I’m always intrigued to see what the mothers of the bride and groom wear on the wedding day.  Of course they want to look stunning since they are a focal point at the wedding, but sometimes the generation gap can be unfortunate in terms of what classifies as “stunning.”  This tension always creates a moment of suspense for me as a wedding guest, which fortunately has resolved favorably every time so far.

Traditionally, the mothers are escorted down the aisle, which is such a triumphant trip down memory lane.  With nostalgia of their own wedding days flooding over them, I can only imagine how significant this current trip down the aisle is.  Perhaps some of the same faces that beamed for them as brides are here now, supporting the bride and groom as loyal friends of the family.

I love how Utterly Engaged phrased the esteem of the mother of the bride (and groom): “The Mother of the Bride should be the second best dressed, behind the bride of course.”  They have a great spread of some fashionable, yet classic looks that will make a mother of the bride or groom shine.

Because the mothers (grandmothers too) walk the aisle, they are part of the visual theme that carries through the wedding.  Together with your bridal party and your flowers, they represent a color in your palette.  Be sure to communicate your colors and your styles to them so they can be a complementary part of the wedding party.

In order to coordinate colors, and to address potential generation gap concerns, why not take the mothers to the bridal boutique with you?  Having an expert be able to weigh in for or against certain styles can help to take some stress off of you (if you are at all concerned about their taste) and some pressure off of them (if they are overwhelmed by the myriad criteria to meet).  Additionally, it can be a very sweet time of bonding.  You get the obvious benefit of having one-on-one time with each of them, but you also have a chance to honor them by investing your wedding planning time (which can feel hard to come by) in their decisions, not as a bridezilla who micromanages, but as a companion who comes along side.

One very creative way to include the mothers in the bridal party without giving her an actual bridesmaid’s dress to wear is to have them wear the bridesmaids’ color during the rehearsal dinner the night before.  The day of the wedding, the mothers’ dresses would be a different, complementary color, but when the bridesmaids finally make their entrance down the aisle, all who

were present at the rehearsal dinner will make the color connection between today’s bridal party and last night’s dress color.

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Photos by Rachael Seibenaler, RSPix