Mother of the bride outfits. Help!

French style seems to be fuller of skirt, so tummy should be disguised. e.g. cicinia.co.uk/products/cicinia-dusty-blue-mother-of-the-bride-dresses-chiffon-long-sleeves-v-neck-ankle-length-a-line www.flormiss.co.uk/a-line-v-neck-3-4-sleeves-pleated-tea-length-satin-mother-of-the-bride-dress-f23m623.html
Things to think:
Can you wear sleeveless? or would you prefer short or 3/4 sleeves? (My arms are awful, so I attended a July wedding with lace sleeves and sweltered)
What sort of shoes can you wear all day with a toddler? This will determine length - it does seem that mid-calf is popular (and IMHO, chic)
If you are expecting mucky fingers, then would a (perhaps, floral?), pattern disguise any mishaps better than a dark colour
Before you start, think about your budget - do you want something to wear again, or sell - you may want to look at washable or at least not specialist clean.

I’ve been very impressed with the wedding outfits I’ve bought online from Yumi.co.uk. They are comfortable and travel well. This is the one I bought for my nephew’s wedding in the south of France last May www.yumi.co.uk/products/yumi-green-floral-print-mesh-stretch-midi-dress-with-pockets. I also bought a green bolero style cardigan from the same company.

25 years ago my son married his French wife in France. The French side really dressed smartly but very simply. The bride wore white but the teenage bridesmaid wore jeans!! I went to Jaegar and bought a very simple dress and jacket and even then felt slightly overdressed. At the French families request I also wore a hat for the civil and church ceremonies. Everyone was amused and delighted.

I’d avoid linen because it can become very creased.

Some great ideas .thanks everyone

I dreaded looking like the Lady Mayoress rather than myself. For both my daughter’s weddings I failed to find a dress I was willing to wear.

I bought pewter silk trousers, silk vest and Armani jacket for one ( I know….) fascinatot
Last year John Lewis saved the day, Reece top, silk pleated ivory trousers that looked like a skirt till I moved and a Big Hat

I felt like me rather than someone in disguise

Go for something you feel happy in x. Have a smashing day

When my daughter got married I wore a calf length dress from M&S. It was a rust colour with a cream jungle print. I wore an ecru linen jacket that I'd bought from M&S years before. My daughter's best friend did the Mother Of The Bride look with a floaty, flowery dress in blue ans green. She had blonde hair and looked much better in it than I would have done.

Coolgran65

I bought a matching dress and coat both very lightweight floaty chiffon type fabric. Both ankle length. Bo ho style. I absolutely loved it. Wore both pieces for the wedding anf took the coat/top layer off later.

That’s exactly the style I’m looking for when my son marries in July. I’m actually looking at Vinted, but not found anything quite like that yet. I’ll keep searching. Where did you buy yours Coolgran65?

Allie Street. I bought a lovely dress for my son's wedding, very good quality. I ver rarely wear dresses. Phase 8 have good selection of jumpsuits.

When my son married I went full on posh outfit with fascinator.
Lovely and very expensive.... but it spoiled my enjoyment of the day because it just was not me.
DD1 married her Indian husband 11 years ago. Bridesmaids and Indian family were glorious in sarees .
I wore a lovely little navy and duck egg dress from Jacques Vert . Loved it and felt more like me . Don't know if that firm still exists but it was good value.
DD2.married in Edinburgh 3 years ago .
The fanciest do yet but I decided to be me this time.
Channelled my inner hippie self I bought a beautiful navy print dress costing £40 in the sale from Scarlet and Jo that do beautiful floaty frocks for plus size ladies.
I'm 6 foot and only needed their smallest size which was a generous 14.
Floaty, a beautiful neckline, a fantastic dress
Teamed it with a pair of bright yellow suede court shoes , £5 from Vinted and a yellow suede clutch from Amazon...a tenner. I think.
It was fabulous.
I felt like a queen and very pretty.
All for less than £100.
Wonderful weddings,all 3 but the dress for wedding 3 made it extra special as I could really enjoy myself.
Still got DD3 to get married... What will I wear ?
Might do as I did for my own big day 45 years ago and make my own dress .
That was very special.

Will it be warm in the area of France at the time of wedding. Trousers with a slightly fitted sleeveless or short sleeved top and a loose none fitted jacket would cover fit and climate. A lot will depend on how formal the wedding is to be, Next, John Lewis, Hobbs, Zara, goodness the selection is really wide.

When my son got married, I also loved the look of the Anne Balon outfits I saw online, but when i tried them on in the posh frock shop, in the words of the sales lady, it looked like it was wearing me rather than me wearing it! I ended up with a teal-coloured sixties style dress which absolutely “sang” to all of us the moment i put it on. The style covered up my large midriff and the colour (with a matching hat) drew attention away from my less than perfect shape!

Maggiemaybe

I’d echo the idea of a personal shopper session. The only time I’ve had one (for free, at Harvey Nick’s in Leeds) was before DD1’s wedding. I was a bit apprehensive, being far from your typical HN shopper, but I’m so glad I did this. She listened carefully to what I had in mind and what my (modest!) budget was, and came up with several great outfits. There was no pressure at all to buy, but the one I went for was perfect.

I'd also recommend personal shoppers, both my daughter and I have had them (in Selfridges and large John Lewis branches) and they came up with things that we would never have tried on without encouragement.
As Maggiemaybe said there is no pressure to buy and it is really helpful to be offered clothes that are outside your normal ranges. Just make sure you wear good underwear!

Dont wear the typical stiff mother of the bride silk suit, so unflattering, wear a lovely floaty dress, plain colours no white or cream, if wearing a hat they are meant to be pulled over your forehead not at the back of your head, fascinators look like flying saucers

Haydnpat

My daughter gers married end of April in France and I am really struggling to find an outfit. I'm 5ft 6ins and slim apart from my diabetic waistline and tummy. I'm not really a dresses person and I need something comfortable as I will be looking after small grandchild as well. Can anyone suggest anything?

The classic mother of the bride outfits are mostly hideous, stiff and ageing. Have a look at Sahara, maybe. Or the Walkers Style website (something slightly wacky by Rundholz, maybe). Also Olivia May and Blue Women and Home sites.

Trouser suit would look lovely ..

Gina Bacconi have lovely designs

Linen wide leg trousers with a nice top maybe with frills on or a statement necklace.

Why do you not ask your daughter to help you find an outfit?

My sister took the advice of her eldest on a similar occasion and looked very nice indeed in a trouser suit, that tactfully disguised her very thin legs and a tummy that not only was the reverse of thin, but according to my sister, stuck out (the rest of the family could not see that feature, but she could and it worried her.)

Unless the wedding is to be extremely formal dress-wise there is no reason at all why you should not wear a trouser suit, or even a pair of slacks with a contrasting top.

If it is to be so formal that it takes place in the late afternoon with the gentlemen in tails and white tie, then go for a full length kaftan style dress or something similar.

And as the wedding is taking place in France, you are not obliged to wear a hat.

Personally I think a dress would be more appropriate than trousers for a summer wedding in France perhaps with a matching jacket or coat. Would certainly be cooler than a trouser suit and you are mother of the bride, a time to dress up. I would try Hobbs for a middle of the price range outfit or like others have said John Lewis is always a good bet.

I am like you Haydnpat I dislike dresses too. I never wear one but I did for my son's wedding. First time in probably 30 years.
I bought mine from Roman. I didn't wear a hat either, I had my hair put up (another new for me) and added a pearl hair slide at the back.

You're the bride's mum, so it's a good idea to tell bridegroom mum what yoy will be wearing. You don't want to be wearing the same colour.
My DD's MiL got her outfit very promptly and fortunately DD told me what she'd got. I was a bit miffed as it is the bride's mum's prerogative to choose colour first.
But hey, I got an outfit in a muted gold silk. Which I sold very well the week after the wedding as it would have been a bit OTT for any other wedding

Larger and taller than you with also a tummy issue and v rarely wear dresses but wanted to look lovely for son’s wedding. A few false starts but finally bought a beautiful , v-necked , sleeveless maxi from Monsoon with tasteful sequins . It was a boiling day, well over thirty degrees but I kept cool but felt confident and well dressed too. Not the cheapest but you don’t go to a child’s wedding every day!

Thank you all.I will check out the names mentioned. I hadnt thought about lace,thought it would be to restrictive.

Does depend on which part of France to guage the climate - if somewhere warmer have a look at onehundredstars.co.uk/
They have very pretty outfits and lovely kimonos, long and short to drape over a trouser co-ord or jumpsuit.
Also I would agree John Lewis will have a good lot of options.