Oh, pity the poor mother of the bride, whose frock choices are often so bleh. Mother of the bride dresses seem to come in only a few categories, from beaded and boxy to overly sexy to the old school polyester pantsuit. That is, if you go looking specifically for mother of the bride dresses – as opposed to just ‘dresses’, which you may be surprised to learn are fine wedding wear for the MOB or MOG who wants to look her best. Really, does anyone at all look good in those square-cut un-tailored jackets with all the sparkles? Or, hello, shoulder pads? (And why do so many of them come in white…)
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
The easiest way to avoid falling into the mother of the bride dresses pit of despair is to go shopping at stores that carry frocks that don’t carry the words ‘mother of the bride’ anywhere on their labels. Because while you may be the mother of the bride and you do plan on wearing a dress, I highly recommend steering clear of mother of the bride dresses in general.
Brides: What’s your mom wearing? And where’d she find it?
Dayum! I am ashamed to admit this, but I kinda think that one at the top is Teh Hotness. Make it solid white but leave the ruffled sash and bolero black and I would be rockin’ that thing down the aisle myself! But I do agree with you that looking at “regular” stores is the best way to find a normal, sane dress.
@Jennie It is TEH HOT but that’s why possibly not right for most weddings – at least on the MOB!
my mom found some BEAUTIFUL dresses at Nordstom Rack! she got her dream dress at 60% off!
Mum wore a floor length black/grey/cream dress, with a high waist and a single ruffled strap, all in a lovely soft fabric (georgette? chiffon?). It had a little black beading under the bust, and she wore it with a short sleeved black bolero (as she’s missing an arm, she never took this off) She looked fabulous.
Oh man, those dresses above illustrate everything that is wrong with the whole Mother of the Bride “look”.
I just don’t get why many dresses for women over 50 have to feature these frumpy and unnecessary jackets over them. My mom is a badass nurse who runs marathons – she needs a sleek, simple, spunky dress without the frump. Needless to say, we are still searching!
My mom was convinced that she could pick out a dress from the M.O.B. section of David’s…until she looked at them. It is amazing how something can be so shiny/spangly and so frumpy at the same time! Plus, they were all neutral colors, and my momma wears pretty much exclusively jewel tones. She ended up buying this dress (http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Satin-Chiffon-Sleeveless-Dress-with-Beaded-Empire-D19352_Buy-Online-Bridal-Party-Shop-By-Color) from the bridesmaid section with a matching little shrug, and looked pretty damn fine, if you ask me. But still appropriate!
I am a MOB – hope I’m not intruding. Exhbiit A is a bit wild for a formal wedding (like my daughter’s). If my daughter’s wedding were not so formal — believe me I would have just purchased a nice little cocktail dress from Nordstrom’s, Dillards, or Macy’s. Exhibit B looks pretty textbook Mother of the Bride if you ask me. I think those are pretty frumpy, and having lost 19 pounds in the last year for this wedding, I franklly would never consider them. I ended up actually choosing a MOB dress from David’s Bridal — minus a jacket or shrug! http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Long-Iridescent-Taffeta-Mock-Two-piece-Dress-F23052_Bridal-Party-Mothers-Special-Guests-All-Dresses
……….I am having a turquoise and choc brown wedding color scheme.?..What color should the mother of the bride and the grooms mother wear ?…maybe a very dark burnt orange if that would look good on them!