Shopping for mother of the groom’s dresses becomes a lot easy when you coordinate with the mother of the bride. But most importantly, take your son into confidence before selecting a dress, regardless of the type that you might love to wear.
Now, why is it so? You can never say but your son and the bride might have decided on a specific theme for the wedding and your dress should be appropriate for the occasion. You will be the odd one out if you choose a sundress for a church wedding or a flowing gown or a gorgeous dressy mother of the groom pant suit for a beach event. Confirm the theme, the venue, and know about any other restrictions before finalizing your dress.
Dress Etiquette Tips for the Mother of the Groom
Go through any wedding planning website, magazine, or invitation etiquette norms and you will find reams of text about everything but mother of the groom dresses. Hence, here are a few basic guidelines that you will do well to follow, especially for extremely formal black-tie weddings. These rules will prevent you from making a faux pas that will be imprinted in the wedding photographs for ages to come.
Traditional Guidelines for the Mother of the Groom
- It is the norm for the mother of the bride to decide on her dress first and then inform the mother of the groom about it. Many coordinate their decisions from the planning stage itself. If the dresses complement each other, the mothers will not only stand out in the crowd but will also help give a harmonious look to the wedding photographs. This is particularly important so far as the color, style and fabric are concerned. To be slightly different you can wear a mother of the groom pant suit in a lighter or darker shade than what is worn by the mother of the bride.Be careful, though, that the dresses are not an exact copy.
- Do not wear white, off-white, cream, or any other neutral shade that matches the bride’s dress. This is her great day and nothing should take the focus away from her, not even her mother or you. Further, enquire from the mother of the bride the proposed color of the dresses of the bridesmaids. This color should be avoided but it should not bother you if you have decided on a mother of the groom pant suit. You will be spoilt for choice. Glamorous and dressy pantsuits are available in beautiful and stunning colors, cuts, and designs, so take your pick with ease.
- Select a mother of the groom outfit that is appropriate to the formality of the wedding. At the top of the pile is the usual black-tie church wedding where you should wear a sweeping gown or a top-of-the-line mother of the groom pant suitin subdued colors to match the occasion. On the other hand, you can be at your glamorous best in summer dresses for a beach wedding where the level of formality is low.
- It is advisable to be conservative in your attire even for informal weddings. Avoid complex and audacious outfits that might not be appropriate. After all, a wedding is a solemn occasion regardless of where it is held and you should not wear a party dress, generally reserved for late-night dances at a discotheque.
- Avoid black dresses unless it has been specially approved by the bride and your son.
However, these rules and dress codes are slowly going through a transformation and veering towards a touch of modernity.
Modern Guidelines for the Mother of the Groom
While gowns have traditionally been the start and the end of the mother of the groom dresses in the past, rules are now frequently bent to accommodate individual dresses. For example, chic strapless or spaghetti dresses were considered inappropriate for the mother of the groom. But today, simply wrap a shawl or bolero jacket around your shoulders over the same daring outfit and you will be ready for your son’s wedding.
- In the not-too-distant past, wearing black was a strict no-no at any wedding. But now, black and white wedding themes are becoming quite popular and couples are not only opting for it but also choosing a range of accent colors like claret red or deep purple. A dark and deeply toned mother of the groom pant suitis quite normal today.
- Multi-color wedding schemes that use rainbow colors are quite widespread today. It means that all the attendants wear a different color and you should wait to know about the mother of the bride’s dress before making your move. Wear a flattering color that matches your skin tone. At a rainbow wedding, burnt orange or bright blue mother of the groom pant suitwould look lovely while a soft violet or mint green dress would be ideal for a pastel colors wedding code.
Coming back to where this post started – before arriving at any decision, talk to your son about any special requirements and the mother of the bride to coordinate your dresses.