For brides, it can be easy to get lost in wedding plans and forget to include the mother of the groom. Though she isn’t sending a daughter down the aisle, mothers of the groom can be incredibly helpful in organizing the rehearsal dinner, sharing costs and assisting with wedding planning. Consider these tips to include the mother of your sweetie on your wedding day – keeping your mother-in-law happy is a sweet gesture, particularly if she has no daughters of her own, and will tie the family together even before the big day comes.
Dress shopping
Especially if the mother of the groom has no daughters, inviting her along to help pick out the bridal dress is a sweet and inclusive gesture. Traditionally thought of as a role filled by the mother of the bride, letting your fiancé’s mother come along will allow both mothers to bond, and will solidify your own relationship with your future mother-in-law.
Similarly, making sure that the mother of the groom is included in the wedding day shopping is important, particularly if you want to coordinate all the parents’ attire. Make sure that the mother of the groom has the contact information of the bride’s mother, so that the two can shop together to discuss dresses. For even more family bonding, plan a trip in which you shop with both mothers, and help them pick elegant, complementary gowns for the wedding day.
A trip down the aisle
In traditional ceremonies, only the bride is escorted down the aisle by her father, but it might be a nice touch to include the family of the groom. In some Jewish ceremonies, the father of the groom will escort the mother of the groom down the aisle before the bride, and seat the mother of the groom before seating himself. This is symbolic of both families coming together to celebrate the couple, and will let your mother-in-law show off her stylish mother of the groom dress.
Cultural considerations
American families especially can be incredibly multicultural – to really include the mother of the groom, ensure that you know her family history and any important religious affiliations before you plan the ceremony. It will mean a lot if you include even a small gesture that honors her tradition.
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