A wedding is a special day, not only for the happy couple but also for the families that are there to love and support the marriage. One of the most important steps to dressing the wedding party is choosing a dress for the mother of the bride. Keep a few tips for how to choose an informal mother of the bride dress in mind so she looks beautiful on her daughter’s special day.

Traditionally, the informal mother-of-the-bride dresses have avoided white, cream, ivory, and champagne, with those colors being reserved for the bride. Recently, bone and off-white have been two of the most popular colors for informal mother-of-the-bride dresses. Consider this limit stretched. Among the “always appropriate” colors have been shades such as lavender, silver, burgundy, and deeper blues or pastel blues. Black has been a color to avoid, but now that it has gained some measure of acceptance as a bridesmaid color, it is also gaining some acceptance for the informal mother-of-the-bride dresses. Expect some raised eyebrows among traditionalists if they see either black or red on the mother or black on the bridesmaids.

The informal gold mother of the bride dresses worn by the mothers of the brides are often coordinated in color and style with the other members of the wedding party. She may choose a different shade of the same color as the bridesmaids’ gowns or choose a harmonious neutral. This is a subject to be discussed with the bride. The mother of the bride also should coordinate with the mother of the groom so the wedding pictures will look good. This requires that the mother of the bride select their own discount informal mother of the bride dresses well in advance to give the groom’s mother enough time to select hers. The mothers of the bride and groom may wear the same color as long as they do not choose the same dress.