Is this not special enough/expensive enough for my son's wedding?

[flowersandmusic]

My son is getting married next year. June wedding. Someone on her recommended this dress for someone else. I went ahead and ordered it - a size smaller as that was all that was available. It has some weight to it and I love it but is it a bit cheapskate for mother of the groom. The money is not www.debenhams.com/product/jolie-moi-angel-sleeve-tiered-hem-maxi-dress_p-3e6c2c44-815f-42c7-b1db-67eae670cce8?colour=Multi&size=10&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22915808283&gbraid=0AAAAABevdS7lom0v68CypUOUtJ7wI713e&gclid=Cj0KCQjwio_RBhDMARIsAJPveNPX9QJHogyDX5JR4S_T4TALqJat6EcPACrQj2f_XntgPAeZTx04zrkaAnTFEALw_wcB

I simply won’t wear a white silk jacket to a wedding. My DD is wearing the white silk! Neither do I intend to shop in Ireland or import clothes from Ireland. Does anyone in the uk do this? We have great shops here where I can source what I want. Plus most people sell clothes on now they don’t keep.

Entirely up to you. Although I would point out both shops I mentioned are in Belfast which is part of the UK. It's a beautiful city, well worth a visit.

And no I don't sell clothes on. I've never sold clothes. I hate the idea of one off wear so I keep them and wear. I've given clothes away to people who might like them or to charity shops or to the in office collections for work wear charities But selling? No.

I would never expect to see hats at a wedding these days, they are very old fashioned IMO.

If you look lovely, clean and not offensive then who on earth at the wedding is turning their nose up and tutting at you because you haven’t fitted their idea of mother of the groom. How bitchy are some people 😏. They are not the kind of people whose opinion I would care about. As long as I have run my outfit past my son and his fiancé then no one else matters.

There's nothing bitchy about sharing an opinion when that's exactly what was asked for. The OP asked for people's thoughts, which suggests she's on the fence about it. If you ask for opinions, you have to be prepared for a range of responses, not just the ones that agree with your own view.

This dress is something I would wear to my child's birthday party in a garden (apart from the polyester fabric), not something I would expect to see on an older woman or a mother of the bride.

In my opinion, this is the kind of dress that won't age well. When people look back at wedding photos 40 years from now, I don't think it will have the classic, enduring appeal that many mothers of the bride usually aim for. It feels very trend-driven rather than sophisticated and enduring.

Pretty much everything worn 40 years after a wedding looks dated.

Indeed. That comment is hilarious

I find it hard to believe anyone is dressing with making sure they don’t look dated in photos in 40 years time. Part of the charm of wedding photos is looking back and seeing a certain era in time forever captured.

There is a thing called timeless fashion.

Some styles look elegant across different eras, while others are heavily tied to current trends and don’t really last. Certain pieces and aesthetics stay relevant because they rely on simple design, good proportions, and versatility rather than short-lived trends.

Maybe study some fashion history before you make a statement like that.

No one cares about that (except maybe you). Who goes to a wedding critiquing how timeless the clothes will look in 40 yrs! No one I ever met!

Just look nice on the day, no need to be concerned about what it looks like in 2066!

It’s not quite that simple.

I have a friend who got married in 2010 wearing one of those dresses that’s short in the front, long in the back, paired with Converse and a shaved hairstyle. That was very much her style at the time. She told me last year she now wants to retake her wedding photos because she regrets the outfit and feels it hasn’t aged well.

That kind of example shows the difference between something that feels elegant in a broader, lasting sense versus something that is heavily tied to a specific trend or moment in fashion.

She was the bride though.

Exactly this.
My relative wore a vintage outfit that belonged to her mother at her sons wedding and she looked amazing .
I think your choice is lovely , you can really dress it up if you want to also.

Still thinking about your wedding photos 16 years later is unusual, let alone wanting to retake them!

My parents' wedding photos are absolute, vintage 70s in terms of what they and the guests are wearing. I love them. You can tell from my wedding photos that I got married in the 2010s - am I supposed to be pretending I didn't?

And tbh unless OP was a teen mother I'm assuming she'd be doing well to still be around to fret over pictures in 40 years!

@Historian0111101000I think it’s easy to regret what you look like if you have dressed in a slightly unusual way because you want to rebel. If you change and mature, and still love your dh, you might really regret not looking as good as you might have done because you were trying to hard to make a point. I’d just have some couples photos done by an editorial photographer because you cannot get the actual day back. You can have a new set of photos done though.

No there isn't "timeless fashion" Some styles still look beautiful and elegant now as they did when they were contemporary - one of the most obvious being Dior New Look, but it's not timeless. Anyone wearing it now is obviously wearing vintage, if original or cos playing.

I suggest you take your own advice about learning about fashion history. Styles evolve. Designers are inspired by the past but they adapt and evolve styles.

No one apart from Kate Middleton and the other senior royals ever wears that kind of get up now. It’s exceptionally rare in the U.K. which has never returned to pre Covid levels of formality. Floaty and midi to long length is more the current vibe.

I got married in a £35 vintage wedding dress off eBay. That said, I’m so over floral maxi dresses.

As long as the fabric doesn’t look as though you will need to keep away from naked flames then wear it and enjoy it.

Remember to take the price label off. 🙂

I think it’s lovely and if you love it then you will feel great in it! Some accessories and your hair and make up all done. I think it’s really pretty and it’s definitely not about spending loads of money on something! You love the dress and you’ll wear it again too but it will always have a special memory for you of your son’s wedding! 💜 X

That look is incredibly dated

Never Google mother of the bride outfits if you’re looking for an outfit, because they invariably show old fashioned,boring dresses and coats, below the knee, in a satin type fabric. Just look for wedding guest dresses, or occasion dresses.

Good grief. Who wants to dress like that? I’m assuming the OP isn’t 90.

That's not really true.

I'm not sure what type of event you're being invited to, but tailored dresses and skirt suits are still very common at many formal and semi-formal events.

If you look at brands such as LK Bennett, Hobbs, and Karen Millen, you'll find plenty of dresses in a similar style for everyday wear. In fact, many of their more popular designs sell out. I wear those for date nights with my husband and work events.

If there weren't a market for these styles, retailers wouldn't continue to produce and sell them.

I wear those for date nights with my husband and work events.

This is really strange. Surely those two types of events have completely different dress codes even if you are aiming for smart for both (and date night could potentially be much more casual, depending on the type of date)?