So, if you had to dress your mother for a wedding, how would you do it ?

[CMOTdibbler]

Bit of pre panicking here.. My brother is getting married next year. His fiances family are close and rather posher than mine, so it'll be a reasonably smart wedding.

My parents are a) rather eccentric, b) not in good health and c) not social.

My dads idea of dressing up is putting on a jumper that hasn't come from a jumble sale. But I can measure him, buy him a suit, and just make him put it on.

My mother is more of a problem. She has early dementia and so is a bit cranky and irrational. She will only wear what she feels like. There is no way I will be able to get her into a shop to choose anything without a major risk of her being offensive to the staff.

Do you think that if I found a nice shop, showed them her photos, gave her sizes etc that they'd be able to find an outfit that won't embarass SIL to be ?

Will I be best with a boutique, or can personal shopper services do that ? And where does the stylish 65 year old shop ?

The thought of just getting them to behave for the length of a wedding is bad enough, so getting this aspect sorted out in my mind would be great

[CybilLiberty]

Oh. TBH I don't think anyone will mind what they wear as long as it isn't mismatching/old/smelly. SIL must know what they are like?

[aarghhelp]

I used to find clothes for my mum that I thought she would like by going to Marks and Spencer and choosing and then taking them home to her. Mind you, this does pre-suppose that you can get what you want from M and S. Autograph might just conceivably have some suitable stuff.

I had a very good idea of her size (if it fitted me it would probably fit her) and she admired my taste.

The great thing was that M and S do returns very well, so that you can always take em back very easily, and you can get more than one size in an item to try if that would help.

[CMOTdibbler]

SIL has met them twice, so I think she has an impression, but I'm not sure that she knows that she has seen them as tidy as they get. I've only met her once - brother and I aren't close, and he isn't close to my parents either

Left to themselves it will be old and mismatched tbh.

I don't think SIL to be is a bridezilla at all, but would hate for all her family to be looking at my parents and mentally tutting. Behaviour can be forgotten, but the photos stay forever as a reminder

[geordieminx]

What size approx is she?

[CMOTdibbler]

She's a 16-18, 5'9, not very norky (I think a D), large rib cage, not much of a waist.

Very pale skin, and white/grey hair

[geordieminx]

Ann Harvey if she is 16+

jacques vert bit more expensive but a lot of sale stuff just now

catalouge ambrose wilson type stuff?

[CybilLiberty]

My Mum is similar colouring to yours (but shorter) She bought a lovely weding outfit from East, a long coat type thing, quite light, wide legged trews and a boxy short sleeved round neck blouse. Dead comfy, and she wore ome lovely beads with it.

[ja9]

Try ebay? Search for mother of the bride and the size and you'll see lots of good optoins. Lilac / pale blue? Heaps there...

[CMOTdibbler]

I like the Ann Harvey. Shift dresses prob won't work as she has a back problem and is quite bent over - this may be fixed by the wedding, but I don't know (depends on whether the surgery works this time)

Once I know what sort of colours SILtobe is going for, I'll get something that tones as mum looks best in strong colours rather than pastels - she won't wear makeup, so it really has to go with her natural colours iyswim

Thanks for the help - its one of those things that is stressing me !

[geordieminx]

you can get the ann harvey jacket with black wide leg trousers and blouse type thing? Its probably a good time to buy as a lot of the summer wedding stuff will be on sale.

[ja9]

is ann harvey only online or are there shops?

[cocolepew]

Thing with M&s is they take things back easily. Do you think she'd wear what you bought her?