Do Mothers of the Bride really wear full length dresses?

[iwantgin]

Was reading another thread about searching for a wedding dress.
I clicked on a link to this site frocks and had a peek at what was on offer.

I have never, ever seen a mother of the bride wearing a full length gown. Bridesmaids do, yes - but the MOB?

Has anyone else come across this ? Is it more popular in other countries?

I've never seen it, and I think I'd raise any eyebrow if I did to be honest.

Actually, I lie. I have seen it once, mother of the groom, full length dress, in white.
And she insisted on standing inbetween the bride and groom for the photos. So odd.
Needless to say it was the red flag for a while other host of issues!

I thought a pastel coloured suit was the stereotypical MOB outfit (although not what mine went for).

ha ha - yes. I suspect she was making a statement! ;)

DH has family in Canada and it seems the thing to do over there.

Hmm my DM wore a pink knee length skirt suit. MIL similar in mint.

All the weddings I have attended the MOB and MiL have been wearing a knee length dress with jacket or skirt with jacket.

Perhaps in the US - might have glitzy evening weddings with ball gowns as a matter of course??

Cross posted with you there blackandgold

My DM wore one to mine. She hates her legs due to varicose veins and it meant she was not self conscious about them, it's just a maxi dress and other guests wore those. We just made sure it didn't match or clash with the BM's dresses and she wore a hat and shrug.

I think it's pretty much unheard of.

I'm getting married in 6 weeks and y mum is wearing a knee length dress which is pretty standard I think.

I think it's unusual in the UK -- perhaps because until recently you couldn't get married in the evening in England and Wales and a full-length dress would be more evening attire?

(P.S. I love that this is described as "casual" )

Although TBH they have rather a way with random adjectives in general... "funky", "puffy", "plain" and I think my favourite is the terribly evocative "wholesale".

That's a good point squeaky. But I suppose by wearing a hat and shrug your DM wouldn't have been confused with the bridesmaids.

Yes Buck the website is oddly worded.

I went onto the Bridesmaids section too, to see what they had in there- and how they differed from the Mother of the Bride department.

Found this one skimpy eh!!

My MIL wore a white, full length lacy dress.

True story.

Now that's more of a MOTB dress, iwantgin. It's... certainly not floor length.

Yes I've seen it and it looked like the mother was getting married too. I didn't know it was a thing either.

Going off on a tangent...
Why can't they have a model who is at least, oh, I don't know, 35 I really mean 50 for the mother of the bride photos? She can still be tall and slim and elegant (and all the other modelly things I can't think of) but it would be quite nice if she was more of an age with the usual mother of the bride.

My mum wore a full length dress to my wedding. Was navy blue. I've seen it at other weddings too. Maybe it's a Scottish thing Loads of guests wore maxi dresses, same idea really I think.

My MIL did (for SIL's not mine ). Full-length cream affair with a matching bolero jacket and massive hat. I'm assuming it was intentional and not just because she's 4'11" and couldn't be bothered to shorten what would have been a standard length on a taller person .

Crikey..they look like they are getting married!! Love the dresses though...fit for the red carpet and very sassy!! Think it would look out of place next to a bride and the bridesmaid but then..why the hell not!! as long as its not white!

My mother did at my sisters wedding and her sister did at my cousins wedding. They both looked great.

My mother and ex MIL wore long dresses with hats, but they were floral and definitely day dresses. It was 10 years ago, and I remember attending other weddings were the MOB wore similar. Haven't been to a wedding for ages now though.

My sister did at one of her dd's weddings.

She looked utterly ridiculous. Like a superannuated bridesmaid.

NO! I have never seen this

Scottish ones are often long for all that a reeling and a dancing though, arent they?

In the US it is usual, but more weddings are at night, where many women guests wear full length dresses. It sometimes happens in the day time, too. My son got married at 2 pm, but I was instructed to wear a full-length dress because the MOB was wearing one.

I guess it was the fashion at one time in the UK, at least among some segments of society.