Your precious daughter is getting married soon and you’ve found the absolute perfect outfit to wear for the big day, but now, it’s time to find just the right pair of shoes to match. While you’ll want them to complement your mother of the bride dress beautifully and be stylish as well, you will also want your mother of the bride shoes to be completely comfortable and able to withstand the busy day ahead.

The very first step, no pun intended, is to take a look at the shoes you already have in your closet and think about those that are the most comfortable to you. What is it about them that makes them so easy to wear? Is it the material they’re made of? The type of fit? What about the general style and the height of the heel?

Now that you’ve pinpointed what it is that makes your feet feel their best, it’s time to begin your quest for the perfect pair to wear to your daughter’s wedding. Take into consideration the overall theme of the day and what time the ceremony will begin. For early afternoon weddings that are more on the casual side, a shoe with a lower heel may be more appropriate, while a formal black-tie affair calls for a fancier, more noticeable pair.

source: GinaSmart and SuzyPlums

The color is yet another important point to remember while shopping as depending on the actual shade of your dress, you’ll want them to either match precisely, or be of a neutral color. If they must match your dress exactly, you may want to consider buying satin shoes in any number of different styles that can be dyed professionally, a service that’s usually available at mother of the bride shops or upscale shoe stores. With this option, there’s no second guessing and trying to match the colors together, something that’s almost impossible to do just by looking at them.

A great idea to consider is actually buying two pairs of shoes. One to wear for the ceremony and the early festivities of the reception, including the pictures, and another pair to wear for comfort purposes or just for dancing the night away. Some mother’s of the bride, including the brides themselves, often choose to buy a pair of fancy slipper-style shoes to put on at the reception. These slippers usually have a satin look to them, a soft sole, and feel as if you’re wearing nothing at all on your feet. They also come in shades of white, beige, ivory and cream as well as in the brighter colors of the rainbow.

Whatever type of mother of the bride shoes you ultimately decide on for your daughter’s wedding, just be sure to keep comfort at the forefront of your mind, and also, shop as early as possible so that you can wear them around the house a bit to break them in and scuff up the soles. There are also small rubber soles you can buy to attach to the bottom that will make them extra slip-proof.

If the word “suit” invokes images of boring, manly outfits that looks as if they belong more in the boardroom than in a wedding, you may be pleasantly surprised when you see all of the beautiful outfits that fall under the category of mother of the bride suits.

You’ve finally decided that you’d like to consider designers suits special occasions instead of evening or formal dresses for your daughter’s wedding, but now the interesting part begins, finding one that’s not only flattering to your figure, including the right color and fabrics, but one that will also be suitable for the occasion.

Choosing the Perfect Color

While the “rules” as to what colors are acceptable to wear to a wedding, even if you are the mother of the bride, have changed a bit over the years, one thing still remains the same - avoid colors that are too dark causing you to appear as if you’re in mourning instead of celebrating this joyous occasion.

Black is also considered by some to be an unlucky color to wear to a wedding, particularly so for the mother of the bride or groom, and also should never be worn if the bridesmaids are wearing the same color. However, black with gray, silver, or metallic accents for a formal affair may, on the other hand, work very well.

At the other end of the spectrum, white, off-white and ivory are mostly considered taboo as those colors are usually reserved for the bride herself. Although, deeper shades in the same family, like champagne or taupe, or perfectly acceptable and can also complement the bride’s gown beautifully.

Depending on the season of the year, as well as the time of day the wedding is taking place, soft pastels or rich jewel tones are both worth considering. Think burgundy, plum, hunter green, or a deep cerulean, or if lighter colors are more your style, try shades of rose and lavender or a soft yellow, blue, or minty green.

Flatter Your Figure

To minimize a larger figure, choose colors that are on the dark side, those with small prints, and vertical, not horizontal lines or stripes, as well as loose fabrics that won’t cling to your every curve. There are also plenty of mother of the bride outfits in plus sizes. If you want to appear taller, pass on those womens church suits that have fussy details or a lot of embellishments and stick with a slimming silhouette look.

The 10 Dos and Don’ts of Mother of the Bride Suits

DO:

1. choose something that will be comfortable for the entire day.
2. look for fabrics that won’t wrinkle easily.
3. consider the color of the mother of the groom’s outfit.
4. consider a suit that could be worn again for another special occasion if finances are a concern.
5. buy an outfit that will suit your figure as well as your pocketbook.

DON’T:

1. consider anything frumpy or dowdy.
2. pick something too flashy or gaudy.
3. buy your shoes before your outfit.
4. put fashion ahead of comfort.
5. forget about shopping online.

The sky is definitely the limit when it comes to the variety of mother of the bride suits available today. Flattering your figure is all about choosing the right color, the right fabric, and the best cut for your body type.

Your daughter is getting married and besides your dress, shoes, makeup and accessories, choosing from all the mother of the bride hairstyles you were looking at is not just another detail to attend to before the big day arrives. Although all eyes will be on her on this most glorious day, you will also be getting plenty of attention, so you’ll want to look your absolute best.

Although you’ll definitely want your hair to look extra special for an occasion such as a wedding, you should look for a style that won’t require a lot of maintenance or touch-ups throughout the day as you’ll have plenty of other things on your mind. You also don’t want to make any drastic changes, especially right before the wedding in case things don’t turn out as you envisioned.

If you’ll be wearing a hat or some other type of head piece, avoid any bouffant style hairdos that will look flat once the hat is removed. For short hair, a layered or bobbed cut will suit the shape of most people’s faces, and medium to long hair can always be curled and swept up and away from the face in a flattering style.

Preparing for the Big Day

Getting a quality haircut in the week or two before the wedding is always good idea whether you want to completely change your look, or simply update it to be fresh and at your best during the wedding. Then, on the actual day of the event, head back to the salon and have your hair styled in the manner of your choice. While you’re there getting your hair cut, ask a stylist for some advice, look at some books and magazines that feature hairstyles suitable for the mother of the bride, or do some searching on your own and print or bring a few pictures you think would work for your hair.

You can also spend a few weeks or months before the wedding preparing your hair to look its healthiest by using volumizing shampoo and a deep conditioner if your hair is dry, brittle, or color damaged. Good hair actually starts from the inside with a proper diet that focuses on well-balanced nutrition and drinking plenty of water. Massaging your scalp on a regular basis increases the blood flow to the scalp and encourages new hair growth. Always use a comb on your hair when it’s wet, and while towel-drying it, never rub the hair vigorously but rather squeeze gently and pat dry with an absorbent towel to avoid breaking or weakening the hair.

The Perfect Color

Now that your hair is at its healthiest and you’ve gotten a great cut to emphasize your best features, don’t forget the important aspect of coloring the hair, as the majority of women do, in order to either cover up gray, or simply add some interest and depth to your own color.

If your hair is naturally going gray or silver and you’re happy with it, by all means wear it proudly. In fact, too many mature women make the mistake of trying to recapture their youth and choose a hair color that’s both too dark and harsh, or either too light, giving their complexion a washed-out appearance. Select golden or warm colors and always use hair products that are specially formulated for color-treated hair to lock in the color and prevent fading.

As you can see planning ahead is everything. I hope you liked these ideas for mother of the bride hairstyles and I am looking forward to your comments!

Until recently nobody seemed to care about plus size mother of the bride dresses. Your daughter’s wedding is a landmark, amazing time of not only your daughter’s life, but yours as well. You want to look your very best (without outshining the bride, of course!) and wear stylish, elegant fashions.

Traditionally, the plus sized woman was hard pressed to find anything that was sophisticated and fashionable. Full figured women found themselves confined to archaic fashion "rules" that dictated they cover as much flesh as possible in yards of dark, drab fabric. It seemed that designers were more interested in hiding women who were not model slim instead of celebrating their beauty.

It is time to do away with the outdated laws of style and step into the light as proud, plus sized women. Now designers are taking notice of this popular customer base and are designing not only special event fashions, but casual ensembles that are trendy, fun, light and beautiful. Mother of the bride dresses are emerging as colorful and fashionable. Gone are the days of drab, dreary clothing that resembled tents and hid as much flesh as possible.

You want to be stylish at your daughter’s wedding, not flamboyant drag queenish. You may want to ask your daughter to go shopping with you so that she can help you choose good, complimentary colors and designs.

All Figure Types

A sheath style of dress can work with nearly any figure. An A-line or princess style can also work well with all figure types. The empire waist is yet another universal look.

Bottom Heavy

The bottom heavy body shape is fuller in the hips and thighs while more narrow in the shoulders. This is also known as the pear shaped body.

Dresses that are nipped in at the waist and flare slightly over the hips and thighs work well for this body type. If you have pretty arms and shoulders, go sleeveless. If you are self conscious about your arms, wear a sheer shawl or cover. An empire dress will draw the eye up and away from the problem areas, but it can make you look like a mother to be if you are not careful.

Top Heavy

Also known as the apple shaped body type, the top heavy figure has narrow hips and slimmer legs while the upper body had heavier breasts and the midsection is softer.

Go for two piece ensembles such as a blouse and skirt, sleeveless sheath or a princess seamed dress. Don’t be afraid to show some skin, bare your arms or shoulders. You may even try a slit in the skirt to show a little leg.

When dressing the full figure, you want to wear colors that look fabulous on you. You are not doomed to a miserable existence of wearing all black all the time. Experiment with different colors and try shades of pink, blue and white which are complimentary for nearly any complexion.

A last important tip when choosing a plus size mother of the bride dress , is wearing clothes that FIT. No one is going to come up behind you to peek at your tag to see what size you are wearing.  Besides that, size is just a number. What does it matter if you look stunning?

You may have married some time ago, but watching your daughter walk down the aisle with the love of her life is something that you are looking forward to. Of course you don’t want to buy a white gown on this occasion. However, in your mother of the bride outfit you want to look your best as well.

I’ve heard horror stories of mothers wearing white to weddings. This is something that you should never do. An outfit that matches the wedding colors is required. Something that will enable you to look great while leaving the spotlight on the happy couple.

The mother of the bride can have almost any kind of outfit, provided that it looks good. A majority of mothers wish to wear an outfit that matches the wedding theme colors, and that is perfect, provided that the colors are not fluorescent yellow or hunter’s orange.  When my sister-in-law got married, my mother-in-law wore the most beautiful mother of the bride outfit.  It matched the wedding colors, and it was something that was made for the purpose of a mother at a wedding. However, this does not have to be the case for you.

You can wear a mother of the bride outfit that you already possess in your closet. Of course it is perfectly acceptable to go out and purchase a completely new outfit for the special day. This may depend on how much money you are spending on your daughter’s wedding. What if you don’t have enough money remaining to purchase a new outfit for yourself? Only kidding, I hope.  It may be a good idea to go shopping together with your daughter, so that you can choose something together. Then you will both be happy on the special day, with no surprises of ghastly outfits.

Remember that you can also look online for mother of the bride outfits, if you cannot find anything suitable in the store. There is usually a wider selection online but take into consideration that when purchasing online, you don’t get the opportunity to try the outfit on before you buy it. So you better have plenty of time to spare, just in case you have to return the outfit or have it altered.

Whether it’s a dress or a gown or a suit, the important thing is that you feel comfortable and look your best. It can be anything you like, even if it is not purposely made for the wedding day. There are many people that pay more for the label, but this is simply not necessary. After all, it’s about sharing the happiest day of your daughter’s life.