Author: Rebecca Furbank

We all have them, body hang ups, whether it is your mum tum, bingo wings or knobbly knee’s. The question is do you know how to disguise them? And instead flaunt some of your best features instead?

Over the next few weeks I am going to be giving you some tips on how to hide those not so great bits to give you that confidence to love your body and what you are wearing on that special day.

So this week I am going to talk about mum tums and for me this one hits home. I have had 3 children, one was rather large and one I had via c section so I do have a tummy.  So for me I stay away from anything too fitted. I love an empire line so it highlights my small waist but then a beautiful floaty skirt just hides that tummy.

We love what we do here at Anne Furbank and we absolutely love seeing photos of you on the big day in your outfit.

So please, please, please after your event send us an email with a few photos of you on the special day.

Our email address is shop@annefurbank.co.uk

Thank you.

We get a lot of customers come and see us more than once. Which we love, the fact that your son got married 5 years ago and now you are back because your daughter is now getting married and you loved your first outfit so much. In these cases we hear a lot that you want to wear something different. Which we get. Fashions change, our bodies change and each wedding is different but the main thing to remember is that it has to suit you.

Say you had a pencil dress and jacket last time and now you want something long and floaty. But does your body shape suit that? Or do you suit a pencil shape dress because it flaunts your figure? Should you keep with a pencil shape but maybe do a different colour and no jacket?

Or maybe you wore navy to your last wedding so now want to stay away from anything blue. But blue is a colour that suits your skin tone best? Does that mean you will rule out anything cobalt or baby blue or sapphire?

So when you are coming for the 2nd or 3rd time please try to come open minded and not rule anything out straight away. It is a journey and we are here to help.

Another thing we hear a lot on the wedding floor is the other Mum is in these colours so I can’t wear them. As much as it is nice to be completely different you also want your outfits to compliment and work together. Looking back at photos nobody wants to see a Mother of the Bride and Groom clashing.

For example if the Mother of the Bride has a bright pink and navy dress it doesn’t mean you cannot use any blue’s or pinks in your outfit as Mother of the Groom. Maybe you see a pale pink and pale blue dress and jacket. Keeping to the same colour palette could look lovely. As in all in blues and pinks. Compared to a Mother of the Groom in red and orange which would clash in photos. But I agree you couldn’t go out and buy a bright pink and navy dress as that would definitely look like copying.

When you come for your appointment with us we will talk you through colour palettes and what does and doesn’t work, just to ease your mind so that everyone is happy with their outfit choices.

Everyone’s experience when looking for Mother of the Bride or Groom outfit is different, some people walk in with an idea in their heads and walk out with that exact thing. Others are completely open minded and will try anything.

One thing we try to do when we can is give you a breather to think. I had a Mother of the Bride come in and she ended up falling in love with 2 different dresses and she couldn’t pick. I told her to go and have a think and not to rush the decision, she went next door to the George for a coffee with her friend and thought through her decision. She knew I had both dresses behind the till and they weren’t going anywhere. She was able to speak to both her daughters and make the right decision.

The smile on her face when she returned was amazing because she knew she was making the right decision. So please do not ever feel like you cannot tell us what you are thinking or feeling. It is ok to say to us I just need to think and we will do all we can help you so you can choose the perfect outfit.

When it comes to a Mother of the Bride or Groom outfit the right fabric has a lot to do with the desired look. Fabrics are not as structured as before, there is a lot more chiffon around to give that popular and desired floaty look.

So when you come to try different outfits on make sure you try a range of fabrics so you know how they fit and feel on you.

If a bold colour isn’t for you why not try a pattern. It doesn’t have to be a big or bold pattern like our feature image but a pattern can just break up a dress.

I love a patterned dress with different colours because when it comes to accessorizing you can have so much fun. So for example if your dress has a flower pattern and the flowers are a mixture of blues, greens, turquoise, navy etc you can pick any of those colours for shoes, bag and hat and they would all work. Plus with a patterned dress if you spill something down you it is easier to hide.

Long gone are the days when the Mother of the Bride or Groom would only wear a dress and jacket in a pastel colour. When it comes to a wedding in 2023 anything goes.

This season we have seen some beautiful bold colours, from pinks, greens and blues etc and they are here to stay. So don’t be afraid to have a play when it comes to colour. Remember you are an important role and your outfit should show that.

So when it comes to anything I need to do I am always doing a checklist, I can make a list of things I need to do or things I cant forget and once they are done I can tick them off. So why not do it for a wedding?

Your son or daughter has just got engaged, emotions are everywhere and there is so much to process. Why not go out and buy yourself a notebook so you can write everything down as and when it comes to you. For example –

1. Shopping for an outfit
2.  Hair trial
3. Make up trial
4. Booking any pets into kennels
5. Outings with the bride etc

Then once they are done you can tick them off or expand on it and it can really help you feel like you are in control and on top of it all.

One thing I am sure all of us here at Anne Furbank think is how important the right underwear is. If your boobs are not in the right place the dress is not going to fit properly. And lets be honest we all have a pair of Bridget Jones’s big knickers in our draw that we bring out for special occasions.

We are very lucky here at Anne Furbank because we have Elouise, a wonderful lingerie shop just over the road from us. It is where we recommend a lot of our Mother’s Of The Bride or Groom to go.

Underwear in a way is like the foundations when building a house. The foundations have to be perfect or the house wont be. We want you to look and feel your best when it comes to the wedding day and the right underwear will definitely help with that.