Author: Rebecca Furbank

Lastly it is Jacqui’s turn, she was Mother of the Groom in November 2021 at Swynford Manor. Jacqui said “Finding my outfit wasn’t as easy as I expected but the whole experience was lovely and made me feel quite special.”

Jacqui narrowed her search down to 3 outfits and her son and future daughter in law helped her choose one – a beautiful Olvi dress. However, although Jacqui loved the dress she wasn’t 100% sure about it for her son’s wedding.

When I asked Jacqui if she ended up with that outfit, she replied “I didn’t, I had another look and chose something completely different by Fely Campo, which my son and daughter in law loved as well.”

Jacqui’s advice is “Take advice as it is a totally different outfit to anything else that you will buy. Don’t be afraid to still have your own mind, once you feel comfortable it will help you make that final decision. I did and loved the day.”

Jacqui ended up with both outfits in the end, the Fely Campo dress and jacket for her son’s wedding and the Olvi lace dress as she loved it and has worn it to other special occasions and on cruises!

Debbie was Mother of the Bride in September 2017 at the Manor House.

When it came to choosing an outfit Debbie knew exactly what designer she wanted. “I had always wanted an outfit by the former designer Ian Stuart. His styles and fabrics were always beautiful, very stylish and fitted my shape perfectly.”

I asked Debbie if finding her Mother of the Bride outfit was an enjoyable experience, she replied “My husband and I went to the London show room of Ian Stuart which was great fun. Trying on all the lavish styles but in the end I found my perfect outfit at Anne Furbank!”

Debbie’s advice for any Mother of the Brides or Groom’s is

“Put your outfit on in the morning of your wedding and be confident in what you are wearing and enjoy your special day.”

Debbie is due to be Mother of the Bride again in October 2024 and we cannot wait to see what she wears and how this journey will compare.

This week it is Sonia’s turn. Sonia was Mother of the Groom in September 2019 and the wedding was in Ireland at a catholic church and then back to a hotel.

For Sonia working at Anne Furbank on the occasion wear floor she knew exactly what she wanted when it came to her son’s wedding.  Sonia went on to explain the only thing she needed to know was colours. Sonia was very mindful of the Mother Of The Bride and any colour schemes that her future daughter in law had chosen.

Sonia’s experience differs to Gill because after Sonia had her outfit and tried it on she didn’t show anyone it. Just incase any comments were made that might knock her confidence.  Whereas Gill wanted peoples opinions and advice. Just showing how different we can all be.

Sonia’s advice for any Mother Of The Brides or Groom’s. –

“Ask many questions that can help you choose your outfit”.

“Be confident in what you are wearing so you can forget about it and enjoy the day.”

Sonia also went on to say that if you book an appointment with us you are looking for help so trust us. It’s a journey, from trying what you are naturally drawn to, but then have the confidence to try some options we may pick out for you. You might be surprised! Remember we are here to help!

Sonia ended with  “We love what we do, making you feel your best is what we aim to do, however long it takes.”

First of all I am going to be telling you about Gill’s experience. Gill was Mother of the Bride in September 2016. The Venue was The George in Buckden.

I asked Gill if finding her out was an enjoyable experience, her reply was “A wonderful happy experience once I realized just what it all meant to me. Factoring the venue and my personality was important”

I then went on to ask if she knew what style of outfit she wanted? She said “I thought I did! But I realized I had never been a Mother Of The Bride before so I wanted advice from an expert.”

Gill ended up with an outfit that she didn’t expect. Gill spoke a lot about how important it was for her to feel good in her outfit.

Lastly I asked if Gill had any advice for for any Mother’s Of The Bride or Groom when shopping for their outfits?

“Advice is good, it comes from people who dress for all different shapes and sizes. Different venues and backgrounds. It is always up to you how much advice you take on board, experts take you ‘out of the box'”

Over the next few weeks I am going to do something slightly different. Here at Anne Furbank we are very lucky because we have members of staff who have been Mother’s Of The Bride or Groom. Therefore they have first hand experience of what it is like and each of them had a very different journey when it came to finding their outfits.

I asked my colleagues questions like –

Was finding your outfit an enjoyable experience?

Did you end up with the outfit you thought you would?

Any advice for other Mother of the Brides or Grooms?

So I hope you enjoy reading about their experiences. I certainly have loved hearing about them all.

Claudia C is from the same fashion house as Luis Civit. Claudia C’s collections are known for being more understated, blending classic and contemporary styling for any occasion.

For the next 2 weeks I want to talk to about a couple of brands that we get in for occasion wear during the autumn and winter season. The first one is Luis Civit.

Luis Civit is known for their classic shapes and beautiful fabrics. Their outfits offer fabulous tailoring and the perfect fit.

Knobbly Knees, this one can be hidden under a longer length skirt, so stay away from anything above the knee.

Another way to distract from your knee’s is to have a patterned top, to draw the attention away from the lower part of your body and for the eye to be drawn to the top half.

As you can see from our feature image the dress finishes below the knee so they wont be seen and with that beautiful glittery neckline no one with be looking at your knee’s.

 

No I’m not doing my KFC order, I am talking about the muscle on our arms that can lose their elasticity as we get older. So how can we hide these? Well the obvious answer is a sleeve but the majority of weddings happen in the summer and not everyone wants to wear sleeves then. So if I was going to go for a sleeve make sure it is sheer and floaty so it keeps you nice and cool.

Or you could go for something like our feature image, this has a cape effect to it. As you can see from the picture it gives that beautiful bit of coverage just to give you that extra bit of confidence.

Inverted Triangle, basically having a big chest (didn’t feel that was appropriate for a title) So there is a saying if you have them flaunt them but maybe not the best thing to do at your son or daughters wedding.

So I would look for a wrap dress, something that has a v neck line to a point on your waist which is your narrowest bit and then maybe a bit of detail on the skirt. This will give you that wonderful hourglass shape.

So as you can see from our feature image you have the V neck line going down into that beautiful peplum which starts on the waist highlighting your smallest part and then that beautiful ruffle balancing out the top of the dress, giving you that hourglass shape.