Rickie’s 4 Tips For Picking Out the Right Dress For Mother of the Bride

As the mother of the bride, you may quickly find yourself overwhelmed with all of the endless possibilities of dress choices you have. Are you looking to wear a floor length gown? A tea length dress? Will the weight/fabric of the dress be too warm when you dance? And what color do you lean towards? You want to compliment but not overshadow the bride, and still make a memorable impression.

With so many details to keep in mind, it is important to keep your eye on the prize and remember that while finding the right dress is important, feeling good and remembering what really counts that day matters most.

To help ease the process, our CEO Rickie Freeman has presented her 4 pointers in helping you find the perfect dress. Whether you are the mother of the bride herself, or the bride trying to guide your mother through her dress search, here is our guide to helping you along the way.

1. The earlier the better.

The first and most important tip is to be ahead of the game and start looking for a dress as soon as possible. While a year from the date seems very far in advance, it is a good time to start pre-planning and thinking about what kinds of dresses you may be considering. Even if this means not purchasing a dress yet, getting a sense of brands, colors, styles, and fits you like will be very beneficial when it comes time to making a final decision. You will be surprised how many last minute details need your attention as the wedding date approaches, and the more time you give yourself to plan, the less stressed you will be. Our recommendation is to have your dress purchased 3 months before the wedding date. This will ensure you have a significant amount of time to schedule fittings, alterations, and shop for accessories.

2. Part of the research process is trying on the dress.

The second pointer to keep in mind, is that the most important part of researching a dress is to actually try on the dress. You can spend hours online looking at pictures and reading item descriptions. However, you will not get a true feel for the garment and how it conforms to your body until you try it on. Is the silhouette comfortable to dance in? Does the color compliment your skin tone? Is the fabric too heavy for a beach wedding? These are questions you will have the most accurate answers to, once the dress is off the rack and on your body.

3. Take color cues from the wedding.

It is not required, but always a smart idea to play off the color scheme of the wedding when picking your dress. Keeping in mind different elements of the wedding such as the color of the flowers, tablecloths, and bridesmaids dresses, can serve as a frame of reference for you and help narrow down your options. While you do not have to exactly match the bridesmaids or the decorative components of the wedding, your dress should tie nicely into the color palette.

In addition, the venue is another factor to consider when choosing the color and style of dress. A summer wedding in an outdoor garden will gear your search towards styles that are made with lighter fabrics, have less coverage, and highlight bright colors. A December wedding in the city might influence your decision to lean towards velvet fabrics, dresses with more embellishments or sequins, jewel tone colors, and heavier silhouettes.

And lastly, always take into account if the ceremony is being held at a religious venue. This might require you to consider a dress with more coverage.

4. Accessorizing is important too.

Now that we have the dress covered, it’s time to accessorize! Accessories are essential and should not be overlooked. They are the finishing touches to the outfit that tie everything together. Whether you are choosing what shoes to wear or deciding on jewelry, it should all complement the dress. A dress with a deep v-neckline might call for an eye-catching necklace, while a dress with a lot of coverage may make you want to keep the jewelry more simplistic and have the shoes be a pop factor. And we cannot forget the hair! A pinned up hairstyle would work best with a dress that has a pronounced shoulder ruffle, that way the hair is out of the way and the dress is able to be on full display. A blowout would compliment a dress with a sweetheart neckline, where the shoulders are exposed and the hair will not be hiding any details from the dress.

With these tips in mind, you are ready to officially start the dress hunting process! Whether you are looking to browse through our recurring best selling styles, new releases from our 2023 collection, or classic dresses suitable for any time of year, there is sure to be something that fits what you are looking for.

Here are Rickie’s top 10 dress picks for this upcoming wedding season: