TEL : 416-653-4986    EMAIL : BARWED@ROGERS.COM
Save up to 40% on Last Minute Flights with Hotwire Limited Rates!
MAIN MENU
Home
Weddings & Honeymoons
GROOM magazine
GIFTS magazine
WINES For Weddings
DESTINATION WEDDINGS
CARIBBEAN Weddings
ROMANTIC GETAWAYS
NEWLYWEDS magazine
MOTHER OF THE BRIDE
FATHER OF THE BRIDE
WEDDING SHOWS
WEDDING DIRECTORY
SITEMAP


Celebrity Weddings

Backyard wedding for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and bride
Celebrity Engagements

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
Real Weddings
Maid of Honour
Tips for Choosing
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaid Fashions
Wedding Guests
Attractions & Events
Movie & TV Weddings
- Advertisements -











| MOTHER OF THE BRIDE
Mother of the Bride
updated June 29, 2011
by Shelley waugh


Ladies Waiting at the Royal Wedding

Coats with matching dresses for royal spring wedding and of course the hats

April 29, 2011
LONDON - For her daughter Kate's wedding, Carole Middleton, above left, chose one of the late Princess Diana's favorite designers Catherine Walker & Co. Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey escorted by her son James wearing a pearly blue wool crepe coat dress with matching satin piping and braiding at the waist and cuff over a sky blue silk shantung day dress. She also wore a hat by Berkshire-based milliner Jane Corbett.

For the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II, above centre, chose an Angela Kelly canary yellow single crepe wool primrose dress with hand-sewn beading at the neck in the shape of sunrays.  Kelly is the Queen's personal assistant and senior dresser.  She also designed the Queen's hat, a crepe topper accented with handmade silk roses and matching apricot-colored leaves.

Pinned to her matching double crepe wool tailored primrose coat was Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot diamond brooch. Her hat with silk roses was also designed by Angela Kelly. Her accessories were white gloves, pearl necklace and a white handbag.

The Duchess of Cornwall, above right, Camilla Parker Bowles, wore an outfit by Anna Valentine  – the same designer she chose for her own wedding to Prince Charles in 2005.

Camilla, wore a champagne silk dress, topped with a hand-embroidered duck-egg blue and champagne coat. Her neutral shoes were by Jimmy Choo and she carried a clutch by Valentine. Her hat was created by milliner Philip Treacy, who designed nearly 40 hats for the occasion.
Keep in mind that it is your daughter's wedding

Traditionally as a mother, you use to be the orchestra leader of this magnificent symphony, but today you might just be a member of the audience. Still, depending upon the relationship and understanding of your daughter's wedding, it is your duty to assist in the planning and budgeting and to be there, especially when chaos is breaking loose, to keep things calm.

Mother's duties
Traditionally if it's a Bride's first wedding, the Mother of the Bride usually exerts a strong influence on the planning and budgeting of the wedding. The Bride's family often pays for the lion's share, especially in traditional and ethnic families. Of course today, duties that were once rigid wedding etiquette do's and don'ts are often shared.

Officially the Bride's parents announce the couple's engagement and include the wedding details if they are known. The announcement can be made at a party or dinner or in the newspaper. Announcements are never printed like invitations; they are handwritten.

With [or without] the father of the Bride, mom hosts an engagement party to announce the engagement of her/their daughter. The party is held at home, in a restaurant or other suitable place. Once the budget for the party is set and the number of guests is known, the mom is usually the keeper of the guest list. She is responsible for collecting lists from her daughter, the Groom and his parents as well as her own. She will also cross-reference the lists to make sure invitees don't receive two invitations.

Traditionally, mom usually hosts a Bridesmaids' Luncheon on behalf of the Bride. Invitations are extended to her attendants. grandmothers, Godmother and favourite aunts. The budget and logistics of the luncheon will depend on where it is held and whether it is formal or informal, and whether it is a luncheon at all! However, if it is a luncheon at someone's home, usually several of the adult women assist in preparing some favourite items for the menu. The luncheon is an opportune time for the bride to give her attendants their wedding party gift. For fun, there is a traditional bride's cake for dessert that has something symbolic baked into it, such as an inexpensive wedding band. It is said that the Bridesmaid who gets the item in her slice of cake, is the next one to marry!

The Bride's mother also assists in coordinating showers for her daughter. She attends the wedding rehearsal and attends the rehearsal dinner or get-together following the rehearsal, traditionally hosted by the Groom's mother or parents. If requested, the Mother of the Bride assists in compiling the invitation list.

At the Ceremony, the Mother of the Bride is escorted to her seat in the first row on the Bride's side. If the biological mother did not bring up the Bride, she is placed in the third row on the left side. At the reception, the mother of the Bride is the first one in the receiving line. She then introduces the Bride and Groom to guests who may not know them. The Mother of the Bride traditionally dances with the Groom following his first dance with his Bride.

After the wedding the Mother of the Bride hosts or co-hosts a brunch or lunch the day after the wedding, usually with the Groom's parents. This hospitality is especially welcome by out-of-town guests. If the wedding couple is still in town, they are the guests of honor and have an opportunity to open or look at some of their gifts.

Attire
The same rules apply to the mother as to the bride. You can buy a dress, rent it, make it or borrow it. Usually the Mother of the Bride selects the dress she is going to be wearing before the Groom's mother [so they both don't wear the same color]. The Bride's mother should coordinate her choice to conform to the wedding color theme. Her garment is never longer or more formal than her daughter's dress.

What's appropriate:
• Formal evening - a long dress with or without a hat, veil, hair accessories or gloves.
• After-five - cocktail dress or an evening suit.
• Morning or before-five - dresses or suits with head covering [if desired]. Comfortable shoes or two pairs of shoes are recommended, one pair for the ceremony and photographs, the second pair if needed to change into for standing in the receiving line and the reception.

WeddingsHoneymoons.com | Mother of the Bride | June 28, 2011
Copyright 2012 Weddings & Honeymoons. All Rights Reserved

CMS Powered by c-Seven's Mantis