UK Wedding News
30/08/2011
Mothers-in-law have thrown out the wedding etiquette rule book, much to the annoyance of brides, according to a high street retailer.
Thanks to increasing numbers of step-mothers-in-law now invited to nuptials, a new breed of thrusting, cougaresque mothers-in-law have ripped up the first commandment for weddings; thou shalt not upstage the bride.
While the happy couples have cut back slightly on the big day to save cash, research for Debenhams has found spending by fashion savvy mums has soared to an average of £430. This is compared to five years ago when they paid out an average £190 – a 126% increase.
By comparison the overall cost of getting married has risen by only 52% to £19,779. This is a drop from an all time high of £20,273 in 2008.
According to department store, the growth in sales has been driven by the increasing numbers of divorces and second marriages: when asked the reason for wanting to look extra special, 39% of mothers-of-the-bride or groom said they were competing with their ex-husband’s new wife or girlfriend.
Alain Mehada, Debenhams Personal Shopper, said: "It seems that brides are a casualty of the sartorial battle between wives past and present.
"In their determination to make an impact, mother-in-laws are regularly ignoring the main tenants of previous decades, such as do not wear white, do not wear black and do not wear anything low-cut, tight fitting, or which is likely to gain you more attention than the bride on her big day."
Personal shoppers have dubbed it the 'Raquel effect' after Raquel Welch’s famous thunder-stealing behaviour at her son’s wedding.
Raquel Welch, aged 65 at the time, turned up 12 minutes late to her son Damon’s wedding, wearing a skin-tight, little black dress with cutaway frontage revealing that famous décolletage, all topped off with a huge brimmed white hat and dark glasses.
Nearly 80% of women questioned said their main goal when dressing for their child’s wedding was to look younger than their years, with 63% of women agreeing that an expensive looking outfit was imperative.
Women agreed that a figure accentuating dress was the most important part of the look with an eye-catching hat or fascinator, expensive-looking high heels and immaculate hair and make-up following accordingly.
Debenhams looked at spending through its personal shopper service and found the average outfit bought by style conscious mothers for weddings cost £130, handbag £40, shoes £75 and hat £60 and £50 went on new cosmetics.
This adds a new level of competition to the already existing, but less brutal contest between the mother of the bride, and mother of the groom.
'Ladette to Lady' Social & Etiquette Expert, Liz Brewer commented: "The number one rule for mothers and stepmothers-in-law is not to do anything to draw attention away from the bride. Be as elegant as you like, but it is incredibly bad form to upstage the bride on her big day."
Another high profile example is Sophia Loren, who was unable to resist showing off her famous assets when her son Edouardo Ponti tied the knot. The bride looked far more demure than her famous mother-in-law who wore a deeply gaping satin jacket, which perfectly exposed a diamante decorated black satin plunging top, teamed with a see-through black chiffon skirt with a front split to expose tanned thighs as she walked.
The antics of these infamous mother-in-law wedding displays could well have been inspired by the romantic comedy, Monster-in-Law starring Jane Fonda, who turned up to her son's wedding wearing a tight white dress determined to upstage the bride, played by Jennifer Lopez.
Of course in some cases the mother-in-law doesn’t even get as far as the big day before becoming the centre of attention. Take Carolyn Bourne, the dianthus breeder of Dorset who became an internet sensation two months ago after her scathing email criticising the manners of her step-son's bride-to-be Heidi Withers, went viral.
However, it is possible to get the tricky role of mother-in-law or even step-mother-in-law just right, even when the whole world is watching. At the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and the heir to the throne’s new mum-in-law Carole Middleton were praised by Royal watchers and fashion pundits alike for their perfectly considered outfits.
(GK/BMcC)
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Monsters-In-Law Battle Over Wedding Spotlight
Mothers-in-law have thrown out the wedding etiquette rule book, much to the annoyance of brides, according to a high street retailer.
Thanks to increasing numbers of step-mothers-in-law now invited to nuptials, a new breed of thrusting, cougaresque mothers-in-law have ripped up the first commandment for weddings; thou shalt not upstage the bride.
While the happy couples have cut back slightly on the big day to save cash, research for Debenhams has found spending by fashion savvy mums has soared to an average of £430. This is compared to five years ago when they paid out an average £190 – a 126% increase.
By comparison the overall cost of getting married has risen by only 52% to £19,779. This is a drop from an all time high of £20,273 in 2008.
According to department store, the growth in sales has been driven by the increasing numbers of divorces and second marriages: when asked the reason for wanting to look extra special, 39% of mothers-of-the-bride or groom said they were competing with their ex-husband’s new wife or girlfriend.
Alain Mehada, Debenhams Personal Shopper, said: "It seems that brides are a casualty of the sartorial battle between wives past and present.
"In their determination to make an impact, mother-in-laws are regularly ignoring the main tenants of previous decades, such as do not wear white, do not wear black and do not wear anything low-cut, tight fitting, or which is likely to gain you more attention than the bride on her big day."
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Personal shoppers have dubbed it the 'Raquel effect' after Raquel Welch’s famous thunder-stealing behaviour at her son’s wedding.
Raquel Welch, aged 65 at the time, turned up 12 minutes late to her son Damon’s wedding, wearing a skin-tight, little black dress with cutaway frontage revealing that famous décolletage, all topped off with a huge brimmed white hat and dark glasses.
Nearly 80% of women questioned said their main goal when dressing for their child’s wedding was to look younger than their years, with 63% of women agreeing that an expensive looking outfit was imperative.
Women agreed that a figure accentuating dress was the most important part of the look with an eye-catching hat or fascinator, expensive-looking high heels and immaculate hair and make-up following accordingly.
Debenhams looked at spending through its personal shopper service and found the average outfit bought by style conscious mothers for weddings cost £130, handbag £40, shoes £75 and hat £60 and £50 went on new cosmetics.
This adds a new level of competition to the already existing, but less brutal contest between the mother of the bride, and mother of the groom.
'Ladette to Lady' Social & Etiquette Expert, Liz Brewer commented: "The number one rule for mothers and stepmothers-in-law is not to do anything to draw attention away from the bride. Be as elegant as you like, but it is incredibly bad form to upstage the bride on her big day."
Another high profile example is Sophia Loren, who was unable to resist showing off her famous assets when her son Edouardo Ponti tied the knot. The bride looked far more demure than her famous mother-in-law who wore a deeply gaping satin jacket, which perfectly exposed a diamante decorated black satin plunging top, teamed with a see-through black chiffon skirt with a front split to expose tanned thighs as she walked.
The antics of these infamous mother-in-law wedding displays could well have been inspired by the romantic comedy, Monster-in-Law starring Jane Fonda, who turned up to her son's wedding wearing a tight white dress determined to upstage the bride, played by Jennifer Lopez.
Of course in some cases the mother-in-law doesn’t even get as far as the big day before becoming the centre of attention. Take Carolyn Bourne, the dianthus breeder of Dorset who became an internet sensation two months ago after her scathing email criticising the manners of her step-son's bride-to-be Heidi Withers, went viral.
However, it is possible to get the tricky role of mother-in-law or even step-mother-in-law just right, even when the whole world is watching. At the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and the heir to the throne’s new mum-in-law Carole Middleton were praised by Royal watchers and fashion pundits alike for their perfectly considered outfits.
(GK/BMcC)
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20/03/2020
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