I have participated in many discussions with other brides-to-be who are upset when they find out their mother-in-law-to-be or even their own mother is intending to wear a white outfit. I have felt really sorry for these ladies.
That is, until I went shopping with my Mum to purchase her wedding outfit...
Our mission was to purchase a nice outfit for her to wear, preferably a dress with a pretty jacket. And guess what?
You can find endless outfits in white or cream but it is really difficult to find anything half decent in a different colour. A lot of the dresses have sickly patterns which would look better as a shower curtain in a budget bed & breakfast in Margate.
And don't even get me started on some of the designs they think our mothers should be wearing. Gone are the days of my Mum wearing anything above the knee, and I do not think any of the fashion designers are taking into consideration the needs of an older woman. I thought it was pretty obvious what a mother of the bride outfit needs to have:
1. No flashing of the bingo wings.
2. Skirt cannot be too high above the knee.
3. Not a low neckline.
4. Not a fogey design which my Grandmother would have worn in the 80s.
5. And no silly repetitive patterns which only bank clerks or air hostesses wear.
Not all mothers of the older generation look like Sharon Stone and nor do they look like one of the old dears from 'Last of the Summer Wine.'
So now I take it all back when I have made derogatory comments saying these white outfitted mothers clearly have personal issues in trying to compete with the brides dresses. All mothers out there have my full sympathy when trying to purchase their frocks.
The only word of advice I can give to all mothers is IF you are going to wear white/ivory then please accessorise it with a different colour. There are some stunning corsages, fancy coloured hats and shoes you can wear with a flashy clutch bag. There are lots of ways you can make the mother's outfit look less bridal.
Teresa x
