Best Mother of the Bride Dress Color?
One of the most popular questions I get asked about Mother of the Bride and Groom Dresses is, what is the best color to wear?
Today, I’m thrilled to be partnering with David’s Bridal to help answer that important question and show you a gorgeous gown in a stunning and trendy new shade.
Where do you begin when deciding what color of the dress to buy? You want to look fabulous, but there are so many things to consider. Should your dress be a similar color to the bridesmaids or just the opposite? How should you color coordinate with the Mother of the Groom? What colors are in style? What colors will suit you, and is it o.k. to wear black?
There are enough things to worry about when you’re preparing for a wedding without having to fret about all this. So let’s sort it out.
Fall/Winter wedding season is right around the corner, and one of the most popular hues trending is this stately wine color. This is such an elegant shade of red, and it looks stunning on most women.
I like it because it is classy and sophisticated, but it’s not dull. It has life to it, and it looks fabulous in photographs! Imagine a wedding party wearing fall or winter colors like Navy, Pumpkin, Plum, Emerald, or even Black, and you in Wine? This shade looks rich alongside those colors, and would be gorgeous if you were standing next to the bride!
A Wine colored dress like this can be paired with Gold, Silver, or Black accessories, but this year the newest color for accessories is Rose Gold. See how gorgeous the Wine color looks with the Blush and Rose Gold crystal clutch. Rose Gold is fresh, modern, and feminine. As for shoes, I’m wearing neutral Champagne-colored heels, so the dress and bag take center stage.
Moving on, let’s talk about Mother of the Bride Dress Color etiquette.
The proper etiquette is that the Mother of the Bride gets to select what color of dress she wants first, and then the Mother of the Groom goes next. These day days things are a little more relaxed, and the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom often get together with the bride for a little chat about coordinating colors before anyone runs out to purchase a gown.
There are a few ways you can go when deciding which color to wear.
Monotone
Many women ask, “Can the Mother of the Bride wear the same color as the Bridesmaids?” The exact color is not recommended, however, a Mother of the Bride can dress in the same general color family as the bridesmaids. This is a classy way to coordinate, but still, be a little different. For example, if the bridesmaids are in a light shade of purple, then mom can wear a deep purple Mother of the Bride dress.
Go Opposite
The Mother of the Bride can dress in a color that is directly opposite in color to the bridesmaids’ dresses. You’ll definitely stand out, but the bridesmaids will still look great next to you in pictures. For example, the bridesmaids wear Pumpkin, and you wear Navy.
Tonal
Choosing a color in the same theme or seasonal palette as the bridesmaids are also popular. So for a winter wedding, the bridesmaids are in Emerald green, and you are in Charcoal.
Go for Neutral
When in doubt, neutrals go with everything! Taupe, Champagne, and metallics like Gold and Silver are always lovely. Black Mother of the Bride dresses is perfectly acceptable too. Just be sure to o.k. it with the bride.
One more thing to think about… Choose a warmer shade if your hair and skin have more golden undertones, and a cooler shade if your skin has more pink undertones. So for example, choose a warm, lively Plum if your coloring is warm, and a dark Eggplant purple if your hair is more ash and your skin more pinkish than golden.
As for jewelry, it should color coordinate with the dress. A cool-colored dress such as a gray or silver dress needs silver jewelry. A warm shade like Gold, Champagne, or Rust usually looks best with gold jewelry. This dress has so many colored beads in it, black, gold, and silver, that I chose a neutral crystal earring so as not to compete with the neckline.
I hope that this has made things a little easier and given you a great starting point for picking the perfect dress. David’s Bridal is fantastic when it comes to figuring out what color to wear. Here are the top four colors they say are hot right now and into 2018!
Popular Mother of the Bride Dress Colors: Charcoal | Wine| Champagne | Navy
If you want to learn more about color, be sure to check out David’s Bridal online color coordination tool. It will help you find the perfect color to make you shine on one of the most important and beautiful days of your life. Congratulations, Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom!
NEED MORE IDEAS?
Do you have a wedding coming up? What are you planning to wear? If you need a little help deciding on which mother of the bride dresses (or mother of the groom dresses) might be best for you, be sure to check out my bestselling book Tweak Your Chic – Mother of the Bride. It will tell you everything you need to know on one of the most important and cherished days of your life.
Thanks to David’s Bridal for sponsoring this post. This post contains affiliate links. For more info see my Page: Blog Monetization and Disclosure
My daughter is getting married next October. No bridal party to match with. I’m only 5’ 1”. Blonde color hair, 62 years old Looking for advice on the color and length of the dress.
Hi Debbie, Since it is an October wedding, I would choose a harvest table color like burgundy, rust, or plum. You could also wear dark green, navy, brown or black…so much choice. The length of the dress depends on the formality of the wedding time of day. For a casual afternoon wedding, short is lovely. For a late afternoon/evening wedding that is more formal, long is beautiful. Talk it over with your daughter and see what she envisions. With no bridesmaids to coordinate with, it sounds like you need to find a color you love. Cheers, Deborah
Do you offer any guidance for Brides over 40? I really could use some HELP!!
Hi Kathleen, Have you seen this post? https://www.fabulousafter40.com/wedding-dresses-for-older-brides-second-weddings/
Hi Kay, Yes, it’s definitely a warm red. I’m a spring and warm is best for me but being blonde I can’t get away with most reds.
My daughter is getting married next year, and she would like spring colors as the theme for the wedding. She won’t be having any bridesmaids. My mother will be wearing a mint green/duck egg green dress; what color dress would you suggest for me? I’m thinking of silver-grey but worried it might look “dirty” next to her off-white wedding dress. Please advise as I’m lost with regards to what colors to consider
Hi Marlene, Is your daughter being married in the spring? Silver, blue, or champagne come to mind. Have you checked out David’s Bridal Color guide:https://bit.ly/2DJG5lb?
It should help. All the best, Deborah
My daughter was getting married on September 22, 2018. Her bridal party is navy, and the groom and groomsmen wear nice jeans, long white sleeve shirts, a tan/cream vest, and a navy bow tie. I’m just unsure how dressy to be.
My daughter’s wedding dress is gorgeous. She looks like a million bucks in it.
So, I would love it if you could give any opinions.
Hi Kim, If the groomsmen wear jeans, what are the bridesmaids wearing? – long or short dresses-cocktail dresses or more casual dresses? Also, where is the wedding being held? City, country? The fancy venue, casual venue? All this will factor into what to wear as well. Finally, how does your daughter describe her wedding theme? The style of the wedding invitations usually provides a clue. Most of the time, you can’t go wrong in a lovely short cocktail dress. I suggest you talk more to your daughter before you go ahead and pick out what to wear. Just asking these questions should help you figure it out. All the best!
Okay, so our Dresses for the bridesmaids are burgundy/wine. Our groomsmen will be in navy blue, with a burgundy tie.
What color would you suggest for;
1. Mother of the Bride?
2. Mother of the groom?
Hi Ronnie,
The colors are interchangeable between MOB and the groom. It depends on what colors suit them best. Is this wedding in the fall? If so, think of all the fall colors that coordinate with burgundy, but I would say some nice colors to coordinate with burgundy would be plum, burgundy, navy, gold, champagne, silver, and blush. Take a look here for more inspiration:https://bit.ly/2LqUsLt
Can you share a picture of the earrings you wore with this dress?
Hi Cathy, These are the crystal drop earrings I wore with that dress:https://rstyle.me/n/c7yy2nb52f7
What do you think about this dress for a mid-June wedding? I like this dress style, and the wine is my favorite color. There are no bridesmaids to coordinate with, and the bouquet includes pinks and a little plum. The plum in this dress style does not work for me! Emerald in this dress would be my second color choice.
Hi Cathy,
It’s not a traditional June color, but neither is black, and many mothers of the brides wear black. Providing it is an afternoon or evening wedding would be fine, so long as you play up the pink. It’s a lovely color but is dark and heavier than most spring/summer colors, so the pink flowers would lighten it up and give it life. Enjoy!
I think the wine would be too dark and look heavy for a June wedding. You could go with a different undertone of a plum, or a purple shade, that suits your coloring. As long as it has the right undertone, you’ll look gorgeous! My daughter got married in June, and I wore a gold dress because it was neutral and looked great with her color scheme. Since I have warm undertones, it complimented me better. Women can pull off many colors they don’t think they can wear if they choose a warm-based or cool-based color. It all depends on your undertone.
Wine is a terrific color; if you get the right color and a stylish cut that suits your looks and figure, you are on to a winner! Thanks for the info.
I love the wine color of this Mother of the Bride dress, Deborah. And if it doesn’t work with a MOB’s daughter’s color scheme, I love the advice of choosing a neutral color like silver, gold, champagne, etc. I ended up going with silver for both of my girls’ weddings. FYI, I have a blog on one page of my website, especially for mothers of the bride, so some of your readers might want to check it out. I’ve also written a book for mothers of the bride called Mother of the Bride: Refreshment and Wisdom for the Mother of the Bride, and it’s available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, Christianbook..com, and in bookstores as well. I hope it blesses many!
Beautiful gown and solid advice. There are so many decisions to make it’s helpful to have this guidance from a pro. Moms might also want to check out my new book “Prayers for the Mother of the Bride” available on Amazon. Thank you, Deborah!
Wow, nice post after reading this post. I’ve decided to buy the same gown for my mom. When I shop next time.
What is the traditional June color for the mother of the bride? Thanks for the info.
Hi Mariana,
These days almost anything goes. Choose a color that compliments what the bridesmaids are wearing, or try a metallic which works year-round. Even black is acceptable for formal evening weddings but check with the bride first.