Mother of the Brides Want More Involvement in Planning Their Daughter's Wedding

The study, conducted by clothing brand Marisota, investigated Mother of the Bride's opinions on being involved in wedding planning, how it has affected their relationship with their daughter as well as experiences of choosing a Mother of the Bride dress.

Despite 40% of mothers wanting to be more involved in wedding planning, more than half stated that the planning they were involved in strengthened their relationship with their daughter. Only a quarter of respondents claimed to have a close relationship with their daughter prior to the wedding with a staggering 54% expressing improvements in their relationship due to assisting in wedding planning.

When questioned what tasks the Mother of the Bride should be involved in, 40% thought they should be involved in choosing the wedding dress, with a third wanting to be involved in selecting the guest list. Despite many feeling they should have a say in who attends the wedding, only 1 in 10 wanted to be involved in the traditional role of hosting the wedding rehearsal. Many Mother of the Brides commented that their main role is to provide general support and advice without interfering with the bride and groom's decisions, acknowledging that it is, after all, their daughter's day and final decisions should be theirs.

In relation to choosing a dress for themselves for the big day, a surprising 64% involved their daughter in helping them to choose a Mother of the Bride dress. A large percentage found this task to be difficult (23%) or very difficult (31%), perhaps indicating why they asked for the bride's advice. The main reasons for this difficulty, according to comments given, include the struggle to find attractive clothing that suits their size, flatters the body parts they like and hide those they don't. Many also commented that Mother of the Bride dresses are often in old fashioned and frumpy styles.

Marisota's Brand Manager, Simon Haughton commented "Planning a wedding can be a worry and is stressful. Marisota understands from research how important daughters are in playing a key role in choosing outfits for big events. Marisota helps with this, our dresses have Shapeology, allowing women to choose outfits that make the best of their shape, hiding parts she may feel most conscious about, making her feel confident and look perfect for the special day."

Other comments also included choosing a dress that complements the colour scheme and that is within the Mother of the Bride's budget.

The selection of Mother of the Bride and occasion dresses available is ever growing, with many styles available to flatter every shape, size and fashion sense. Asking for second opinions from the bride, Mother of the Groom or other friends and family members could provide more confidence in that all important outfit for a big day in a mother's life.

This data was gathered from a Facebook poll with 429 respondents. The poll was completed between 19.05.2014-01.06.2014. 

Marisota  are an inclusive clothing brand, offering clothing in sizes 12 to 32. They are the home of Shapeology as well as specialising in Mother of the Bride and occasion wear. Marisota embrace a "Can Wear Attitude", endorsed by Mark Heyes and his AVA collection.