A wedding ceremony is special not only for the couples but also their families and friends. The mother of the bride is probably the most important person after the couple who receives all the attention. Thus, she is required to be appropriately and beautifully dressed. These days, there are so many dress options available for the mother of the bride. You need to choose the right color, cut, and style depending on the occasion. Talking to the couple or your daughter is the best way to find the right dress. Some of the best brands for mother of the bride dresses are David’s Bridal and Dillard’s.

Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect mother of the bride dress.

Formality
Depending on the formality of the wedding, the bride’s mother needs to choose an appropriate dress. For a low-key wedding, you can go for casual attire. However, a formal ceremony would require you to wear a certain standard of dress. For a formal wedding, you will need to wear a full-length dress with minimal embellishments. It is a good idea to be dressed in a conservative gown of one or two colors at the most.

A casual wedding on the beach does not require you to wear anything fancy.

Semi-formal weddings call for a dress that matches the outfits of the bride and the bridesmaids. You can wear a halter neck dress with a jacket to get the perfect semi-formal look.

Keep the theme in mind
If the wedding has a theme, it is important to dress according to it. Get to know the theme of the wedding and find an appropriate dress for yourself. It is not too hard to get the perfect attire as per the theme.

Religious customs, culture, and other traditions may require you to dress in a certain way. A wedding ceremony that follows certain religious traditions would require you to wear a special dress as per the customs.

Time of the day
You’re sure to know at what time the ceremony is going to take place. If it is a morning or a day wedding, your mother of the bride dress should be short and casual. If the wedding is the late afternoon or even in the evening, you can wear a more jazzy evening dress.

Dresses for a destination wedding
Destination weddings come with special considerations as far as the style of the dress is concerned. For instance, if the wedding is taking place on a beach, light and sunny dresses are good choices. But if the ceremony is going to happen in a castle, then the appropriate dress would be a long ball gown.

Choosing the right style
It is pertinent to choose a dress that does not clash with the color or style of the bridesmaids’ dresses. You are the mother of the bride, so your dress needs to stand apart from the crowd. At the same time, you do not want to draw too much attention to yourself. This attention should be centered on the bride alone. Choose a dress that fits the color scheme yet does not look too similar to the dresses of bridesmaids. For instance, if the bridesmaids are wearing purple dresses, you can wear a dress in a shade of lavender. It is also important to consult with the mother of the groom to know what she intends to wear and decide your attire accordingly.

You can talk to other women about how they dressed for their daughters’ weddings as this would also you a fairly good idea about the appropriate attire.