit)...but every time she asked I told her whatever she wanted, and whatever she was comfortable in. My mom doesn't wear a lot of dresses (like ever) so this was a big step for her. You want your mom to to happy and comfy, and not out of sorts on your big day!! 

  

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• bookmaiden17_ member

  

  August 2017

  My mom and I went to a lot of different department stores (most of the ones already mentioned) and a few local boutique shops until she found one she liked. The first time we went MOB dress shopping my FMIL came with us because she want to match the formality of what my mom is wearing. We made a fun day of shopping and lunch in St. Louis. 

  

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• MissKittyDanger member

  

  August 2017

  bookmaiden17_ said:

  My mom and I went to a lot of different department stores (most of the ones already mentioned) and a few local boutique shops until she found one she liked. The first time we went MOB dress shopping my FMIL came with us because she want to match the formality of what my mom is wearing. We made a fun day of shopping and lunch in St. Louis. 

  Sounds like a lovely day

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• ahoywedding member

  

  August 2017

  My mom ordered a bunch of dresses online to see what styles she liked, and what colors looked good. She was initially hung up on the fact that most MOB dresses she had seen had that short "jacket" type thing and she didn't like that. I convinced her it was more important she be comfortable.
  
  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).

  

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• cindylover711 member

  

  November 2017

  Hey, have you got a nice dress for your mom? I'm a bride-to-be. I also have no idea about which shop to choose from. 

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• flantastic The Midwest member

  

  November 2017

  knottie51745ac00889571d said:

  Hey, have you got a nice dress for your mom? I'm a bride-to-be. I also have no idea about which shop to choose from. 

  Don't be the one to choose. Where does your mom like to shop? What is she comfortable wearing? She can ask for your help if she needs it, but she's also totally allowed to dress herself as she sees fit.
  

  

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• justsie member

  

  November 2017

  flantastic said:

  knottie51745ac00889571d said:

  Hey, have you got a nice dress for your mom? I'm a bride-to-be. I also have no idea about which shop to choose from. 

  Don't be the one to choose. Where does your mom like to shop? What is she comfortable wearing? She can ask for your help if she needs it, but she's also totally allowed to dress herself as she sees fit.
  

  This. I let my mom get her own dress, I wanted her to love what she got just as much as I loved what I was wearing. 

  

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