Places to Look for Mother of the Bride Dresses

My mom made an appointment at Davids Bridal.

Davids Bridal.

I know people have mixed reviews about them, but my mom found her silver dress at JJshouse.com. they have a wide selection, cheaper prices and the dress looks good on her and fits well, its made pretty good quality for what it is.

i wish i had a picture to post but i'm at work - so i dont but we had a good experience with them!

My mother is currently going through similar (and my wedding is in a little over two weeks lol but she's very picky).

Depends on your budget but here is where I was looking for her:

Saks 5th avenue

Dillards

Nordstrom

Macy's

Bloomingales

Belk

David's Bridal is an option

You can also go to shopstyle.com and just enter in the search bar "silver evening gown" and see what comes up (it'll pull from a bunch of different stores so you can see your options).

And finally, another option is go to a tailor and get something custom made. There are varying price options of course.

Jessica Howard Steel Gray dress (Macy's)

Sorry to hear you lost your brick & mortar Macy's, but you can shop with them online. They carry Jessica Howard dresses that probably meet your criteria. They have one in a color they call "steel" that is a stunning dark silver color. I bought it in a light champagne color, as that better fits my daughter's color-scheme. It is a very comfortable (and forgiving) dress, but looks both formal and tailored. The bodice is a stretch lace, but not clingy, and the skirt is a substantial raw silk-like woven fabric that has a bit of a crinoline underskirt. It has a very nice A-line shape to it. I'm 5'8" and it hits me mid-calf, so it's more tea-length than the online photos seem to indicate. They also carry versions of the Jessica Howard dresses in floor-length. (I'm not a fan of the belt being tied in a bow or knot, so I'm going to rework it so it's a flat "cummerbund"-type belt that fastens in the back.)

I think David's Bridal also carries Jessica Howard dresses, but they were at least 50% more expensive there, than at Macy's. With coupons and sales, especially this time of year, Macy's formal wear can be a real deal. (My dress was a total of $30, with sales and coupons, from an original price of about $120....) Good luck!

I just found this, maybe if you look on the site they have a little longer one?

Dress

Https://www.bluefly.com/adrianna-papell-adrianna-papell-three-quarter-sleeve-lace-gown-with-vneck/p/478382901?affID=PH&referer=ph_1101l510_1011l346&partner=1101l510&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=shopstyle&utm_campaign=1011l39WB&utm_content=1011l39WB&cm_mmc=ph-_-2946000973-_-1011l39WB-_-na

Are you ok with a jacket dress?

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/r-m-richards-sequined-lace-midi-dress-jacket?ID=2914761&LinkshareID=UBAokkJVcos-decB1CtQ9s_5V9qNMT2NCA&PartnerID=LINKSHARECA&cm_mmc=LINKSHARECA-_-5-_-63-_-MP563

This site has fabulous dresses and a lot of them have sleeves or jackets!

Dress

There are some great suggestions here already. I've heard some negative things about JJ House. I'm planning on shopping soon for my dress too. I love Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor. There are great sales on now. I've shopped online and had multiple sizes sent to me and returned the ones that didn't fit/ or I didn't like. This is especially helpful if you can't fine the dress near you. Happy shopping @GoodMOB and post the winner's pic!

Oh, wow! So many great ideas already! I'm excited to see that some of these are very affordable, too.

Thanks for the comments on the Macy's dress, because looking at it online, I would not have thought it would be that long. I'm only 5'6", so it would probably be longer on me, too.

Oooh! Now I'm going to get looking!

Another one for David’s bridal. My mom found her dress there and we both loved it. Quarter sleeves too!

Https://us.johnlewis.com/phase-eight-romily-lace-dress-silver/p3113069?s_afcid=af_92295&tmad=c&awc=1203_1515171948_d8473a7af10f5c6e34b73a2a913fb15b&tmcampid=48#media-overlay_show

My mom really loved the quality of the bridesmaids dresses we ordered from Azazie, so she has talked about just ordering hers there or from in a different color and style. They do custom sizing for free, so you could get something that was literally made to fit you. She is also considering Venus Bridal I believe, because an old friend owns a local shop and has offered to custom order whatever my mom wants. Aside from traditional bridesmaid and mother of the bride dresses in a bridal shop, I think department stores are a great place to look. Many of them offer free shipping and free returns, as well, so you could always order a couple of things and return them if you don't like them in person. That's how I had to get my shoes, since no local stores sold them in person!

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I really like it, and found it very flattering. I'm VERY self-conscious about issues related to significant scoliosis (it's been surgically corrected, but I still have a lot of noticeable curve & rotation), so I am really picky about the way things fit -- and the potential for "cling." For me, this dress has so much going for it. The sleeves are fitted, so they don't make my arms look bigger than they are, but they also hide my lack of "upper arm tone" ; the waist is fitted, but not tight; the skirt has flare, but isn't overly gathered/poofy and the crinoline makes it "fluff out" without being too much. For me, it truly seems like a "party dress," without being over-the-top. I didn't want anything that looked like I was trying too hard, or was inappropriately too fancy/formal. I want to feel "pretty," but like myself, and this dress meets those needs for me. Good luck!

My mom got her dress at an independent boutique. We looked at several department stores, like Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, and Neiman Marcus, but she found more unique options at the smaller shops.

Is there a big city with a mall with department stores within an hour or two of you? You could make it a day trip with your daughter! I would definitely look into the major department stores like Dillard’s and Macy’s - my mom found lots of great options there for around $200 and under.

My mom and mither in law both love todashi something . . Might be worth it to check .. also maybe rent the runway . Silver dress might be hard to wear more then once

Amazon!!! My mom is getting hers off it. Her and I have gotten plenty of clothing items and dresss off of amazon and they're overall pretty good! I would recommend!

My mom found both of her dresses (one for my brother's wedding & now the one for mine) from Nordstrom. She hates going to the mall/shopping, so she ordered online and then returned what she didn't like. I wasn't huge on Macy's selection this last season, as many of the options looked a little too matronly IMO, and Nordstrom seemed to have a lot more options for color, style & material. This is the dress she chose (she also wanted something either with 3/4 sleeves or a bolero), in the color she ordered. But many of their styles have a "grey" or "steel" option, this included. She's 5'7" & a size 10 with a larger chest....it's a very flattering cut and style with the drop hip!

Mom's dress

Oh, so many fantastic ideas!

I realized I do go up to a major city in a few weeks, with time to shop the bigger department stores. I will also look up ahead if they have smaller boutiques that might be worth a look.

And this last dress, above, is definitely on my wish list!