“At a lovely garden wedding the mother of the bride decided the cake was in the wrong spot and asked two men in formal black attire to move the cake.  The cake wobbled back and forth, leaving globs of white frosting on the front of both men’s suits and huge dents in the lovely cake.”

More wedding day disaster stories at The Examiner.

1. Talk to your daughter about her color schemes. Ask her whether she would prefer your dress to have colors complementary to her colors or to be a color that will closely match them. For instance, a complementary color for a blue color theme would be navy, aqua, azure, baby blue, sapphire, or teal. If she prefers you to have a color that closely matches hers, don’t fret too much over choosing the color since your dress will be from a type of fabric, a different style and a different manufacturer, so the colors will never match exactly.

2. Once you and your daughter have settled on an appropriate range of colors for your dress, the rest is up to you. Choose a color within the range and you will both be happy. Remember mother of the bride outfits are not made to order and tailored like bridesmaid dresses are, so once you’ve got the color decision out of the way you still have lots of work ahead of you to go out and find the perfect dress that comes in your chosen color.

3. The mother of the groom should also be involved. You should make sure to let her know the colors you will be wearing so she can coordinate with you and not end up wearing the same dress! She will appreciate your help because she is going through the same problems as you picking out mother of the groom dresses, except it is customary for her to defer to your choice first so it is that much more difficult for her.

4. Start looking as soon as you can. Your dress is also important so don’t let it slip while trying to help your daughter find hers. Shopping for the perfect color, in the perfect style that suits you, in the perfect size takes time, and once you do find the perfect dress then you still need to get it tailored for final adjustments, and find all of the accessories and a good pair of  mother of the bride shoes to go with it. Remember to leave enough time to get this all sorted out!

5. Start your shopping at bridal boutiques and department stores first. This way you can get your hands on the different types of fabrics and styles first hand. Don’t forget to take a look at online stores as well, since you can browse through a huge selection of mother of the bride outfits from your own home.

6. Don’t forget to take care of yourself during this stressful time. You do need to look good, but it is your daughter’s wedding, so don’t freak out too much. It’s her day, after all, and she will want you to be happy and stress free.

7. You’re done! You should now have one of the best mother of the bride outfits ever! Once it’s over, you can breathe a sigh of relief and relax. Kick up your feet, have a glass of wine in celebration of your accomplishment, and take a moment to cherish the fond memories of you and your daughter preparing for her special day.

Take a look at some of your favorite shoes you already own. Take a note of the style, heel height, and the fit. Find out why you like them, and why they are comfortable. Then try and take those principles and apply that when you are shopping for your mother of the bride shoes.

If the wedding is going to be in the afternoon and more causal, you will be able to get away with a lower heel, or perhaps no heel at all, something like a flat thong. This would be ideal for comfort. You can get a pair of pumps for a more dressy or black tie night time wedding, which may not be as comfortable, but will match the style of the wedding more appropriately.

As for colors, either choose a neutral color, or choose a fabric that can be dyed to match your dress exactly. Don’t bother trying to match the color of your dress yourself; it will be nearly impossible.

You may want to consider buying two seperate pairs of shoes: a fancy pair for the ceremony and pictures, and another pair for the festivities (and dancing!). If this is the case you can go with a little more style and a little less comfort for the first pair, and vice-versa on the second pair. Some mothers even wear a type of slipper type shoes for the reception. The choice is yours.

Start looking as early as possible for your shoes so you are not stressed for time. You’ll want to break your mother of the bride shoes in a bit before the wedding, and you may need to scuff up the soles or add some non-slip pads for the bottom so there are no embarrassing slips. Comfort is the most important factor, style is secondary, yet still very important. Just remember, this is your daughter’s big day, so enjoy it!

Traditionally, the mother of the groom should not buy her dress until the mother of the bride does so first. You will want to coordinate your outfits to be similar in style yet unique. It is true, less and less couples are following tradition now-a-days, but you should still ask to be absolutely clear on what the bride is ok with, and what she is not.

Talk to the bride and her mother about the types of dresses they will be wearing. Try to stay along the same styles, but do not copy them exactly. You may even be able to all go shopping and choose your dresses together with the mother of the bride. If this is possible, things will be much easier on all of you, and you’ll have fun doing it!

You will want to choose a color that doesn’t exactly match with the mother of the bride or with the bridesmaids. Mother of the groom dresses should be a softer, coordinating color, and not a dark color unless that is what the bride and groom prefer. Try to find a dress that accentuates your good qualities and matches your personality. There are a few colors that you need to stay away from, and these would be anything in the white spectrum. Off-whites, champagnes, and the like are off limits, as they are too close to the brides color.

Finding mother of the groom dresses has been made easier lately, thanks to online boutiques and the like. You can always get a good idea of the colors and style you would like before you ever leave the house. Then with this in mind you can visit the traditional bridal boutiques and even some department stores. Just remember to give yourself plenty of time, and don’t delay shopping for your dress or you will be too stressed out and may make a poor decision under pressure. Find something that fits you well, compliments the bride’s chosen colors for the wedding, and you will be fine. Happy hunting!

If you decide to have a traditional style wedding, the mother of the bride should buy her dress before the mother of the groom. Once she chooses the style, cut, and color of her dress, she can inform the grooms mother, who can then make her decision based on what the mother of the bride is wearing. They can coordinate so that they can have similar but unique styles, which will make pictures of the entire wedding party look that much better.

If the groom has a step-mother, the only rule is that the bride’s mother always chooses her dress first, so that she can avoid having too similar a dress. The exception to this rule would be if the step-mother raised the groom as her own son (if the grooms farther is widowed), in which case the rules are the same as if she were her real mother.

As far as colors are concerned, there are a few that are to be avoided. White, off-white, or anything near should be avoided. This includes champagne shades as well. Very dark and very bright loud colors should also be avoided. Pastels and nice subdued hues are good choices.

The idea that the brides mother should find a dress like that of the bridesmaids is outdated. There can be some similarity, but don’t overdo it.

The last thing to consider is that not everyone looks the good in every color. Your mother may not look her best in colors that go perfectly with your wedding colors, so you each may have to bend a little and comprimise to find the best fit. She wants to look and feel beautiful on your wedding day too, so keep that in mind.

It’s a daunting task finding the mother of the bride clothes that are perfect for both you and her, but with some effort and careful planning, it can be done. Good luck, and enjoy your special day!

Gone are the days of trying to squeeze into unflattering small dresses. Now is the time to embrace having thicker shapes instead of trying to fight it. There are many options for plus size mother of the bride dresses now that compliment your fuller figure beautifully. There has never been a better time for plus sized formal attire designs. There are just as many beautiful plus size mother of the bride dresses out there as there are normal ones; maybe even more.

Plus size mother of the bride dresses are now built for comfort, so you get the added advantage of not having to deal with those uncomfortable dresses that some of the “skinnier” girls have to endure. These plus size dresses can be found at all of the normal bridal shops and boutiques now, so you will have no trouble finding one. Have no fear, dive in and find your perfect dress! More tips can be found in my article “Seven simple steps to choosing mother of the bride outfits“. The rules found in that article still apply to you, so make sure you read through and apply them so you and your daughter will have a happy wedding day!