Mother of the bride outfits are hard to find. So 18 women shared with us all the details behind theirs.

Of all the elements of planning a wedding, one job that seems to carry its fair share of stress is finding an outfit for the mother of the bride or groom.

From what's been discussed anecdotally around the Mamamia office, and in the Mamamia Outlouders Facebook community, pulling together looks for the other wedding VIP's - the mums and mother figures - is not as straightforward as it could be.

Some say there are minimal fashion options widely available in this category, and for the dresses you do come across online, chances are a woman under the age of 30 is modelling the garment.

So why does it remain such a challenge to find some decent options? Because for any bride and/or groom, they want their family to feel comfortable and happy on the big day – and their outfit plays a major role in that. 

To provide some inspiration and ideas, we asked 18 mums of the bride or groom to share pictures of themselves in their wedding guest outfit.

Mothers of the bride or groom share what they wore to weddings.

"My mum wore a full-length navy dress with a jacket. Both from a boutique under the Sofitel on Collins Street in Melbourne."

Image: Supplied/Pip Takes a Picture. 

"My mum wore a beautiful mint green Collette Dinnigan dress. My wedding dress was also Dinnigan, so they went well together."

Image: Supplied/Freemantle Wedding Photographer. 

"My mum got her dress and jacket from Anthea Crawford, managed to order it all online during lockdowns and I think she looked absolutely stunning."

Image: Supplied. 

"I'm practical – I checked out a heap and ended up going for pants and a matching flowy top from St Frock. Cheap, lovely and practical – I could bend and move in the outfit, and I could pair with a simpler shoe. I also bought it online."

You can shop the top here, and the pants here.

Image: Supplied. 

"My mum wore a beautiful Italian silk dress to my wedding."

Image: Supplied. 

"I thought all the mother of the bride dresses looked way too old! I wore a Thurley dress for my first daughter's wedding and Zimmermann for my second daughter's."

You can shop this dress here.

Image: Supplied. 

"Recent bride speaking – here's a photo of what my mum wore. It's from a dress shop in Wingham (Mid North Coast of NSW) called Dress Up."

Image: Supplied. 

"I wore this dress to my older daughter's wedding. I got it from a local wedding boutique shop in my area."

Image: Supplied. 

"Styled and hired from My Wardrobe in Melbourne for my son’s wedding at a winery. My dress is Elliatt and my daughter's dress is Rebecca Valance."

You can rent the mother of the groom dress here. 

Image: Supplied. 

"Loved my mum's choice of dress and colour. My wedding happened just after a lockdown hence the extreme excitement – we made it to the day!"

Image: Supplied. 

"My mum wore this top and long skirt. She's 68. She looked STUNNING. She felt weird in black, but my sister didn't mind at all. She got them from Myer."

You can buy the top here, and a version of the skirt here. 

Image: Supplied. 

"I've just been mother of the bride, and at nearly 60 and heavier than ever, I chose a Carla Zampatti pantsuit from David Jones. It was the best choice ever. I put it on lay-by as it was expensive for me, but worth every cent. There were also technically two mothers of the bride, as my partner is a woman. She looked great as well and had a totally different mother of the bride style."

You can buy the blue outfit here. 

Image: Supplied. 

"My mum wore this beautiful maroon/brown dress to my wedding. It had gorgeous cap sleeves, she was comfortable, and it looked great in photographs. She had the dress in her wardrobe for a while before the wedding, and it just so happened to be the perfect option on the day."

Image: Supplied/Sticks Productions. 

"My mum is in the blue – she wore a beautiful navy knee length dress that had a sheer top attached."

Image: Supplied. 

"My mum and mother-in-law – loved both of their dresses."

Image: Supplied. 

"My mum and mother-in-law looked absolutely stunning and so proud. Both their dresses are from Anthea Crawford."

For Anthea Crawford's mother of the bride edit collection, you can click here.

Image: Supplied. 

"This is my mum on my wedding day – I thought she looked gorgeous. She had her dress made by JJ's House, an online store."

Image: Supplied. 

"Here are some photos of my beautiful mum, Tia, on my wedding day in March. Her dress is the style 'Portia' from Moss and Spy."

You can purchase dresses from this brand here.

Image: Supplied/Jon Gazzignato. 

Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia. 

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