Wedding Invitations

I’ve gone to weddings where one of the proudest attendees is the mother of the bride. Perhaps you remember your wedding when this was so. Or maybe you- as the mother of the bride or the future bride herself- are thinking about this issue.

Shirley in Sacramento writes the Sacramento Bee’s fashion writer Leigh Grogan asking advice about what type of “mother of the bride” dress (wedding attire) she should purchase. It’s for an October wedding.

Leigh provides an interesting answer. There are length-of-dress considerations and time-of-day factors that can in turn, influence the best choice of colors for the dress.

“It’s important to select a color and style that are not distracting, based on what the rest of the wedding party is wearing, especially if you’ll be taking tons of photos as a group,” Leigh writes.

As to how long the dress should be, “the time of day certainly can dictate length,” leigh adds. “If the bridesmaids are wearing tea-length dresses and the wedding is before 6 p.m., you can opt for a cocktail suit or dress. Mixing lengths can also look awkward in photos.

And color?

“As for color, because it’s a fall wedding, you can go with jewel tones. With the bridesmaids wearing mocha, I can see something in deep purple or even royal blue or burgundy,” suggests Leigh. “I would avoid cream, ivory or champagne colors because they’re too close to the bride’s choice. And black, even though it’s appropriate for eveningwear, traditionally signifies a disapproval of the whole affair.”

(Sacramento Bee); Image: Marlene’s Dress Shoppe