Wedding Attire For Mothers
A mother is always delighted to find out that her son or daughter will be planning a wedding. There is a great deal of planning to do, from booking the venue, ordering the flowers, selecting menu options to choosing what everyone who is participating in the ceremony will wear. Designing a color scheme for the bride and her bridesmaids is so much fun that the mother of the bride may neglect to put a lot of care into choosing her own attire. Conversely, some find themselves so invested in arranging every tiny detail that they lose their proper perspectives and insert themselves further into the proceedings than they truly should. Mothers who do this may inadvertently compete with the brides by choosing attire that draws attention away from the wedding. In order to avoid being seen as the sort of woman who would deliberately try to upstage the bride, she should select attire that is classy, appropriate for her age and modest in color and style. Finding a dress that looks formal and chic enough for the professional photos while also not being overwhelmingly showy can be a surprisingly difficult task.
The most important rule to follow is to avoid wearing white at all costs. The color of the ensemble should complement the overall color scheme of the wedding party without overtly matching it. Her attire must not be more ornate or appear more expensive than the bride's gown. The dress cannot be longer than the wedding gown. It may be an augmented version of the dress that the bridesmaids are wearing, perhaps altered to have longer sleeves or some other distinguishing detail. It should not be the same color as the bridesmaids' dresses, but it is acceptable to choose a color in the same color family or even a darker or lighter shade of the same color. Black is usually a safe choice for formal wear, but traditionally it means that the person wearing it does not approve of the marriage, so that color should definitely be avoided.
Many dresses for mothers have cinched waists and stop slightly above the knee. If the dress is sleeveless, it will probably come with a coordinated jacket in the bolero style. The shoulders should be covered unless the wedding is occurring outside in hot weather or the wedding is informal. A quick glance at the ""mother of the bride"" category on a website for an upscale department store reveals that the designated dresses for mothers are mostly all generic formal dresses. They are designed with mature women in mind, so they all provide adequate coverage and skirt lengths. Many of them feature jeweled accents on the shoulder or belt clasp. They gracefully flatter a woman's figure without crossing over into vulgar territory. Even if the mother of the bride or groom is unable to choose an offering from a department store website, it is still helpful to look at the options to see what styles are popular and to get some ideas for what she might be interested in finding in a different store. The dress that she ends up choosing does not have to be from a department specifically intended for mothers of brides. Any sleek and modest dress that has the appropriate degree of formality is suitable for the occasion.
Mothers of brides or grooms may wear corsages or carry a small bouquet if the wedding is very formal or old fashioned. A corsage is the safer choice for any wedding that is not an elaborate and incredibly traditional nighttime affair. The corsage is actually a rather important aspect of the attire. The corsage may be a simple arrangement of one classic rose surrounded by some baby's breath, or it may contain multiple flowers of different colors.
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Some corsages are set on ribbons or have strands of artificial pearls running through them. White or red roses are safe choices for corsages as long as they neither clash with the bride's bouquet nor match it exactly. Bright flowers or those that have been dyed to unnatural colors should be avoided unless they are carefully coordinated to the rest of the bouquets in the bridal party. A creative way to design a corsage would be to expand upon the groomsmen's boutonnieres. More flowers in complementary colors can be added, as can a lace setting or rhinestones. It is acceptable to choose just one of the kinds of flowers that is in the bride's bouquets, but it would be unwise to attempt to recreate the entire bouquets in a corsage.
In the spirit of both fun and formality, Queen Elizabeth may serve as inspiration. Her attire is always flawless, particularly at ceremonial events. The mother of the bride may want to mimic the attire that the Queen wore to the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate. A hat and gloves are always great accessories for the mature woman. Pearls are a classic choice when it comes to subtle yet opulent jewelry.
