So, it’s your daughter’s big day, but you have no idea what you are supposed to wear, or what the traditions are for the mother of the bride. Well, Fizzbox can help with all of this. We will look at what your options are on the big day, and give you some useful tips to make this special day even better...

Always Check with the Bride What Type of Dress Should You Wear? Hat or Fascinator? Top Tips

 

Always Check with The Bride

The first thing you should know is that any decision you make must go past the bride. Nothing should be set in stone until you get permission from the daughter! Not only is this to make sure that you don’t upset her in any way, accidentally, but she also might be a great fountain of inspiration on the style she would like you to wear.

Usually, she knows what dress she will be wearing years in advance and will, therefore, be able to tell you what her dress will look like. This is great to avoid any clashes. You can also style what you’re wearing to tie in with some design points on her dress. Weddings can be huge, with plenty of people for everyone to get to know. Having a design element on your dress similar to the bride will help people make the link that you are the mother easier. This could be as simple as copying some lace on her dress, or use the same shape of dress in your own choice.

When you think you know what your outfit is going to be, then the first person you should show is the bride. Whatever she says goes remember, so try again if she doesn’t like it with no complaint, or make the changes she wants. Let’s be honest the priority on the day should always be to make her happy at all costs.

What Type of Dress Should You Wear?

It is safe to say that you don’t want to upstage the bride in any way. This means you must stay very understated. It is a hard juggle that aim whilst still having fun with the style. First, you should get rid of any thought of wearing anything risqué or sexy. This is exactly what you are trying to avoid by taking any attention off the bride.

A lot of it has to do with length. You don’t want your dress to be too long that it looks dowdy, but also it can’t be too short so that is heading down the risqué road again. Finding this fine balance is difficult. As the mother of the bride, there will be duties like looking after the bride’s train. You need a dress that will allow bending down, but you must avoid it riding up at all costs. A good rule to use is one inch above the knee if you have great legs, and an inch below if you don’t.

If you choose a dress which is very plain, then you will be able to go all out with accessories like a hat or bag with eccentric designs. It works the other way around too. If you have very minimal designed accessories then a dress with a loud print, like something floral, would be a good choice.

Hat or Fascinator?

Wearing a headpiece at the wedding is a must to make the day a formal event. It is not every day we can wear a hat or fascinator, so a wedding is a great excuse to go wild. Don’t go too wild though, you must not forget whose big day it is.

Choosing between a hat or fascinator has plenty of factors determining what to choose than just what you fancy on the day. Whether it is the haircut you go for on the shape of your face, the choice is not always up to you. Follow these rules to get it right.

If you have a rounded face then most hats will suit you and especially those with a wide brim. If you have a slender face, then something smaller or a fascinator which covers one side of your head will look much sleeker. If you have broad shoulders, you should pick a hat with the widest brim possible because that will draw less attention to them, and make them appear less broad under the brim of the hat.

Whatever you choose, make sure that if money is an issue, you can always rent one. Unless you are a regular at the races then this will probably be the only day you wear a hat or fascinator.

Make sure that your hair is styled more at the back or on the sides if you’re wearing a hat, as it will flatten your hair. You don’t want to spend a lot of money on a fancy hairdo only for it to be ruined when you want to it off and dance!

Top Tips

This may be a no-brainer but just in case you were thinking it, don’t ever wear white or the same colour as the bride. Whatever you choose, make sure you keep to our own style. It will be obvious if you try to wear something out of your comfort zone. Make sure you have a matching jacket as weddings often run into the night and you want to keep warm while still looking good. Get your outfit at least three months before the big day. This gives you plenty of time to change your mind or have any adjustments done to the dress.

So, now you've got the clothing down, it's time to plan out the big weekend away and we're here to help, so whether it's a London hen party or a hen do in Marbella, take a look through our wide range of activities.