The mother of the bride’s dress is a very important purchase because it is essentially a part of the wedding party and may have guidelines that are dictated by the bride. Since there typically is not complete freedom when selecting the perfect dress that the bride also agrees with, it is imperative to start shopping as soon as possible. If there is something that is holding you back from going shopping immediately (you want to lose weight or firm up first or you just hate shopping in general), your goal should be to have picked out your dress at least one month before the wedding day.

However, there are other factors to consider that may motivate you to make your decision more quickly. First of all, the mother of the groom may be waiting for you to pick out your dress before she selects her own. If this is the case, then you should leave her an appropriate amount of time so she can find a dress that complements your’s without clashing or matching. If this is not possible, make sure you let her know she can pick out her dress before you get one. Also, if you wait until the last minute, this may stress out the bride who already has enough to deal with. So keep the bride informed of your progress and try and not to wait until the absolute last moment.