I was wondering what color dresses should the mother of the bride wear in order to look good walking me down the aisle and it must look good all together with periwinkle (bridesmaid dresses)?  My sister is a bridesmaid and there are sure to be pictures with my mom, my sister and me.  I have no idea what color to tell my mom or my fiancι's mom?

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Generally there are quite a few colors that would look fine with any color scheme.  What you want to avoid are colors and styles which are very bold (like red, hot pink, turquoise) with your softer color scheme, or print dresses that would be busy or distracting.

Three color families which come to mind right away to harmonize with periwinkle and your gown are a dusty or blush pink, a sage/willow green, or a buttery yellow.  The mothers could choose a gown in about the same tone value as the periwinkle  (I mean degree of lightness or darkness, not color/hue), or something a little softer and paler.  A little darker would work, too, if the color is not too strong or clear in comparison to the periwinkle (which is usually a little dusty.)

You might want to think about the flower colors you are using, too.  You didn't mention them, but sometimes there's a logical color in the flowers or other decorations that you can use to pull a mother's gown color.

Depending on the shade of the maid's gowns (since there are a couple shades of periwinkle currently available), some mid- to light toned
blues or purples might also coordinate. With a little care in choosing, you can create a lovely effect with mixed blues and purples.  If your
mother is not comfortable in lighter tones, she might look nice in navy or another darker blue or purple.

Again, just try to use the **hue** of the periwinkle as your guide.  If it's bluer, either try to match it the blue hue in a little different
intensity, or go with a real lavender or other color that obviously *doesn't* MATCH, but harmonizes. If it's a really dusty periwinkle
shade, try not to choose really clear, bright shade.  Use that bridesmaid gown color to help you decide what will look nice.

In the end, though, the most important thing is usually that the mothers feel comfortable and attractive in their gowns.  It's your day, but it's
an important day for them, too.  I find that as long as the general style is compatible, and the color is reasonably in keeping with the
general mood of the color scheme, most mothers' gown choices look fine.


The times when there are problems are usually unusual choices like black, white or red gowns, or really bold colors like royal purple when the wedding color scheme is all pastels.  Other than that, it can be hard to find really inspiring gowns or suits for mothers, so sometimes it's best to make some general suggestions and then just don't worry too
much about it.

Best wishes to you--

Foreverwed.com expert-- Sara L. Ambarian
author of "A Bride's Touch: A Handbook of Wedding Personality and
Inspiration"/ creative consultant/ custom bridal designer
mailto:sara@www.foreverwed.com
For more wedding information:
http://www.foreverwed.com/~sara

 

 
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