Author: Rebecca Furbank

Now this year there have been some very famous weddings. From Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz  who married in a very lavish wedding in April. To Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in Vegas after getting back together . And Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker in Italy.

But one wedding that stood out for us was Coleen Nolan’s son. As you can see from our feature image doesn’t she look amazing. This sapphire colour is very on trend, beautiful and bold and we will still be seeing lots of bold colours next season too.  The fit is just perfect for her, the waist band sitting perfectly on her waist, the length just below her knee and then the dress was just off the shoulder. The make is John Charles which we stock instore and we will be having new season outfits shortly. Another loose women who got married this year was Stacey Solomon to Joe Swash which again took place in the summer with both her mum and Joe’s mum in pale summer colours.

In the shop we have been very busy this year helping Mother’s of the Brides and Grooms find the perfect outfit, we cannot wait to see what next year will bring. This is our last blog until the New Year so for now we would like to say thank you very much for a wonderful year. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

For the next couple of blogs we are going to do some reminiscing on past weddings. This week it is celebrities who have gotten married in December. No it’s not in the height of wedding season but all the beautiful lights and Christmas trees you can see why some people choose to marry in December.

Frank Lampard and Christine Bleakley married on the 20th December. Amanda Holden and Chris Hughes on the 10th December, Alex Jones and Charlie Thomson on the 31st December and lastly Chloe Madeley and James Haskell on the 16th December. Looking back at weddings that have happened can be a real inspiration to anyone planning their special day.

Congratulations to anyone else who will be celebrating wedding anniversaries this month.

Nobody likes being cold and now we are in December there are lots of Christmas and New Year Weddings coming up (mine included). So what can you wear to keep warm?

I feel everyone should have a smart/best coat in their wardrobe, I know I do. Mine is a nice caramel colour so goes with a lot of other colours. All you have to do is look at the royals at Sandringham at Christmas and all the beautiful coats they wear.

However with some dresses a coat is not always an option. Other alternatives are scarfs or shawls to wrap over an outfit, these are ideal if you are not outside for too long. In winter a fur shrug is another beautiful alternative.

Or if you are in the one venue and do not need to venture outside maybe all you will need is a nice sequin bolero or a cardigan.

Other option could be a slip underneath your dress, beautiful full length gloves always add elegance to an outfit or even if it is a church wedding you could always have a blanket waiting in your seat to keep you warm.

When finding your outfit something you will need to consider is looking back at the photos, what do you want to see? You don’t want to stand out, or clash with the other mum’s outfit for example.

When looking for your outfit I do think you have to be mindful of the wedding theme and colours. For example a winter wedding with the bride and bridesmaids in white maybe try looking at some of the jewel colours, ruby, emerald and sapphire. Or even silver or gold, a bright yellow for example would stand out and not really go with the winter wedding theme.

Or a summer wedding, if the bride is in ivory and the bridesmaids are in a pale pink then maybe go for another shade of pink? So you are all in different pinks? Or maybe go for a pale blue or green so you are all in pastel colours? I would advise staying away from red as that would clash with pink and look very harsh standing next to the bride and the bridesmaids.

However you should consider what colours suit you, your hair colour, skin tone etc as you still want to look like you and be happy with what you are wearing, there is no point choosing a colour that would make you looked washed out. As I have said before it is really good if you can be open with the bride and the other mother as to what everyone is hoping to wear so on the day everyone is happy, looking and feeling their best .

Traditionally, yes, the Mother of the Groom should wait until the Mother of the Bride has selected her outfit. However as I have said in many posts, what was done traditionally isn’t so much the case now. When Mother of the Brides and Mother of the Grooms come to see us they normally know what the other Mother is wearing, or at least a colour? Or they will come with the bride, or even facetime family members to see if what they are trying is nice.

The whole Should the Mother of the Bride choose her outfit first can also relate to some Mother of the Grooms feeling they are not as important as the Mother of the Bride but the bottom line is you are both important. Here is that word again but traditionally it was the Brides family who paid for the wedding so the Mother of the Bride had a lot of involvement. In todays society a lot of the time it is the Bride and Groom themselves paying for the wedding or both sides of the families have contributed evenly.

Marriage is about joining two families to make one big family, everyone should be loved and treated the same. Weddings have moved on just like everything else does, it is about doing what works for you and your family and each wedding is individual and special.

 

Once you have booked an appointment with us you might be wondering what do I need to do or bring?

Each appointment is different so it will vary depending on individuals, some Mother of the Brides and Mother of the Grooms prefer to come in on their own, try lots of different styles on and narrow it down to a few dresses before bringing the bride or any family or friends. Others come in with the Bride, or a group of friends, we have even had both Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom shopping together at the same appointment. It is all about who you feel happy and confident with and how you want your experience to be.

If there is a colour scheme you could always bring a sample with you so we make sure we don’t choose anything that will clash and will compliment.

Maybe you have already got a favourite pair of shoes that you know you will be wearing, please bring them along as that will help.

A very important part of finding the right dress is having the right underwear. Underwear makes a huge difference to how a dress will look and fit.

You might even know what the other Mother is wearing, if so bring us a picture, any information that can help us find you the perfect dress is always helpful. But above all else we want you to have the best experience possible and we appreciate you booking an appointment with us. I hope these few tips have helped and we look forward to see you soon.

So doing research for your outfit and actually shopping to buy your outfit are two different things. As soon as you find out there is going to be a wedding come in and see us, have a look around, try some different designers, colours and styles on. It might be you’ve come in when we have our autumn stock on the shop floor but your wedding isn’t until the following summer but we can then advise you when we will start getting our Spring/Summer stock in. Once you have done some research you can go away and decide on what budget you have, a style you like, discuss colours, venues etc with the bride, once you know this and are happy you are then ready to buy and once you have found the right outfit you will know.

It was only when I started working at Anne Furbank I really realised how early new stock actually arrives. You have a summer wedding and would think I will start looking in the spring, by then we have had some of our spring/summer stock for 3 months and as I’m sure you are aware we only get one of each size in so once its gone its gone.

It’s always a good idea to look online, you can always contact us to ask if we have a certain style coming in and we can confirm if we do or don’t, or if we have anything similar. Also following us on social media is great because we have our fashion shows, on this we show new stock that we have had in, or we might do a post when we have had a delivery.

Finding your outfit should be a fun and enjoyable process and we are here to help you every step of the way.

Last week I spoke about quotes and sayings we hear a lot upstairs on the occasion wear floor. This week I am going to talk to you about another popular one. “I Don’t Want To Look Like A Typical Mother Of The Bride Or Mother Of The Groom”

But what does a typical Mother of the Bride or Groom look like? There are many answers to that question because we all have our own styles and nowadays the designers are so good at knowing that we all come in different shapes and sizes that they really do try to cater for everyone.

For example Condici is a make that I think you would say is a fitted dress and jacket, very Mother of the Bride or Groom, timeless, sophisticated and smart however that is not all Condici does. Our feature picture for this week is new Condici Spring Summer 2023, we saw a lot of floaty fabrics and styles last year and they will definitely be back.  Therefore do not judge a book by its cover or designer by previous styles, fashion changes, styles move on. Therefore I think it’s safe to say that there is not such thing now as a typical Mother of the Bride or Groom, we are all individuals wanting to look and feel our best on a really special day and we are here to help you with that anyway we can.

The saying “it’s not a formal wedding” is one of the most common phrases we hear upstairs, or that our occasion wear is too formal but here at Anne Furbank we try to cater for all styles of weddings.

Weddings have changed a lot, as we discussed in our blog last week regarding tights. However what was traditionally done isn’t necessarily the case now. Therefore I would like to tell you about a couple of makes we have instore that would be perfect for a non formal wedding.

The first is Jane, previously known as Goat, their fabrics, patterns and styles are simple yet timeless, their ethic is luxury investment pieces and they really are.

Another make that I am sure you have all heard of is Joseph Ribkoff, but did you know he has a Joseph Ribkoff Signature range that we have instore. Our feature image for this blog is from this collection. His signature range is dressier than his normal range but not as formal as some of our other Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom brands.

When you first walk in to see us we always ask questions like where is the venue? colour schemes etc so we can get a sense of what the wedding day will be like so we help you find the best outfit for you.

Keeping on the theme of Winter Weddings, another way you could keep warmer is by adding a pair of tights. However it is not a written rule that you have to wear tights to a wedding.

Tights have changed so much and there are now so many different options available. Opaque, black, matt, shiny, different denier etc. It’s always worth doing your research to see what pair would be best for you.

Some people say traditionally you should wear tights but traditionally you should always wear a hat to a wedding. Recently weddings have been less formal with some of our Mother of the Brides or Mother of the Grooms saying we don’t need to wear a hat. Times have changed and a lot of it is personal preference and what you feel happy wearing.