Quick Links
When it comes to weddings, there’s usually some basic style etiquette that guests should be aware of. Stick to the bridesmaid dress code, don’t wear a hat so gigantic that you block the photographer’s shot of the happy couple, etc. You get the idea. But there’s one unwritten rule about wedding day etiquette that can make or break things for the bride-to-be—how her mom chooses to dress.
The mother of the bride’s style is a crucial consideration for most people, but particularly for celeb wedding days. The only thing worse than being upstaged (or embarrassed) by your mom on your big day would be to have that moment shared in magazines and news stations around the country! If your mom turns up in a hideous dress or shows an uncomfortable amount of skin, it’s a lot harder to un-see when your mom’s in the limelight.
Some of the celeb moms of the brides on this list got the balance just right between cautious and over-the-top. And then there are those who weren’t too keen on handing over the spotlight to their daughters and daughters-in-law. Here are the best (and worst) styles on show by celeb moms of the bride.
Kris Jenner (Worst)
The Kardashian matriarch has never looked particularly fashion-forward over the years, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that her mother-to-the-bride dress choice didn’t exactly knock it out of the park either. The Kardashian mom, Kris Jenner, has sported two distinctly inappropriate mothers of the bride looks in recent years. At Kim and Kanye’s wedding in 2014, Jenner opted for a cleavage-baring v-neck gown, but her worst wedding style was probably this one.
At Kim’s wedding to basketball player Kris Humphries in 2011, Jenner didn’t only wear white, but she wore this OTT gown that could almost pass for a wedding dress itself. She’s copied her daughter’s strapless style and length and even added a statement bow just to make sure she had the most attention. Hideous!
Raquel Welch (Worst)
The brunette bombshell may have been in attendance at her child’s wedding, but she clearly didn’t want to miss an opportunity to be the most glamorous guest at the party. Still looking stunning at 50 years old, Raquel Welch decided to dress to impress with this cleavage-baring bodycon dress. Her then-soon-to-be daughter in law didn’t look so impressed, though. Okay, so this is technically a celeb mother of the groom, but we had to include it in here for her sheer brazenness.
No bride wants to be upstaged by a hot-looking bridesmaid, least of all, her new mother-in-law! Unfortunately, this is what Rebecca Trueman was faced with on her wedding to Welch’s son, Damon, back in 1990, and it’s written on her face—this girl is silently fuming.
Jane Fonda (Worst)
The Grace & Frankie star has never looked better in recent years. In fact, at the age of 80, she’s arguably never looked more stylish either. It seems weird then that only 8 years ago, the legendary actress looked a lot older at her daughter Vanessa’s wedding back in 2010. Once upon a time, Jane Fonda was the kind of actress that could look good in anything, but even on her younger self, this would’ve been pretty unflattering.
The creased pantsuit and the bizarre mix of khaki green and leopard print pants make this outfit a bizarre choice as a mother of the bride. Even for an everyday outfit, this looks way too frumpy for someone of Fonda’s taste. We hope she ditched this ensemble for good after this pic was taken.
Carole Middleton (Best)
Carole Middleton had a tougher job than most celebrity moms of the bride on their little girl’s big day because her ‘little girl’ just so happens to be the Duchess of Cambridge and future Queen of Britain! When Kate and William tied the knot in the spring of 2011, all eyes of the world were not only on Kate’s gorgeous bridal gown but on her entire family’s outfits too.
It’s one thing for regular celeb moms of the bride to deal with spying paparazzi on their daughter’s big day, but poor Carole had every major news channel documenting the big day (and her style). Luckily, proud Mother Middleton hit the right mark with her choice of attire. Her powder blue dress coat and hat combo looked demure and elegant—fit for a second Queen mother!
Hillary Clinton (Worst)
While attending her daughter Chelsea’s lavish summer wedding in 2010, the former Presidential candidate clearly never got the message that she was attending a wedding and not a school prom. Hillary Clinton is not usually one for wearing dresses (and now we can see why!). Clinton’s signature look has always been a smart pantsuit in all the colors of the rainbow. Perhaps she should have stuck to what she knew for her daughter’s nuptials.
Chelsea’s grandmother, Dorothy, had the right attitude for a wedding attire. The grandma of the bride kept things elegant and muted in an emerald green gown with jeweled shoulder detail. Whereas Hillary... went the other way entirely. The dress might have worked if it weren’t for the overly-girly flower detailing and the puffy 80’s prom dress sleeves. This is way too weird for a MOB dress.
Tina Knowles (Best)
Normally, wearing white would be a definite no-no for any wedding guest, but Tina Knowles looks so stunning that we think we’ll let her off the hook just this once. The mom of Beyonce and Solange Knowles proved that style most definitely runs in the family when she attended her youngest daughter Solange’s wedding to music video director Alan Ferguson.
Solange celebrated her nuptials in New Orleans in 2014 and decided on the all-white theme herself, so we can’t really lay blame at the mother of the bride on this one. Queen Bee’s kid sister and the entire Knowles family looked show-stopping in their white pantsuits and dresses. Momma Knowles did design the outfits for the Destiny’s child girls once upon a time so perhaps she lent her creative skills to Solange’s big day?
Diana Ross (Worst)
The legendary pop diva has always managed to wow with her powerful on stage style and larger-than-life vocals, so it’s a shame that on the day of her daughter’s wedding, the music icon was left looking a little flat. It might be designed by Vivienne Westwood, but this dress doesn’t do anything for her. The strange mix of off-the-shoulder and corset style in a dress ends up looking a bit messy and not something we’d usually associate with the queen of power ballads herself.
This style might have looked better on Diana Ross in her younger years, but it isn’t so flattering here. It kind of looks like she’s wearing bed sheets (or a partway-deflated balloon). Not her most glamorous look by a long shot and a fairly cringe-worthy choice of gown as the mother of the bride.
Judy Garland (Worst)
She was an icon in so many senses of the word and was definitely a style icon to many, but I think we can all agree that Judy Garland’s star status took a backseat when she watched her daughter, Liza Minelli, getting hitched. Minelli and her then-husband-to-be, Peter Allen, tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in New York back in 1967, but there wasn’t anything low key about her legendary mom’s choice of outfit.
Garland chose to mark the occasion by wearing a rather ugly blue, green, and yellow striped coat with a matching necktie and pillbox hat. The dated-looking dress might not have done wonders for Judy herself, but the outfit certainly made Minelli’s bridal dress even prettier by comparison. Good job, Judy.
Susan Sarandon (Best)
Going to any event in near-matching outfits can be tacky, but the lovely Susan Sarandon manages to pull off a look that shouldn’t work even on her daughter’s wedding day. In tribute to her stunning daughter, Eva, on her big day, Sarandon had her mother-of-the-bride dress custom-made so that the lace neckline would echo that of her daughter’s bridal gown.
Not only is this a sweet way to honor your child on her big day, but it’s also a sophisticated and subtle way of planting your flag as the mom of the bride without being too attention-seeking about it. The gorgeous charcoal dress and intricate lace detailing was designed by Lela Rose and looks flawless on Sarandon. Such a cute way to coordinate with your kid on her happy day.
Bianca Jagger (Worst)
They say that you should never wear white as a wedding guest. But perhaps, an equally important golden rule should be to never wear black either, especially if you’re going to attempt to wear it like Bianca Jagger did for her daughter Jade’s big day. For once, the ex-Rolling Stone lead singer wasn’t the most insanely-dressed person in the photo. Jade’s rock legend dad, Mick Jagger, might’ve dressed in purple candy stripes, but her mom forgot to inject any cheer into her outfit whatsoever.
Bianca Jagger seems to be dressed more appropriately for a funeral than to celebrate the nuptials of her only child. Not only has she dressed gravely, but her style looks a little dated (say, by a few centuries?). It doesn’t help that there’s a traditional English country house in the background because she looks like she stepped right out of Downton Abbey in this getup.
Princess Anne (Worst)
The royal family has always been pretty hit-and-miss with their choice of wedding fashion, and this offering by Princess Anne is one of the very worst. On the day of her daughter Zara Phillips’ wedding to Mike Tindell back in 2011, the Queen’s daughter wore a strange mismatch of textures that made it look as if she’d picked her outfit out of a lost-and-found bin. She definitely stood out, though, so perhaps this was her intention?
Princess Anne’s 1950’s-style pleated dress might have looked nice on its own, but paired with this awkward and bulky cropped jacket just makes the whole outfit look very odd indeed and not exactly befitting a royal wedding. Meanwhile, her Majesty and grandmother of the bride looked a tad more demure in a matching pale pink coat and hat.
Mary Steenburgen (Best)
Ted Danson’s other half has always managed to look super glamorous. Even now in her 60’s, Mary Steenburgen is still a stone-cold stunner. Steenburgen looked especially radiant at her daughter Lily McDowell’s wedding in 2010 at the age of 57, and it’s fair to say that she put all other mothers of the bride to shame with this gorgeous dress.
Mary is pictured here with Ted Danson’s daughter, Kate, from a previous marriage, and the pair couldn’t look happier for their respective daughter and stepsister. Steenburgen’s flattering teal dress is the perfect complement to her daughter’s wedding. She’s color-coded with the bridesmaids whilst keeping to her own style, and she looks absolutely stunning. Proof that you can kinda steal the fashion show at a wedding without ruining your kid’s big day.
Kathy Hilton (Worst)
Paris Hilton’s mom, Kathy, may dress a little more demurely than her daughter (who doesn’t, to be fair?), but we wouldn’t exactly say that this was a great choice of wedding attire as the mother of the bride. Pictured here in attendance at her youngest daughter Nicky’s wedding to James Rothschild in 2015, the mom of the bride looked traditional but boring in her role and seemed to be dressed overly girly for her age.
A bit like Hillary Clinton on her daughter’s big day, Kathy Hilton fell into the trap of going overboard and overly youthful with her gown. The matching baby blue color is a cute touch, but the pearls and 3-D embroidery at the hem of her dress make this look closer to sweet sixteen prom than daughter’s wedding day. Not a fan.
Judy Murray (Best)
We’re breaking the rules slightly with this pick as Judy Murray is the mother of the groom, but she’s a fab example of how to dress as a parent of the happy couple, so we’re going with it. If you weren’t aware, Judy Murray is mom to professional British Tennis players Jamie and Andy Murray and was also Andy’s own personal coach before he made it big.
After watching her son held up the Wimbledon trophy, mother Murray had another reason to be extra proud of her son when he tied the knot with his beautiful partner, Kim Sears, in a Scottish ceremony in 2015. Judy struck the perfect balance as mother of the groom with an elegant cream dress and coat combo that flashed her amazing pins while keeping things muted and classy on top.
Lisa Marie Presley (Worst)
You’d think that being the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll, Lisa Marie Presley would have no problem looking stylish anywhere she goes. Judging by this picture, that’s definitely not the case. The daughter of Elvis looks less rock and roll and more plain and dull in this picture taken with her mom, Priscilla Presley, and her daughter and new bride, Riley Keough.
Wearing a black velveteen mesh dress with bizarre white fur cuffs, Lisa Marie definitely didn’t pick up on much of her Daddy’s show-stopping style... even at a wedding. In fairness, Riley’s grandmother, Priscilla, appears to be doing no better in the style stakes, opting for a fishnet dress with a green cami top. We’re not sure what these outfits scream out, but it’s certainly not wedding bells.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmrKypobJwfY9mrqiqo6l6pb7ErKqenF2Ysq2xwWakqKyYmr%2B0ec6fZK2glWKvs7XDnmSappRigm65zqyrZqukrrmqv8do