If your son is going to be getting married then it’s bound to be a really exciting time for you. But have you thought about what you’re going to be wearing to the wedding yet? There are a lot of traditions and rules that you may have heard about suitable colours for the mother of the groom to wear, so if you’re a bit stuck on what colour to choose for your outfit, here are a few tips.
Are white and black OK?
White should really still be a no-no for mother of the groom dresses, simple as that. White is a colour for the bride and its her big day – no matter if she’s really relaxed about what you wear, let the bride have centre stage and leave the creams and ivories to her. There are hundreds of other beautiful colours you can wear, so there’s no real need to have to consider white.
Black’s a bit less clear cut. Traditionally seen as a colour of mourning, you may still raise a few eyebrows if you turn up in a black mother of the groom outfit. However, black is slowly creeping in as a popular accent colour at weddings, so if this is the case, or if the wedding will be a formal, evening affair, you’re probably safe to wear black if you want to. Black isn’t right for all weddings, but it’s a classy and flattering colour – do double check with the happy couple if you’re not sure how well it’ll go down.
Matching the mother of the bride’s dress
Tradition dictates that you should consult with the mother of the bride and choose your own outfit to complement hers. It’s up to you how rigidly you want to stick to tradition, but these days it’s not always considered essential for this to happen.
There is sound thinking behind the idea though, after all the bride and groom will have given a lot of thought to the colour scheme, style and formality of the wedding and this will be reflected in the outfits chosen – everything from the suits to the flower girl dresses. It makes for a visually cohesive occasion if your own mother of the groom outfit generally fits in with this and doesn’t clash outrageously. If they’ve chosen a relaxed beach wedding with a coral pink colour scheme you’re bound to stand out (and not really for the right reasons) if you opt for a deep purple formal gown.
So although you don’t need to feel overly restricted by tradition and should pick a colour that you feel great in, it isn’t your time to take centre stage. Speak with your son and in-laws about the colours they’re planning to wear and pick something that’s generally complementary. That’s all there is to it!