Classically Styled Mother Of The Bride Dresses – (2024)

FAQs

What does the mother of the bride wear traditionally? ›

Traditionally a bride's mother would be expected to conform to a sartorial uniform, often wearing a dress that would make them look matronly and demure. Yet, this style of dress is a hangover from a time where the mother would take a backseat in the wedding day proceedings.

The most popular color for the mother of the bride to wear is navy or a royal blue, followed by blush or a shade of nude. It's safe to say that you should never wear white and shy away from the overall color family unless the bride instructs you to wear a certain shade. Traditionally, another color to avoid is red.

While dressing in too revealing a style isn't advisable for any guest, you can dress to emphasise your assets - a sleeveless dress to show toned arms, belts to highlight your waist or a shorter length for great legs. Keep styling simple and avoid too much embellishment, which can look fussy in photos.

Try blues, greens, purples, and neutrals such as navy, emerald, plum, or silver. These versatile – and universally flattering – palettes make it easy for mothers of the bride and groom to harmonize. With pale green and blue tints, we love silvery shades for Mum, while jewel tones pair well with other rich colours.

The MOTB can wear any color she wants, but it's better to avoid certain colors such as white, ivory, or champagne tones as they're considered bridal colors and may take attention away from the bride.

Jewellery has always been a timeless and cherished gift for weddings. Consider gifting your daughter a piece of personalised jewellery, such as a necklace, bracelet, or ring, with her name, initials, or wedding date engraved on it.

"Etiquette says that the mother of the bride picks their dress and color first," adds Sabatino. "You don't want to match, but you do want to coordinate so that you're not totally out of scope." The couple can offer suggestions for colors, styles and levels of formality to help their moms choose wedding day outfits.

A: The Mother of the Bride needs to coordinate with the Mother of the Groom and decide whether they will be wearing long or short dresses, but both are acceptable.

While mother-of-the-bride dresses are similar to mother-of-the-groom dresses, the moms don't need to match. Both are encouraged to wear outfits that represent their personal style. If the couple does prefer to have the moms wear complementary outfits, try to find colors or silhouettes that look great together.

What we recommend you wearing for a daytime wedding, is a swing or tea dress. As we mentioned earlier, this style of dress is one sure to stand the test of time, while ensuring you look quite the opposite of matronly.

Who pays for mother of the bride outfit? ›

Mother of the Bride & Groom

Both the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom are expected to pay for their own wedding attire. Typically, these gowns do not need to match the bridesmaid dresses, however, some brides prefer for the gowns to coordinate in some way.

Dark florals in heavy fabrics can be worn during the cold weather months, while light, pastel florals in chiffon and similar breezy fabrics tend to work best during the spring and summer. If you're the mother of the bride or groom, you should certainly considering wearing a floral dress to the big day.

In short, no, the mother of the bride dress doesn't have to match the bridesmaids. However, this is a very subjective topic so it is completely up to you and your mum how you want her dress to be and whether it will resemble the bridesmaid dresses in any way.

The mother of the bride can wear a handbag or opt out of it, the choice is her own!

DOES THE MOTHER OF THE BRIDE HAVE TO WEAR A LONG DRESS? The length of the dress is entirely up to you.

Generally if you choose to have bridesmaids they will get ready with you along with of course, the Mother and Father of the bride and any sibilings.

While mother-of-the-bride dresses are similar to mother-of-the-groom dresses, the moms don't need to match. Both are encouraged to wear outfits that represent their personal style. If the couple does prefer to have the moms wear complementary outfits, try to find colors or silhouettes that look great together.

If the mother of the bride is taking part in the wedding processional, she is traditionally escorted by a close male relative like a son or brother or may enter alone. If the parents are divorced, she may be escorted by her partner. In some cases, a groomsman or best man will escort her down the aisle.