Don't worry about your arms! (We are talking to you Moms!)

We have talked about Brides and Bridesmaids now let's talk about Moms! Without fail, whether they are a size 2 or 22, every mom will walk in and tell me she hates her arms and she lifts them up and jiggles the part that hangs under their bicep. Without fail, you will hear me say "Are you going to walk down the aisle doing the chicken dance?" The mom's laugh and say "no". However, in all seriousness mom's, your arms are going to be linked through someone else's arm walking down the aisle or by your side in a photo. By the time you get to dancing and possibly doing the chicken dance you won't care anymore because the day will have been so beautiful that you will just be celebrating! Moms, you are beautiful and we will help to make sure that you feel comfortable and beautiful on your child's wedding day so don't worry about your arms or any other body part!

So now that we have moved past your arms, lets talk about colors! The most common Mother of the bride and Mother of the groom colors are Navy, Iron, Wine and Bordeaux. There are many reasons that these colors are the top choices when it comes to Mother's gowns. First, I have never met someone whose coloring doesn't look good in navy. It is also the darkest color you can wear without wearing black. All of these popular colors are colors that have some depth to them so typically they look great on pretty much everyone. Another reason for their popularity is that almost every single Mother's dress will come in at least one of these colors and they tend to match well with the vast majority of colors offered for bridesmaid dresses. Following those top four colors are Slate Blue, Silver, Champagne and Teal. Most dresses come in a few different colors and figuring out what color works best for you will depend on skin tone, colors of the bridal party and possibly what the other mother is wearing.

We are often asked about the etiquette for buying your dress and colors, Typically the Mother of the bride has first choice for color, so if you are the Mother of the groom make sure to connect with the bride or the Mother of the bride on what color she is thinking about wearing. "What if you want to wear the same color as the other mother or bridal" you ask, we always say check with the bride! If she is okay with it, we have seen it for many weddings and it looks very nice! If she is not okay with the idea of matching, it is easy to find a complimentary color! For some colors we do suggest checking with the bride first! Champagne, Sand, and Gold to name a few are probably colors it is good to check with the bride on just because they can come off as very light colors and some brides may feel its too close to the colors of their dresses! The same goes for wearing Black, as some brides would prefer their Mother or Mother-In-Law to wear a color to the celebration!

Let's talk about dress styles! Just like our brides, some Mom's prefer bling and other Mom's prefer lace or a simple yet elegant look. In our shop, we have our traditional Mother's selection, a crossover section which could be a more formal bridesmaids look or a little less fancy Mother's dress, and then we have our bridesmaids section which many Mom's choose to purchase from. We believe the Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom's dress should be one step above the guests because while the wedding is about the bride and groom it is also an important time for the Mother of the bride or Mother of the groom! If you want to go for the more simple bridesmaids look you can always add a little broch or jeweled belt to raise the look of the bridesmaids dress. Sometimes even the length of the dress will make it appear more formal! In all honesty, regardless of style, length or color, the most important thing is to find a dress that makes you feel most comfortable and most beautiful! You will be in a lot of these wedding photos and we want you to look back and love the way you looked and proudly display these mementos in your house!

Why is it important to go into a shop and not buy online? I know as a Mom you want to give everything to your daughter or son and don't want to spend a lot of money on yourself so the prices online are always tempting! However, we often get Mother of the brides or Mother of the grooms who come into our shop about 6 weeks out from the wedding panicking because they have bought and returned tons of dresses online and they don't like them. At our shop we work with Mom's one on one and if you trust us we will be able to help you find a dress that is perfect for you! We meet lots of Mom's with every different body shape so we will be able to give personalized recommendations for the best style options! Yes, our dresses are more expensive than Macy's but it is because the fabrics are nicer, the design is more complex and their is more structure to help hide lumps and bumps but show off your beautiful curves. By making the decision to not shop online and to buy from a local shop will also give you more time to shop because you won't be wasting weeks buying and returning! We highly recommend Mother of the bride or Mother of the grooms buy their dresses 9-6 months prior to the wedding. With that being said, at Melissa Ashley Brides we stock dresses that we can get quickly! However, remember that all dresses at the very least will need a hem so you will need to leave time for seamstress work and if it is during busy bridal season it will not be able to get done in a week.