Patterned fabrics for weddings?

Deciding what to wear if you are mother of the bride or mother of the groom is never easy. A lot of eyes will be on you. The colour of the bride’s bouquet, bridesmaids dresses and groom’s tie will point towards a colour palette – your wedding outfit should contrast or complement but never clash. But what if you want to wear a patterned dress?

Mother of the groom Judy wearing Elizabeth Bessant couture long silk skirt and waistcoat for her sons overseas wedding

This is a difficult one, trends change every season and you could date the wedding photos with a patterned fabric if not chosen carefully. But don’t dismiss the idea. Patterned fabrics have been a big trend for a few years, and we are dressing a lot of our clients in some beautiful patterned silks by Emanuel Ungaro and Valentino.

I would say the answer is to avoid large patterns with strong colour contrasts – subtly is key. Patterned fabrics also work better with a simpler style of dress so the pattern is not cut up too much when made up. Lace dresses for mother of the bride or groom are also popular but a patterned dress if chosen carefully can give you real stand out in the wedding photos.

Most of us are self conscious about our arms so choose a style with a sleeve or a jacket that tones with a colour on your frock. And if you want to show some flair and be a bit different there are subtle ways to do this. I am making a patterned silk dress at the moment with a bold contrasting silk lining – a split at the back of the dress will show off the lining when our mother of the bride walks which is bound to catch the eye.

Mother of the bride Michele wearing Elizabeth Bessant couture silk dress and patterned chiffon coat

For another mother of the bride, I made a plain deep pink silk dress with a floaty patterned coat that was soft elegant and complemented her colouring beautifully at this gorgeous summer wedding.

If you are buying off the peg brands these will have their own exclusive patterns that are often very identifiable, for example, a Ted Baker bold floral print, or a vintage Kath Kidston print is always instantly recognisable. This could lead to an awkward photo moment with one of your guests.

But don’t be dissuaded from choosing a patterned fabric – these take a bit more thought but can also be fun to wear.