Mother of the Groom Dress Part 1

Today I got my MOG dress and am absolutely delighted with it!!!!

 

When my son James announced his engagement to Sasha last July..oh the excitement, our first family wedding! When he goes on to say they are planning a wedding in a castle in Scotland I just knew I wanted a special dress for this most special occasion.

 

There is only one problem with knowing your best colours and styles… you know EXACTLY what you want as your MOG dress! 

 

I am a Jewel Winter and follow Classic Ingenue styling. The Scottish Castle wedding is in early April with snow forecast! It will be a long day. There will be a short walk from the chapel to the castle and reception. If the weather is good, canapés outside. After the reception, there will be lots of dancing in the evening. I want to be comfortable and warm enough … I have done Scotland before!! 

 

I imagined a feminine dress with sleeves in one of my wow colours, possibly a full skirt rather than having to worry about magic knickers. Something flattering for this 63-year-old…surely that shouldn’t be too difficult to find!

 

How wrong I was. I checked the shops and Pinterest boards, but nothing really caught my eye. It was all very samey. Lots of body con dress in shiny fabrics and dull colours!!! There is a definite look for a MoG and it didn’t feel authentic to me. 

 

With all the research, finally, the Facebook algorithm kicked in and I saw a post that caught my eye by the very talented, local designer, Jocelyn from https://jocelynbanksdesigner.co.uk/. What a joy I liked her style. I phoned and she said she could make anything I wanted. What a relief!

 

Our first meeting was fact-finding we talked and talked. I explained the theme of the wedding and my need for comfort and warmth. I said I loved the ‘New Look’ style of the 50’s, I said I love lace, and showed her my Colour Fan. 

 

Next meeting Jocelyn had drawn up some beautiful designs, with fabric and colour ideas. I loved the shape but had second thoughts about the lace feeling it would be more appropriate to choose plainer heavier silk as the mother of the groom.

 

The next meeting was the tuille fitting to check the shape and decide on the neckline… with me inside, Jocelyn just took the scissors to the tuille and started chopping!!!

 

The first time I put on my actual dress it felt fabulous, the fabric is just beautiful and feels so soft and comfortable. A bespoke garment is built for you and fits exactly, even has a built-in bra. It's quality. The full skirt just makes me want to dance… so much ingenue swishing! I know I will feel a million dollars on the day.

 

The next stage was to add the finishing touches. A faux-fur wrap, a flower comb for my hair. A plain belt by day to be exchanged for more sparkle for the dancing. Rainbow shoes from John Lewis that can be dyed any colour, and Jocelyn’s contact Tina Fennel https://www.tinafennellbespokebags.co.uk/ made me a beautiful little bag to match my shoes.…. perfect!

 

 I have so enjoyed the process of seeing talented professionals at work building my dress and accessories from scratch. 

 

I have known quite a few friends who found the experience of finding their ‘mother of’ dress a real stress. Sometimes buying several possibilities to decide on the day. One friend got talked into an outfit by the shop assistant but before the wedding decided it wasn’t for her and started again unable to take the original purchase back… what a waste and what stress! My dress I know I will wear again and again...so the price per wear makes the investment affordable. For me, the whole experience has been a joy, that I really don’t want to end!

 

 …..So that’s it for now, you are not seeing the final version of my fabulous dress until the wedding day, April 9th, and Blog Part 2!