Here at Marti & Company, a frequently asked question comes from the Mothers of the Bride and Groom: What to wear to our daughters or sons wedding? I gathered shopping tips for the Mothers of the Bride & Groom to help you find your unique wedding day look.
Did you know that the mothers need to be the second best-dressed persons next to the bride at the wedding? Let’s look at how to shop for your dress, shoes, and accessories. Below, you will find our best shopping tips for making your Mother of Bride and Mother of the Groom look the chicest of the chic.
Shopping Tips for Mom’s of the Bride &Groom
Start dress shopping by talking to the bride and asking what she’d like the moms to wear. If she lives further away, ask her to send you pictures to understand what style and color she has in mind. Then start shopping to see how these styles work for you. Sometimes the color and length are more important than the style. So if you find a dress you like in the chosen color, send a picture to the couple to see if they like it.
It’s also essential for the Mother of the Bride to share with the moms in the wedding party to share the color and formality of the dress. The idea here is not to match but coordinate the skirt and sleeve length.
Find inspiration for your dress from the wedding venue, colors, and theme. Pick up your favorite writing source – phone, computer, or my favorite, a pretty notebook and write down the colors, venue, and theme. Then go to your favorite pictures you have of you and your family. Scan the images to see which one you like best and note what you’re wearing.
Next, go to Pinterest and search the wedding theme plus mother of the bride, for example, Mother of the Bride – Art Deco Wedding. Peruse the posts and choose your favorites to save to a personal Pinterest Board. Never saved to a board before? Just click on save & follow the prompts to create a board. Oops! First, you need to create an account if you don’t already have one, which is also super easy by following the prompts on the home screen.
The most important tip I can share is to start shopping early. It’s ok to shop a little before the wedding gown is chosen; keep the venue and the wedding colors in mind.
KlienfieldBridal
azazie
Dillards
ASOS
Shopping sources:
Think traditional like a wedding shop and non-traditional like Asos, WhiteHouseBlackMarket, Nic & Zoe, von maur, Macy’s, Dillards, BHLDN, Rotita, or KleinfeldBridal online. I have not ordered from Rotita, but I love the style and price of their dresses.
One last tip, go to a professional for alterations to give you an expert fit and the most flattering hem length. Now that you have your outfit selected, let’s move on to shoes and accessories to complete your chic look.
Shoe Shopping Tips for Mother’s of the Bride & Groom
A most important one: start early, even before your daughter or son is engaged. Shopping early is the best strategy for finding shoes you love, at your price, and want to wear all day.
HOW DO I SHOP before I know my daughter’s wedding gown’s colors, venue, and style? It’s so possible because a metallic shoe goes with everything, and your dress can be shortened if needed to go with your shoe. This strategy is worth trying because it may take a lot of time to find the shoe that you feel the most glamorous in and that you can wear all day. Pick your favorite metallic – gold, silver- or my favorite – rose gold and start shopping!• focus on comfort and style – for heels, a platform or a wedge heel gives the most balanced and comfort for standing and dancing.
• get them worn in; yes, wear them months before the wedding around your home first, and then after you decide they’re the ones, go ahead and wear them to an indoor event before the wedding.
• you can have two pairs of shoes for the wedding – yes, more shoes!
If it works best with your dress, wear the most glamorous shoes but not necessarily the most comfortable for the ceremony, and bring another stylish, comfy pair for dancing the night away.
Shopping for special occasion shoes can be an immense pain because the increased costs and styles available do not always come with a comfortable fit. With that in mind, here are choices that come in various price points and styles.
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- ETSY
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- KATE SPADE
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- BHLDN
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- JCREW
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- KATE SPADE
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- JCREW
Shop for shoes at von Maur, Macy’s, BHLDN, Nordstroms, Zappos, Asos, JCrew, Kate Spade, and Anthropologie.
Mothers of the Bride & Groom – Accessories
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- Wedding Forward
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- ETSY
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- Marti & Company
Choosing jewelry and a purse to go with your dress are essential items that require some thought. Accessories add those critical details that take your look from just pretty to chic. So plan to spend some time finding these accessories. A clutch purse with a removable strap is always a good choice for your purse. Metallic is a good color choice because it goes with every dress color. There is also the choice of a sturdy tote to carry all of the essentials for the day and add your clutch to the tote or choose a more oversized metallic-colored purse that can hold everything you need for the day.
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- Marti & Company
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- Marti & Company
Shopping Tips:
• look for coordinating pieces rather than an exact match of earrings to the necklace and bracelet for the “chic of chicest” style
• it’s ok to wear the same bracelet or earrings as the rest of the wedding party; try not to wear precisely the same jewelry unless your daughter or future daughter-in-law asks you to.
• if your dress is all lace or has beaded accents, go with classic jewelry like pearls, gold, or silver jewelry.
• for a v-neck, u-shape, or jewel neckline, consider a necklace that is similar to the neckline of your dress
•a modern trend that we love is mixing metals – gold, silver, or rose gold
Shopping sources:
I prefer to start shopping in my jewelry collection for these accessories and add another jewelry piece from small boutiques on Etsy, von Maur for Swarovski, Kendra Scott, and Jenny Bird for modern classic styles, and local shops Marti & Company (see pictures above).
Hair & Makeup
My daughter Kelli & I We were so happy in this photo because we had a relaxing morning getting our hair and makeup done by a team who came to our Airbnb. Even though this was a destination wedding, the team arrived the day before the ceremony and did trial makeup and hairstyle for Kelli so that she got exactly what she wanted. This service is available in most Destination Wedding packages and weddings closer to home.
If you’re into it and it’s within the budget, we’d strongly suggest getting your hair and makeup done professionally for the wedding. However, there are times when this isn’t feasible because of allergies to certain types of makeup and skincare. For allergy-prone moms, bring your makeup and skincare products for the stylist to use at the salon, or pack them in your carry-on for a destination wedding. Here are a few other tips we have found helpful for chic makeup and hairstyles.
• For moms who like to do their makeup, go to your favorite shop a few months before the wedding for a consultation on updating your makeup for the wedding. Ask for tips for applying makeup for wedding pictures. Also, ask the consultant to write down the information and take a photo for reference for using on the wedding day.
• For moms who like a no-makeup look, consider asking the stylist for a minimalist look that will look like you, giving you a younger look for those all-important family photos so that you love them forever.
• To avoid miscommunication, bring photos to the hairstylist and hair accessories that you’d like him or her to use in your style. Try to pick a style that you love and isn’t too complicated. We’re not advocates for a new haircut for the wedding day, just a unique style you tried out before the wedding.
• For a super easy style, add a jeweled pin to a messy, curled up-do to make a hairstyle wedding-ready. Check out this blog post by Wedding Forward for inspiration and tips. Photo credit Wedding Forward blog.
Wow! We made it. I hope these shopping tips for your Mother of the Bride and Groom’s dress and accessories are helpful. We know this is a lot of information and time were asking you to take in planning your wedding look for your daughter’s or son’s wedding. Your time and energy will bring lifelong memories, and you’ll love revisiting the wedding pictures often. Leave a comment below with your favorite tip.
