Mother of the Bride Dress Shopping 101

You’re getting married- who do you share the good news with first? Mom, of course! Mother of the bride dresses are such an important part of a wedding because mom is such an important part of your life. So at Jasmine Bridal, we want to share our best tips for shopping for a mother of the bride dress. It’s so nice to incorporate mom within the bridal party palette (makes for gorgeous photos) and you want mom to feel beautiful at your dream wedding too. After all, you couldn’t have done it all without her.

Communication is Key

While we know you are most likely busy with planning the biggest day of your life, moms don’t want to delay on figuring out her day-of outfit too. Let mom help you throughout the planning process as she should feel important. Once you figure out a wedding theme, moms can start browsing leisurely for her mother of the bride dress. This will determine the style and fabrics she will take into account along with other factors. You may run into some issues with specific colors along the way, so be sure to disclose this to your mother.

Color Complement Bridesmaids Dresses

About 6-8 months prior to the wedding, you should be coming to a conclusion on your color palette and bridesmaid dresses as well. These decisions will come in handy when mom begins to shop for her dress. (Don’t know where to start with your bridesmaids dresses? Here’s a timeline we’ve created to help you plan it out.) Your wedding color palette is a guide for not only your florals, bridesmaids looks, and reception decor, but also for a mother of the bride dress. Jade Couture has so many color options as well as styles that flatter different shapes and sizes for mom. If your bridesmaids are mixing and matching their dresses, mom should stick to one of those hues that will complement the bridal party nicely.

Avoid White, Unless…

There is nothing more disheartening than your mother wearing the same color dress as you. Unless you want an all-shades-of-white wedding, express your apprehension of a white or even off-white mother of the bride dress. An upstaged mom at the wedding is a big no no. According to the Knot, reds and blacks are a standard color for mom’s dress, so make sure you discuss with her what you are ok with and not ok with. Our Jade Couture Spring 2020 Mikado gown is a stunner (see photo above) in ivory if you’re going for that clean wedding look.

The Other Factors

When the venue, ceremony space, and date have been decided, your mom can narrow in on the specifics of her dress. If your wedding will be at a traditional place of worship, her mother of the bride dress probably shouldn’t be sleeveless. Or she can simply add a cute shawl or jacket to cover up. Is your venue at a rustic barn or vineyard? Mom can skip the ball gown and fuller A-line skirt to avoid getting it dirty. Weather will also be a factor in choosing a mother of the bride dress. With warm weather, she can do a tea or knee length dress, cold weather calls for long sleeves or a nice jacket/shawl. Black Label has many great styles of separates and modest dresses for mom to choose from.

Start Early

We mentioned that you should start bridesmaid shopping at least 6-8 months prior to the wedding along with browsing for a mother of the bride dress. With all of the above factors and decisions made, moms can begin looking and trying on dresses shortly afte. Although it’s easy to get caught up in the wedding planning process, mom should not wait no less than 3 months to order a mother of the bride dress. Because you want to take shipping time and alterations into consideration, giving enough time for those will give both you and mom an ease of mind. Jasmine offers many special shipping options, including Super Rush if you are in a crunch for time. Contact your local retailer for shipping dates and prices.

Coordinate with the Mother of the Groom

Though the mother of the bride is a significant part of the wedding, we cannot forget mothers of the groom! Once your mom places an order on her dress, it’s not mandatory, but super helpful, she can let your fiancé’s mom know what she will be wearing. This clear communication will prevent any dress mishaps that might happen the day of the wedding. Your mom and fiancé’s mom can coordinate with one another on the color, style, and overall look (hair, make up, accessories, etc.) so that they don’t end up looking too similar. Your photos will look flawless when your mother and future MIL aren’t looking like twins.

Now that you have the scoop on how and when to shop for mom’s dress, let’s look at some of our favorites from our three mother of the bride dress collections!

Jade Couture

Jade

Black Label

What’s your ideal style for mom? Comment your favorite styles in the comments below!