Oh, wow. This is a hot topic in my family right now. Mothers have such a tough time finding a beautiful dress that fits well. My own mom called me last night to say she had just spoken with my future mother-in-law — they were discussing dresses. Neither has found one yet.
There is a lot for mothers to consider when finding a dress for your wedding. First, there is color. Do they try to stay in the same color palette as the bridesmaids? Or select a complementary color? Then, there’s the length. Long dresses, short dresses, tea-length dresses… And finally, there’s the fit. Strapless? Suited? Portrait collar? Ruffled collar? Mandarin collar?
Sarah Christine is here to share her experience with finding a perfect dress for her mom.
From Sarah…
Most brides think finding their dress is the hardest part of planning – for me, it’s the ongoing battle of helping my mother find the dress of her dreams.
A little back story…
My older brother, Christopher, was engaged during the summer of 2001– at that time, he was also in the Navy reserves. After September 11th occurred, the Navy called him up to make sure they knew where he was, just in case they needed him. My brother and his fiancée got a little spooked and he wanted to make sure that, if he got called in, she would be taken care of. So, on October 4, 2001, they had quick ceremony with just their two good friends. The moral of this story is that my mom never got to attend her son’s wedding or experience the treasured mother-son dance.
Fast forward to the present–I was doing my daily round-up of blog posts one day when I came across a “Mother of the Bride Dress Contest” being held by Brides Local Magazines. Brides Magazine was looking for moms that were having a tough time finding their ideal dresses.
The magazine wanted to bring them into their offices in New York to have the mothers try on numerous gowns. On top of that, they would be included in a photo shoot (with hair and make-up provided) to be published in their fall issue – ding, ding, ding! This was absolutely perfect!
Photos: Brides.com
After writing in the story of my mother not experiencing that memorable dance, I was notified that my mother and I had won the contest! Two weeks ago, my mom took a trip into the city and had a great time trying on so many gorgeous dresses.
Last week, I was invited to the Conde Nast building to join my mother for the photo shoot. Besides hair and make-up artists waiting for the three moms that won the contest, loads of shoes and beautiful jewels awaited them. In fact, my mom wore a necklace that was $32,000!
Photos: Brides.com (this is just a model, not Sarah Christine’s mom)
After all was said and done, my mom had a great time with the shoot, but still wasn’t in love with any of the dresses that they picked out for her, even though they looked amazing on her.
I would love suggestions – where did your mom get her dress? Please share your wealth of knowledge!
Photos: Lily and Sharkey; Susan and Mary (both from Martha Stewart Weddings)
So…has YOUR mom found her dress? If so, can you share her experience with us? Where did she find it? Did she have help from you, from her girlfriends, from a personal shopper?
We don’t know yet if it is THE dress for mom, but she found some she really like on jcp.com
Thanks for all of the helpful ideas and links!
m.o.b.’s should look for dresses with sleeves and should avoid the long sequined loose-jacketed rags that are marketed to them in department stores as “mother-of- the-bride” dresses. they are hideous.
analyze your best feature and dress to look great and keep your dignity. remember, it’s not about you, so finally, it won’t end up being a crucial decision to anyone else but you, unless you err on the tasteless side. if you dress to attract attention, you’ll never hear the end of it as long as you live!