Mother of the Bride

Fourteen dresses chosen for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom: sleeves, coverage, fabric with some weight, and colours that stand slightly apart without competing. Between £35 and £240, sized XS to XXXL and UK 6 to 26.

Free UK delivery on every order, no minimum spend, and free 14-day returns.

The brief, which nobody explains properly

Being the mother of the bride is the hardest dress code at a wedding. You need to look significant without looking like you are competing. You will be photographed more than almost anyone else, standing, in a receiving line, for hours. And you will be doing it in front of two families who have opinions.

Four things solve most of it, and none of them are about fashion.

  • A sleeve, or something over the arm. The single most requested feature in this category and the one that makes the difference between comfortable and self-conscious. Nine of these have sleeves; one has a detachable capelet.
  • Fabric with weight. Chiffon, crepe and satin hold their shape through a long day. Thin jersey does not, and it shows every hour of it.
  • A hem you can move in. Tea length and midi are easier than floor-length in a receiving line and on grass, and read just as formal.
  • A colour that is not the bride's, the bridesmaids' or the other mother's. More on that below.

Getting the colour right

Three colours are out: white, ivory and cream belong to the bride, and whatever the bridesmaids are wearing belongs to them.

After that, the tradition of the two mothers co-ordinating has largely gone, but the courtesy of not clashing has not. Speak to the other mother before either of you orders. It takes one message and it prevents the one photograph nobody can retake.

What works: navy, which is the most reliable formal colour there is. Sage and emerald green, which have become the most requested wedding shades in Britain. Champagne and taupe, which read expensive without brightness. Burgundy and plum for autumn and winter. Dusty blue and soft pink for summer, if the bridal party is not already in them.

What we carry

The core of this edit is chiffon with sleeves — flutter, cap, ruffle and long — in maxi, midi and tea length. Beyond that there is a crystal chiffon tea length dress, a chiffon mermaid with a detachable capelet that changes the look between ceremony and reception, a longline blazer dress for a city or register office wedding, and two beaded styles with sleeves for an evening reception.

Being straight with you: this is a considered edit rather than an exhaustive one. If you need a matching jacket-and-dress set or a formal hat, a specialist mother-of-the-bride retailer will serve you better, and we would rather say so.

Ceremony to reception

The most useful thing a dress in this category can do is change once. The capelet style is the clearest example — covered through the ceremony and the photographs, removed for the evening. A shawl or a fine knit layer over a sleeveless dress does the same job for less money.

If you are choosing one dress for a long day, choose the one you can sit down in comfortably. You will be seated for the meal and the speeches, which is more of the day than most people plan for.

Sizing

These run XS to XXXL in letter sizes and UK 6 to 26 in the numeric ones, including the wider W fittings. Full measurements in centimetres are on the size guide.

Our dresses are true to size. Between two sizes, take the larger in chiffon and satin, which have little give, and your usual size in anything with stretch. Sleeves are where a size that is fractionally small shows first, across the upper arm — if you are between sizes on a sleeved style, take the larger.

Ordering, and why early matters here

Order three months before the wedding. Not because stock runs out, but because this is the dress most likely to need altering, and because you will want to see it in daylight against the bridesmaid colours before anything is final.

UK delivery is free on every order with no minimum spend, and takes around seven working days. Returns are free within 14 days with a prepaid label already in the box, so ordering two sizes and returning one costs you nothing.

Where to look next

For the wider guest brief, wedding guest dresses. For the bridal party, bridesmaid dresses. For an evening reception, evening dresses. For a layer to go over, blazers and jackets.