<p>I’m lost and seeking suggestions. D1 is getting married this spring. Wedding is in a resort area and there will be a ceremony in the church with a reception following (cocktail hour and dinner). I’ve been looking in a few of the bridal shops in my area for mother of the bride dresses and every one I’ve seen seems to scream “old lady”. Conversely, I’ve looked at the cocktail dresses (designer and otherwise) at some upscale department stores (Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, etc.) and most of those seem like they’re too “young” for a 50-something mom. I don’t want a long dress, but I don’t want a mini either. I’m not looking for a bargain, but I also don’t want to pay huge $$$. So–where should I shop? If you’ve had a child get married recently, what did you wear?</p>
<p>A very good friend was the Mother of the Bride recently. She got a gorgeous dress and jacket at JCPenney. Hers was a full length dress…probably the prettiest one at the wedding beside the bride’s. </p>
<p>Keep checking the department stores. Another mom of the bride got her dress (very nice) at Macys…on sale. Lord and Taylor has nice semiformal wear also.</p>
<p>Both of these moms stayed away from the bridal shops. First of all, they didn’t like the dresses there. AND second…they felt the prices were significantly marked UP because they were with a bridal party.</p>
<p>Try a small boutique. There is a little shop around here that the girls go to for prom dresses. The woman has catalogues and I know several women who have orgered them in. There was no charge if they didn’t like them.</p>
<p>Check Nordstrom’s online - they have a wedding section, and the selection is much better than what they have in stores:</p>
<p>[Wedding</a> Shop - Nordstrom](<a href=“http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/6005464/0~2376776~2374327~6005464?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=leftnav&pbo=2374327]Wedding”>http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/6005464/0~2376776~2374327~6005464?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=leftnav&pbo=2374327)</p>
<p>(Click on the “Mother of the bride” link).</p>
<p>CONGRATULATIONS!!!</p>
<p>Sorry, double post.</p>
<p>Is this in a tropical or warm weather resort area? If yes, you could have fun with something stylish and more casual.</p>
<p>If you can look good in a youthful dress, go for it! MOB does not have to be stodgy and I’m not planning to be!! I don’t dress like my DD although more and more older moms seem to, but I don’t dress like my mother did at 50 either.</p>
<p>I’d look at sites like Bluefly, for ideas anyway. They have a lot of Vera Wang who makes updated MOB dresses.</p>
<p>Here’s one from Bluefly I could see on a MOB:</p>
<p>[Vera</a> Wang forest green sateen draped beaded dress at Bluefly](<a href=“http://www.bluefly.com/Vera-Wang-forest-green-sateen-draped-beaded-dress/cat80012/302322101/detail.fly]Vera”>http://www.bluefly.com/Vera-Wang-forest-green-sateen-draped-beaded-dress/cat80012/302322101/detail.fly)</p>
<p>I served as MOB for my dear stepdaughter last June. Afternoon wedding at an estate in the English countryside. (men in morning suits, ladies in hats, pimms cups and strawberries on the croquet lawn…) I knew exactly the feel I wanted but I was just about tearing my hair out after several fruitless months searching until I decided to spring for a dressmaker. (I had a referral to a very talented woman.) I had a beautiful dupioni silk suit made from a Badgley Miscka design from a Vogue pattern book. It was absolutely perfect: fit, style, color, design, everything just made for me. If you have a good idea of what you think you want, it might be worth exploring this option.</p>
<p>(total cost, including fabric and labor under $400)</p>
<p>Have you looked at Kay Unger dresses, sold at Lord and Taylor, Saks, Nordstrom, N-M? </p>
<p>They can be very pretty in a low-key way. Sizes run small (even a 16 is tight for someone who wears a size 12 or 14 from Talbots)–but prices are decent, fabrics nice. Styles are reasonably classic and not super-dressy. Selection at the stores tends to be spotty, so you find one style in one store and a different color and size in another.</p>
<p>The Saks in NYC across from Rockefeller Center has the widest selection of dresses in my experience, and the most knowledgeable sales people–and prices on stuff like Kay Unger are the same everywhere so no reason not to go to Saks again.</p>
<p>I agree with orchestramom – in fact, I was thinking of having an excellent seamstress I know make a dress for me to wear to my d’s high school graduation.</p>
<p>I found my perfect stepmother-of-the-bride dress at Nordstrom, and I was 50-something at the time. It was a beautiful shade of deep inky blue, in keeping with the wedding colors but not upstaging her mom’s dress at all (I liked mine better ;)). The online suggestion is excellent if you can’t find something in the store.</p>
<p>I also second the seamstress idea if you have access to a great fabric store.</p>
<p>Look at Ann Taylor online.
[ANN</a> TAYLOR ONLINE STORE: Celebrations](<a href=“http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/department.jsp?N=1200042&categoryId=193]ANN”>http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/department.jsp?N=1200042&categoryId=193)</p>
<p>I was going to recommend Talbot’s on line. Two summers ago they had a gorgeous line of dressy dresses, but no more.</p>
<p>Mother of the bride dresses can be terrible. At my niece’s wedding, both moms wore what I refer to as a “lace sack.”</p>
<p>I got my MOB dress and groom’s mother got hers at David’s Bridal. We looked at bridesmaid’s dresses and NOT MOB dresses because we thought they were too frumpy. We both got gorgeous halter dresses (plenty of fabric/coverage) and they were CHEAP!!! We got tons of compliments, especially when we put on our cowboy boots for the reception.</p>
<p>I found mine at Nordstrom’s and Von Maur but wasn’t about to pay those prices. So I tried them on, found exactly what I wanted and bought it on ebay. Paid 1/4 of the retail price.</p>
<p>those web sites were so much fun!</p>
<p>I am eons away from MOG, so I have time to lose the weight…</p>
<p>I agree, mafool. I especially loved the dresses on the Ann Taylor website. :)</p>
<p>ditto with mafool and sportsmama.</p>
<p>A question, though. Are bridesmaids these days mostly wearing short dresses? Because it seems like 90% of the ones they show are short (same with the MOB dresses).</p>
<p>I was also surprised at how reasonably priced most of them seemed to be.</p>
<p>My son was married this past June and I wore a long dress with a jacket…definitely not old-lady looking. I bought it at Boscov’s a local department store.
The jacket was beaded and the top of the dress matched the jacket…The wedding was at 4:00 hence the long dress.</p>
<p>I was a mother of the bride last summer and found a gorgeous three piece cocktail suit at a ladies boutique. I had been to brides stores, department stores with no luck - the small store made me feel very special.</p>
<p>OMG, I can’t believe that my peers are already MOBs! I’m not ready for this next stage. But enough about me :o Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials!</p>
<p>Talbots might work although it seems as if they have cut back on party clothes-I like Talbots because it carries a variety of sizes.</p>