<p>oldest is getting married in june and will be an outside elegant affair in another state. We live in a rather rural area with no big name retailers. closest mall is over an hour away and stores while nice arent exactly top fashion outlets ie NOT nordstroms, bloomingdales etc
Know i could go online to shop there, but does anyone have suggestions for more boutique type stores that would have more unique designer fashion?
now to display all my flaws… would love some sort of sleeve, not sleeveless. want skirt length that would cover some veins, and would work with a shoe that wont be too high a heel as i cant wear heels comfortably due to bunions and hallux rigidus.</p>
<p>Two of my good friends had kids get married last summer, both outside elegant weddings. Both moms wanted nice mother-of-the-bride (or groom) dresses that covered knees and upper arms. Huge search for both of them. One found her dress at Penney’s and the other at Sears! They both looked everywhere, from bridal shops and boutique type places to outlets to upscale malls.</p>
<p>The Sears dress was a lovely taupe color with lace overlay on the short jacket. It looked very stylish and certainly didn’t look like it came from Sears. The Penney’s dress was a pretty iris blue, plain dress and short-sleeved jacket. That mom also couldn’t wear heels too long.</p>
<p>Nordstrom online has a nice bridal section and there are some lovely dresses there for the moms (but also many that are for stick-thin model types, not real moms).</p>
<p>If you can find an Alfred Angelo somewhere within driving distance check it out. [Alfred</a> Angelo… Find the perfect Wedding Dress, Bridesmaid Dress, Prom Dress, Flower Girl Dress or Mother of the Bride Dress at Alfred Angelo.](<a href=“http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/DisplayCollection.aspx?categoryId=01192DB8-BF9E-425C-A67C-E0E9484157AE]Alfred”>http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/DisplayCollection.aspx?categoryId=01192DB8-BF9E-425C-A67C-E0E9484157AE)</p>
<p>Congratulations.</p>
<p>I would look for Kay Unger dresses/suits–silk, classic styling, cut a little small (that is a 16 will fit someone who is usually a 14, but it won’t be roomy). Tasteful and quietly elegant I think. Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus sell them as do other department stores and probably boutiques. (I personally do not like bridal collections or dresses designated as mother of the bride or groom–too fussy.) You can “window shop” online to get familiar with what is available and either order several online (returns should not be an issue) or make a trip to the nearest more urban area to do some in-person shopping. You probably will want to check with bride and bride’s mother regarding any particular colors that would work especiallt well in pictures and in the setting itself.</p>
<p>Nordstrom and some other higher end retailers will take back pretty much anything you order; boutiques will have much stricter return policies (14 days, store credit only, non-refundable, etc.), so check before you buy online. Cache sometimes has some lovely dresses online and in their stores (but they have a 14-day return policy). As I recall, MOfWC said that she found a great mother of the bride dress at David’s Bridal.</p>
<p>Yep- Good memory BB!! Both the mother of the groom and I got our dresses (together) at David’s and they were wonderful. There is a huge selection and I thought the dresses were very inexpensive.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about this website, but it looks like a great place to get ideas (by length, color, sleeve, etc.)</p>
<p>[Mother</a> of the Bride Dress Pictures - Designer Mother of the Bride Dresses | Brides.com](<a href=“http://www.brides.com/fashion/dresses/gallery/motherofthebride_dresses/landing/]Mother”>http://www.brides.com/fashion/dresses/gallery/motherofthebride_dresses/landing/)</p>
<p>Congratulations! Aren’t you so excited you could just pop? I am going to be a mother-of-the-groom this summer, too, and after looking around for a few months have decided to try and have something made. (But after reading this thread will go look at sears and pennys first!) A dress that is appropriately formal, in the correct color, but much less interesting than her mother’s will be a dress that I will probably never wear again and I am hoping not to have to spend a whole lot. I am thinking a loose fitting a-line floor length sleeveless gown in lightweight silk with a matching color short silk organza sheer blouse/jacket. Alternatively a matching shell/floor length skirt with sheer top. Beading and sparkles are still under consideration. Should I are shouldn’t I if the wedding gown and mother of the bride have them? I am thinking less is better. </p>
<p>I am getting something wonderful (but much more casual!!!) for the rehearsal dinner.</p>
<p>thanks all!!! all suggestions welcome! going to look at some dresses . cc comes through again.</p>
<p>oh poo alh totally forgot rehearsal dinner dress! love your idea for your dress.</p>
<p>ooo just saw a kay unger one but its bright red! dont think that would work</p>
<p>Don’t forget the #1 rule for the mother of the groom: wear beige and keep your mouth shut! </p>
<p>At least that’s what my ex-MIL told me. Of course, she sure as hell never kept HER mouth shut… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>lol stevensmama!!! my problem will be i tend to avoid pastels and like bold colors or black! beige just isnt in my vocabulary and keeping mouth shut isnt either. i’m envious of her mother who lives in a big cosmopolitan city vs here for dress choices.</p>
<p>last year I needed a dress for a formal occasion. I ordered a variety (couple of dresses, a long skirt and blouse) online from JCPenney. shoes too!
they all came and I was able to try them on at home without dressing room <em>pressure</em>, got my kids <em>approval</em> (haha); kept one and took the rest back to the store.</p>
<p>it was an easy way to shop!</p>
<p>my absolutely perfect future daughter-in-law, after suggesting I wear something already in my closet if I wanted, did finally after I specifically asked what color she wanted me to wear, request if possible no black or white – perfectly reasonable since those are the only colors she has ever seen me in. She would never make a color suggestion so I am going with a color her mother considered but didn’t ultimately choose. I know they think that works with the color scheme and for the pictures. It is the second choice color and I am working very hard to show I know my place. Can you guess several friends have been mothers’ of brides recently?</p>
<p>My mom <em>loved</em> her experience with Alfred Angelo. She got to mix and match the pieces that would go best and that were age-appropriate for her. I think she ended up piecing together a dress she liked from the bridesmaids’ mix-and-match collections, actually. She had a nice sheer duster that hid her arms like she wanted, and a nice A-line satin skirt that fit very well, and a lovely top that showed off her decolletage in a tasteful (but extant… my father, her ex-husband, was going to be there, after all!) manner.</p>
<p>Go early, though, and don’t think you can “diet into” a dress… The Alfred Angelo wasn’t my mom’s first choice… She found a dress she adored in a too-small size and at the last minute, we realized she wasn’t going to make it. (I’d warned her for months! Oh well!) We had to place a rush order for her real dress, and she ended up realizing that it was great not to have to squeeze into something that didn’t work for her. It’s one more stressor that you just don’t need at that point. :)</p>
<p>I just looked on Penney’s online site and, believe it or not, the taupe dress my friend wore for her D’s wedding is still there and it is on sale for $49! It was only $99 originally. And it works for stevensmama’s rule about wearing beige!</p>
<p>The dress is much prettier in person than in the photos online and the taupe color is really pretty–sort of silvery gray-beige. If anyone is interested in a “backup” dress, this could be it. Several moms I know get a dress that is OK, especially if it is reasonable, and then take it back if they find something better. One thing about this dress is that it would fit with just about any color scheme (and not clash with anything either).</p>
<p>The link looks too long to post, but just go to --Penney’s, women, dresses, wedding-- online if interested.</p>
<p>There was a long thread on this same subject last summer. You might want to search for it.</p>
<p>Living in a rural area and having 6 months, just use the stores like Nordstrom which make returns easy and free, order several dresses and just keep going until you find the perfect one. You’ll have as much choice as the bride’s mom.</p>
<p>You will want to find something that blends with the colors of the wedding. We were recently at a wedding where the (hostile) Mother of the Bride wore her favorite color: violet. She wanted to outshine everyone. </p>
<p>First determine your price point. St. John’s (VERY costly but flatters most figures) is available online from major upscale retailers. I would go to all sites of the major department stores and shop. If all else fails: find an excellent dressmaker, bring pictures of dresses/suits/whatever that you like and see what she/he can come up with that is just for you.</p>