Mother of Bride or Groom Dresses: 10 Tips for the Full-Figured Mother

Have you been to the New Jersey bridal shows to look for your Mother of the Bride or Groom wedding dress? Did the “mother” models have full-figures or were they the usual single-digit wedding sample dress size? You want to look exquisite on your son’s or daughter’s NJ wedding day. But it can be discouraging when you fall in love with THE dress, and after you try it on at the NJ bridal shop - you find it wasn’t made with your figure in mind.

Back in the day, the wedding dresses for mothers of the bride and groom were more tailored and modest. Luckily, present day fashion allows for mothers of the bride and groom to be attired as stylish as the bride and her bridesmaids. But, what are you to do if you aren’t the same size as the slim waisted models you see in the fashion magazines and on the runway at the NJ bridal shows? What may look great on them, might not look so great on you.

Knowing what styles to look for ahead of time before you visit the many New Jersey bridal shops, may save you time and heartache. Knowing what will look the best on your full-figure, will help you find THE dress that will bring compliments to you on your son’s or daughter’s glorious New Jersey wedding day. 

NewJerseyWeddingVendors.com has compiled a list of 10 tips on how to choose the best mother of the bride or groom dress style for your full-figure:

1. Dress monochromatically and avoid patterns or even lace that will break up the line of the dress.
2. Choose a dress with a jacket that falls to just the right spot at your hips to elongate you. 
3. If you’d rather not wear a jacket or want to be cooler during a New Jersey beach wedding, a sheer material or illusion netting can be used to cover you upper arms. 
4. Dresses that have a flow to them are very feminine and give a sense of graceful movement. 
5. A firm fitting bodice will give support and camouflage the midriff rolls, combine it with an A-line skirt.
6. Chose an open neckline draws attention up, away from your waist and hips, especially if you show some cleavage!
7. Take along a truthful friend who will give you their very honest opinion. Ask her to also take pictures from all angles so you can see what other will see when you walk down the aisle and dance in front of all your guests.
8. Try the dresses on with a full-body undergarment and/or slimming pantyhose that you would plan on wearing under the dress on the wedding day.
9. Choose the best length for you body type and shoes that will allow you to gracefully move throughout the NJ wedding day and evening.
10. Do your homework first. Check the Internet and magazines looking for full-figured models and celebrities in formal evening attire. What do you think makes them attractive in that particular formal dress?

Fine plus size mother of the bride dresses can be found everywhere, from traditional bridal retailers, specialty shops, designer boutiques, to on-line retailers. Designers that offer fine plus size mother of the bride dresses include Naytaya, Marsoni, Misty Lane, Onyx Nite, Karen Miller, Cachet, Ursula of Switzerland, JS Collections, Marcelle Couture, Fifth Sunday, Darius Cordell and many others.                                                 

There are many retailers with attractive plus size lines. Among them are JC Penny, Audrey’s Fine Fashions, Chadwick’s, David’s Bridal, Roaman’s Formalwear, Coldwater Creek, Plus Size Bridal.com, and many others.

Photo: Daymor Couture