Mother of the Bride Suits

With so many attractive mother of the bride suits available, the main difficulty when you’re shopping is going to be choosing between them.

Forget the formal , rather boring church suits, there is plenty of feminine touches and color when it comes to finding the right outfit to wear as the modern mother of the bride or bridegroom.

Why Wear Womens Suits and Not Dresses?

For many women, our shape changes as we grow older. A suit can hide a little weight that’s sat around the stomach area far better than a close-fitting dress will.

If you’re a straight up and down shape, you can use a jacket & skirt to give your figure some curves.

For petite women, dressing all in one color can help elongate the body and give the illusion of being taller than you are.

Some women prefer the tailored, structured look of a suit; whereas those who struggle to put complete wedding outfits together enjoy the fact that you can often get a skirt, jacket & hat (and sometimes even accessories, such as shoes & handbag) in color co-ordinated shades to match.

Remember those images of Jackie O and how great she always looked? It’s a great and timeless look for every woman.

Tips For Buying Mother of the Bride Suits

Before going shopping, it’s helpful to know what the color theme for the wedding is. Whilst this won’t entirely restrict you, it can certainly be helpful if you end up with a difficult choice to make when shopping.

For example, if the wedding theme is pink, you could wear a purple or lilac suit for contrast, but still fit in with the general color theme of the wedding. Try to choose colors that complement rather than clash with the bridesmaids dresses.

Next, consider where to shop. Specialists in special occasion wear will probably have the widest range of styles and sizes, from petite to plus size wedding dresses. Plan a shopping trip to try on a range of ladies suits, this can help to get a feel for what shades, lengths and styles work best for your body shape.

It can really help to take a friend along for this shopping trip, as a second opinion can be really valuable if you’re already feeling strange trying on formal clothing.

Most suits are in a single shade or color, with embellishments left for your hat, floral buttonhole, beaded or lace top.

Shapes & Sizes of Womens Suits

Whatever shape you are, it’s important to embrace it and learn what works for you.

Plus size curvy women can find a range of mother of the bride suits, though it’s important to find a style that’s designed to flatter the fuller figure, not just adapted from other sizes.  Jackets should be longer and shaped to highlight your waist and curves.  Stores & designers that offer suits in larger sizes include Darius Cordell.

Petite women need to ensure that they choose a single-breasted jacket, shorter style (giving the illusion of longer legs), choose 3/4 or full length sleeves in non-bulky fabrics.

Try and choose simple designs without embellishment to make the most of your figure, creating height and helping to slim down your figure.  Stores & designs that offer fashions in petite sizes include Womens Suits, Petite Minuet, Jacques Vert & Country Casuals.

It’s fashionable to wear suit skirts just below or above the knee, rather shorter than the popular wedding wear of tea length wedding dresses or longer evening dresses.

Designer Fashion Options

For couture and designer options, check out the mother of the bride suits by Paule Vasseur (formal wear in tailored & embroidered silks), Amanda Wakeley (soft tailoring), Cameron Blake (iridescent taffeta, with long skirt options) & Yves Saint Laurent (Paris designer).

Deciding on Your Outfit

One way that can be very helpful is to take photos of the ladies suits on your shortlist, either on the hanger, or with you wearing them in the changing room.

When you get home, create a collage with them (use Picasa) and ask one or two individuals whose fashion opinion you respect for their advice as to which of the two womens suits to buy.  They may have helpful ideas on how to accessorize and finish off your outfit too.

If you have travelled a long way and feel that you need to buy on the day, don’t forget to check the stores return policy, in case of buyer’s remorse!  If the suit is a “one off”, ask the shop if they can put it aside for you for a day or two, to allow you to think it over.

So, take your time and once you’re ready to make your purchase, go ahead and enjoy having something to beautiful hanging in your closet. After all, it’s not every day that you can shop for mother of the bride suits!

Useful Resources for Womens Suits

Wedding Hats & Fascinators – complimenting any and all ladies suits, these styles of headwear for mom to wear on her daughter’s special day will ‘wow’ them!