Mother of the Groom Fashion Trends – Yvone Kon

There’s an old saying about being the mother of the groom - show up, shut up and wear beige.  In years gone by, wedding day attire for the mother of the groom (MOG), as well as the mother of the bride (MOB) was bland.  Moms were expected to wear shapeless pastel or beige frocks or suits and blend into the background.  Thankfully, designers have brought wedding day fashion into the new millennium.  Now moms have a wide variety of choices and can select an outfit that suits their own personal style and taste.   Even though it’s the bride’s day to be the center of attention, these new fashion trends will allow moms to shine too, in a tasteful and elegant way.

Special occasion retailers are reporting that the average age of MOG’s and MOB’s is younger than ever before.  Designers have taken notice and are now creating outfits that reflect a more youthful vibe and are translating many of the popular styles into special occasion outfits.  When you go shopping for your mother of the groom dress for the first time, you’ll notice the similarity between many of the outfits and gowns you’ve seen on the red carpet.  Designers are interpreting these popular styles into mother of the groom outfits that are elegant, tasteful, fashion forward and age appropriate.

Style

Before shopping for your mother of the groom outfit, it is customary for the mother of the bride to select her outfit first.  Since she is considered the “hostess” of the event, she is afforded the courtesy of choosing her dress first.  Then she is to inform you as to the style and color of her outfit so you can choose an outfit that isn’t dressier than hers and doesn’t clash.  If you are on good terms with your son’s future mother-in-law, you can certainly have a conversation about what style and color you would both like to wear for the wedding.  Of course, this conversation should happen after you’ve both discussed what the bride envisions everyone wearing for her wedding day.  If she is going for more of an elegant affair, she may request that you purchase formal evening gowns.  If the wedding will be held in the afternoon with an evening reception, she may request that you purchase a cocktail dress.  Many brides have a very specific idea in mind for their wedding, so it’s best to know this before you go shopping.  Keeping the lines of communication open during this time will eliminate a lot of stress and possibly hurt feelings later.

Color

MOG’s are no longer stuck wearing pastel or beige to their sons’ weddings.  Those colors are difficult for many women to wear and you can end up looking washed out in the photos.  Now, MOG’s can choose virtually any color they wish, provided it’s alright with the bride and doesn’t clash with what her mother is wearing. 

For many years, it was considered completely taboo to wear black to a wedding, especially if you were the mother of the bride or groom.  Wearing black was seen as sending a message that you were in mourning about the wedding and didn’t approve of your child’s choice in a future spouse.  Thankfully those days are long gone.   Black is slimming, classic and elegant and can be a tasteful choice provided the style of the dress is appropriate for the event.

Whatever style and color outfit you decide on for your son’s big day, be sure it is age appropriate and not too revealing or flashy.  It’s more than ok to take pride in your appearance and to select an outfit that makes you look and feel fabulous for this special day.  Ultimately though, it is the bride’s day to be in the spotlight (and the groom’s too) and nothing can drive a wedge between you, your son and his new wife quicker than hurt feelings from the day of the wedding.  Choosing an outfit that might cause embarrassment for the new bride and groom on their wedding day won’t start your relationship off on the right foot.  The wedding will only last a day, but their marriage will last a lifetime, so choose an outfit that is classy and elegant and you’ll shine in your own way.

Yvone Kon is a freelance writer and available for a variety of writing projects.  She has over 11 years of experience in event planning, marketing, writing and sales.  She is the author of the blog EventSpiration - providing inspiration and ideas for weddings, parties and holidays.  She also writes three columns for Examiner.com: National Wedding Planning, Pittsburgh Event Planning and Pittsburgh Animal Advocacy.  Additionally she writes for Examiner’s ACE program, which has partnered with local CBS websites.  She is passionate about animal advocacy, rescue and adoption and believes adopting “used” dogs is always better than buying new.  For writing projects, Ms. Kon can be contacted via her blog.