Real Life Mother of the Groom Dresses That Were a Big Hit!

If you are not sure what to wear as Mother of the Groom, don’t stress! Here are some photos my readers sent in mother-of-the-groom dresses that everyone loved.

A Blessed Dress

Imagine having your Mother of the Groom’s Dress all picked out and finding out the Mother of the Bride had chosen a very similar dress! That’s what happened to Andrea from Northern California.

Andrea was having no luck finding a MOG dress for her son Weston’s wedding. So, she decided to save money and wear the same dress she wore to her niece’s wedding two years prior.  Then to her surprise, she found out the MOB had bought a dress nearly identical.

Luckily when Andrea’s hairdresser heard this, she came to the rescue. She called up her friend Kristen, a talented seamstress, who ended up measuring Andrea and making two dresses from scrap fabric to see which one she liked best. Then she got to work on the one Andrea chose. When Andrea was presented with her dress a week before the wedding, she sobbed uncontrollably with gratitude. It was the first time she had ever even seen the fabric, let alone the dress, and it was perfect!

Kristen bought Andrea her shoes and even lent her a pair of antique Chanel earrings. And on top of that, Kristen refused to accept any payment. She wanted to do this for Andrea, a practical stranger. It blessed Kirsten to bless another with her gifts. 

Isn’t that the most beautiful story? There are good people in this world!

Can You Wear Black?

Many women ask if it is o.k. for the Mother of the Groom to wear black, and the answer is yes (so long as the bride approves).  In October, Kathy’s son David was married in an early evening ceremony in Northwest Arkansas. Kathy wore this chic, black Tahari Arthur S Levine cocktail dress that she bought at Dillard’s.  She loved the figure-flattering fit and flare style and the pretty sheer sleeves and black looked classic and elegant. For her, it was the perfect find!

Radiant in Red

After scouring three states, this Mother of the Groom, Shelley, finally landed on this radiant red dress for her son Kyle’s April 2019 wedding on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Since the weather in April can be unpredictable, Shelley stressed whether to wear a sleeveless dress or one with sleeves. However, she was sure she wanted a vibrant dress since she looked better in brighter colors. At 5’2″, Shelley also didn’t want a long dress that would overwhelm her petite frame.

Shelley ended up finding this elegant, satin ruched dress online. When her dress arrived, she couldn’t have been more pleased. It fit her beautifully, and as you can see, the color is gorgeous. It just goes to show you that sometimes a great dress is as close as your computer screen.

Wedding Blues

Blue is a popular choice when it comes to Mother of the Bride and Groom dresses. It’s considered neutral, which makes it a great complement to any other color. Here’s how a few mothers wore the many shades of this gorgeous color.

Left: When Rose’s son Sean married in November 2020, she was unsure about wearing a sleeveless dress. The elopement-style wedding (thanks, COVID!) took place in Massachusetts, typically chilly during November.

But when she found this sleeveless Maggy London dress, she knew it was the one. Rose loved the length, the color, and especially the rose detail at the waist. The sheer navy wrap was the perfect topper for keeping the chill away.

Middle: Julie was dressed like a princess and beaming when she attended her daughter’s wedding. Her mother of the Bride dress was a black and teal halter style, tea-length gown. She wore it with a black low heels. It has a bit of a nostalgic look. So lovely.

Right: Janet was 55 when this photo was taken at her daughter’s humid Texas wedding in May 2011.

She writes, “I had lost nearly 30 pounds for the wedding, some of it after my last dress fitting, so my dress ended up feeling a bit big for me! It was hard to find a dress  I loved that would fit the vibe of the wedding. I tried on many before deciding on this one.”

“Being petite (5 feet, 1 inch) was an extra challenge. There weren’t a lot of Mother of the Bride Dresses proportioned for Petites! Luckily I found a good tailor. I loved the figure-flattering ruching on the ink blue satin dress, and I felt the portrait-style collar gave me the coverage I needed on my shoulders for a traditional Southern church wedding, without feeling over-wrapped and warm! As the Mother of the Bride, I wanted a special dress, and this one helped me feel glamorous, but not overly blingy.”

This is such a beautiful dress and looks lovely with Janet’s new body, hair color, and skin tone.

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.