mother of the bride dress on strahan and sara

November 20, 2021

Mothers of Bride and Groom often have a kind of 'uniform'. A neat shift dress that sits below the knee, a tailored jacket, and some kind of fussy fascinator or royal wedding-worthy hat.

And for lots of women, following that formula makes it less overwhelming to choose an outfit for your son or daughter's wedding. But for others, it's restrictive, it feels too formal, and often, it ends up being rather expensive too.

So today, we've come up with an edit of outfits that are altogether more modern, for mothers who want to ditch the rule book, while still looking elegant, timeless, and chic.

And while we're not ones to follow 'fashion rules' there are a few things to keep in mind for a contemporary wedding day look:

While you don't want to look like a bridesmaid (or worse, the bride), it is savvy to tie in your look with the feel and colour palette of the wedding. You don't want to wear bright pink for example, if the style of the day is more organic and muted.

Likewise, as weddings become more personalised, your look should reflect your everyday style, whether that's bold, simple, or somewhere in-between – if you'd never wear a hat, or have your hair up, you don't need to do it just because you're at a wedding.

Don't be concerned with having everything match perfectly. Traditionally, Mothers of the Bride or Groom have shoes, a bag and a hat, all in the same colour – contemporary style allows you to mix and match different colours and textures.

And finally, don't worry about looking to only 'age-appropriate' boutiques. The highstreet and online shopping is more accessible than ever before for all kinds of styles and sizes, so while the models might not look a day over 25 (let's hope that changes soon!) if you have an open mind and picture yourself in the outfits, you'll find something you love, and feel great in.

And while I'm at it – there's no such thing as 'age-appropriate'. Yes, you want to be chic and stylish, without taking too much attention away from the bride and groom, but that doesn't mean you need to cover up or wear something frumpy to do it. You do you, mothers!

To get you started, we've put together an edit of some of our favourite contemporary wedding outfits you can shop online today…