Choosing what to wear to your son's wedding can bring its own set of questions. You may already know what the Mother of the Bride is wearing, be thinking about the wedding colours or simply want to make sure your outfit feels special without looking as though you are trying to compete with anyone else.
There is no single prescribed Mother of the Groom outfit. The right choice should take the wedding into account, but it should also feel completely like you.
Think about the dress code and formality of the day, the wedding colour palette, the colours you naturally love and the silhouettes in which you feel most confident. If you know what the Mother of the Bride is wearing, that can be useful too, particularly when considering how the two outfits will sit together in family photographs.
The aim is coordination rather than matching.
At Shibumi, our Mother of the Groom collection includes silk dresses, coats, jackets and trouser outfits in an extensive choice of plain and embroidered silks. With UK sizes 6-26 and bespoke and alteration possibilities depending on the garment, there is plenty of scope to find something that feels individual to you.
Should the Mother of the Groom Wait for the Mother of the Bride to Choose?
No. There is no rule saying the Mother of the Groom needs to wait for the Mother of the Bride before choosing her outfit.
In practice, however, many Mothers of the Groom we meet at Shibumi do find it helpful to know what the Mother of the Bride is planning to wear before making their final decision.
It can help avoid the two women accidentally choosing extremely similar outfits, colours that do not work well together or completely different levels of formality. It can also remove the possibility of an uncomfortable surprise on the wedding day.
That does not mean the Mother of the Groom needs permission to choose her clothes or should deliberately make herself less noticeable.
Knowing a little about the other outfit can simply make the decision easier.
Our approach is to coordinate, don't compete - but don't disappear.
This is an enormously important day for the Mother of the Groom too, and both women should be able to feel elegant, confident and appropriately dressed without either feeling that she needs to fade into the background.
Think About the Wedding Photographs
The Mother of the Groom will appear in some of the most important family photographs from the wedding, so colour is worth thinking about as part of the complete picture.
This does not mean the two mothers need to match. In fact, outfits can work beautifully together while remaining completely different.
Consider the wider wedding palette, the colour worn by the Mother of the Bride and, where relevant, the bridesmaids. It is also useful to think about whether the principal outfits have a similar level of formality.
Above all, both women should wear colours that genuinely suit them.
The aim is a family photograph that feels harmonious rather than artificially coordinated.
The Shibumi Mother of the Groom Look: Lyra Coat, Nehru Coat and Shift Dress
The Lyra Coat or Nehru Coat worn over a Shibumi Shift Dress is our principal Mother of the Groom combination.
It is an established Shibumi occasion look and one that works particularly well for such an important role in the wedding. The combination feels elegant and distinctive, with enough presence for the occasion without becoming excessively elaborate.
The Shift Dress creates a beautifully simple foundation, while the Lyra brings the outfit together with its recognisable Shibumi silhouette.
One of the particular advantages for Mothers of the Groom is the sheer choice of colour and fabric. Shibumi has considerably more combinations available than can practically be displayed on every individual product page, so it is often possible to create an outfit that works with the wider wedding colours while still feeling entirely individual.
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For More Impact: Devi Coat and Shift Dress
For a woman who would like a longer and more dramatic silhouette, the Devi Coat with a Shift Dress is a striking alternative.
The full length gives the outfit greater presence and allows the colour or silk to become a major part of the finished look.
For a More Tailored Look
For customers drawn towards a more structured silhouette, the Aquila Coat and Avani Coat offer further options.
The Anya Jacket gives a shorter alternative where a jacket feels more natural than a full coat.
As a general Shibumi styling principle, a jacket can feel slightly less formal than a coat, although the fabric, colour and rest of the outfit play just as important a part.
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Choosing a Mother of the Groom Dress
Shibumi's classic Shift Dresses work particularly well for Mother of the Groom dressing because they provide a simple foundation around which the rest of the outfit can be built.
Styles such as the Hepburn Dress, Marilyn Dress and Vera Dress can take on a very different character depending on the coat, jacket, colour and fabric chosen to accompany them.
The same dress might form part of a coordinated silk look, sit beneath an embroidered statement coat or be worn more simply once the outer layer comes off later in the day.
Fit should always come before assumptions about what somebody of a particular age or size is supposed to wear.
Depending on the style and customer, Shibumi can adjust elements such as sleeve length, dress length, fit and proportions. This can be particularly helpful if you would like more coverage around the arms or simply need a standard garment adapted so that the proportions work better for you.
The aim is to find a dress in which you feel comfortable and confident, rather than to follow a Mother of the Groom formula.
Can the Mother of the Groom Wear Trousers?
Yes. A Mother of the Groom does not need to wear a dress.
For women who naturally feel more themselves in trousers, Shibumi offers several different ways to create an elegant wedding outfit.
Atelier Trousers with a Juna Jacket create a stylish, contemporary combination, while a Phoenix Jacket offers another shorter-jacket option with the Atelier shape. An Anya Jacket changes the proportions again and gives another elegant way to build the outfit.
For something softer and more fluid, Palazzo Trousers with the Willow Silk Top create a comfortable foundation that can then be worn beneath an appropriate Shibumi coat or jacket.
If you prefer something more fitted and tailored, Silk Cigarette Trousers with a Nehru Jacket or Nehru Coat create a cleaner silhouette. The Bhumi Jacket is another smart, more structured partner for Silk Cigarette Trousers.
None of these combinations should be thought of as an alternative you settle for because you do not want to wear a dress.
If trousers feel more like you, they may be exactly the right place to begin.
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Coat or Jacket?
Both can work beautifully for a Mother of the Groom.
The choice should come down to you, the wedding and how formal you would like the finished outfit to feel.
The Lyra Coat is the natural starting point for the signature Shibumi Mother of the Groom look.
The full-length Devi Coat offers considerably more drama, while the Aquila Coat gives a more tailored direction for customers who would like a more formal silhouette.
The Avani Coat provides another smart, more structured option.
If you would prefer something shorter, the Anya Jacket can give the outfit a slightly less formal feeling without losing the sense of occasion.
Season naturally plays a part, but a summer wedding does not mean you need to rule out a silk coat. Shibumi silk coats are relatively lightweight, and customers frequently wear them throughout summer weddings rather than feeling that they need to remove them simply because the weather is warmer.
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What Colour Should the Mother of the Groom Wear?
There are far fewer meaningful rules around Mother of the Groom colours than customers sometimes imagine.
A useful starting point is to consider whether the wedding has a colour palette and, if you know, what the Mother of the Bride is wearing.
From there, come back to you. Which colours do you genuinely love? Which shades make you look and feel your best? Would you like to coordinate subtly with the wider wedding or wear a colour that stands more independently?
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The Mother of the Groom does not have to match the bridal party.
Coordination can be as simple as choosing colours that sit beautifully alongside one another rather than trying to recreate the same shade across several outfits.
Shibumi's extensive range of plain and embroidered silks is particularly useful here because there can be considerably more colour and fabric choice available than is displayed online. That makes it possible to work within a wedding palette while still finding something with its own character.
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Forget Outdated Wedding Colour Rules
Wedding traditions change, and old folklore around particular colours should not automatically be treated as modern etiquette.
Green is a good example. Despite old superstitions surrounding the colour, it is extremely popular at contemporary weddings.
Modern brides themselves may also choose unconventional colours, including black.
If the bride or couple has specifically requested a particular colour palette or asked guests to avoid something, that should naturally be respected.
Otherwise, the guiding principle is much simpler:
Choose a colour that suits the woman wearing it and feels right for the wedding.
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Plain Silk, Embroidery and Creating an Individual Outfit
One of the pleasures of choosing a Shibumi Mother of the Groom outfit is the number of ways plain and embroidered silks can be combined.
An Embroidered Silk coat over a plain silk dress is a beautiful way to introduce pattern while keeping the foundation of the outfit simple.
A plain silk coat with a plain silk dress can create an equally strong look, particularly when the colour itself is allowed to take centre stage.
You can reverse the idea with a plain silk coat over an embroidered silk dress, allowing the dress to become more of the focus once the outer layer is removed.
Even an embroidered silk coat and embroidered silk dress can work beautifully when the scale and balance of the embroidery are considered carefully.
This flexibility is particularly valuable when dressing the Mother of the Groom because you may want to take the Mother of the Bride's outfit into account without creating something overly similar.
The breadth of Shibumi's colours and embroideries makes it much easier to find that balance.
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What If Both Mothers Want to Wear Shibumi?
It happens.
When Shibumi is dressing both the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom for the same wedding, the aim is not to make them look alike.
We want both women to feel individually dressed while making sure the outfits sit beautifully together.
That might mean choosing different silhouettes or coat lengths, using completely different colours, introducing embroidery into one outfit and plain silk into another, or simply approaching the styling in two different ways.
A personal showroom appointment can be particularly useful in this situation because the two outfits can be considered as part of the same wedding without either woman's individual style being lost.
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Dress for the Wedding, Not a Formula
A Mother of the Groom outfit should take the wedding into account without being dictated by a set of rigid venue rules.
Rather than assuming a church wedding requires one sort of outfit and a country-house wedding another, think about the actual dress code, level of formality, season, time of day and venue alongside your own personal style.
For a black-tie or particularly formal wedding, you may want something with a more evening-led feel.
A Satin Silk Dress, Aquila Coat, Devi Coat, a full-length silhouette or richer evening fabric can all move the outfit in that direction.
For a more relaxed wedding, separates or a shorter jacket may feel much more natural.
The important thing is that the wedding informs the outfit without overriding the woman wearing it.
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Summer and Winter Mother of the Groom Outfits
Season can influence how you style your outfit, but it does not need to create another set of rules.
A summer wedding does not automatically mean a silk coat will be too much. Shibumi's coats are relatively lightweight, the whole look is to wear the dress with the coat as a whole outfit. All our customers comfortably wear them throughout summer celebrations.
A jacket can provide a shorter alternative if that feels more appropriate though.
For cooler weddings, coats and layered Shibumi combinations naturally become particularly useful.
The season should help guide the outfit rather than decide it.
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What Happens When the Coat Comes Off?
It is worth thinking about how the complete outfit will work throughout the day, not simply how it looks when you arrive.
Many Shibumi customers keep their lightweight silk coats on for much of a wedding and are most likely to take them off later when dancing.
The dress, trousers or separates underneath should therefore feel just as considered as the outer layer.
If you would like something lighter over your shoulders during dinner or later in the evening, a Shibumi Shawl can be a useful addition and may be chosen to coordinate with the colours or fabric of the rest of your outfit.
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Fit, Confidence and Coverage
Many Mothers of the Groom arrive at Shibumi with concerns about fit or particular areas of their body.
It may be their upper arms, tummy, bust, height or simply the feeling that a certain silhouette will not work for them.
Our role is not to reinforce those worries or tell a woman that something needs to be hidden.
Instead, we listen to what would make her feel comfortable.
If greater coverage would give you more confidence, that might mean choosing longer sleeves, adding sleeves where the style allows, wearing a coat or jacket, adjusting the dress length or altering the proportions of a garment.
Bespoke adaptations may also be possible depending on the style.
The desired result is not simply a Mother of the Groom outfit that looks appropriate.
It is an outfit in which you feel comfortable, confident and able to enjoy your son's wedding without spending the day worrying about what you are wearing.
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Sizes, Bespoke and Alterations
Shibumi women's clothing is available in UK sizes 6-26, with bespoke and alteration possibilities depending on the garment.
Changes may include sleeve length, adding sleeves, adjusting dress length, improving the fit or adapting proportions where appropriate.
This means the process does not have to stop with choosing an off-the-peg outfit.
Where the garment allows, there may be ways to make the piece work more closely around you and the way you would like to wear it.
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The Shibumi Mother of the Groom Showroom Experience
A Mother of the Groom can have several considerations competing for attention at the same time.
You may know what the Mother of the Bride is wearing. You may be trying to work with a wedding colour palette while also choosing something that genuinely suits you. You may be thinking about the formality of the day, fit, coverage, whether you prefer plain or embroidered silk and whether you will ever wear the pieces again.
A showroom appointment gives us the opportunity to work through those decisions with you rather than expecting you to solve everything before you arrive.
The process begins by establishing the silhouette that feels right.
Once the shape, size and proportions are working, we can explore Shibumi's extensive fabric and colour possibilities and build the outfit from there.
This is particularly useful because not every possible Shibumi colour and fabric combination can be displayed online.
The aim is to find something that works for the wedding but still feels completely yours.
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Can I Wear My Mother of the Groom Outfit Again?
Yes - and we think that should be part of the decision from the beginning.
You may be investing in the clothes for one enormously important day, but they should not have to spend the rest of their lives in the wardrobe once the wedding is over.
A Shibumi silk coat can later be worn with linen trousers. A jacket can be worn with a more casual dress or even jeans. A Shift Dress can be worn independently, while separates can be combined with completely different pieces for future dinners, parties, weddings and other occasions.
Even a full-length coat may be able to evolve over time.
If you later find that you are not wearing the full length often enough, it may be possible to shorten the coat into a knee-length or shorter style depending on the garment.
The wedding may be one day. The clothes shouldn't be.
That ability to keep enjoying the individual pieces is an important part of choosing a Shibumi outfit rather than something that fulfils its purpose for a single day.
