Designer Susan Albright often encourages her mother of the bride and groom clients to try a strapless or sleeveless dress. "I tell women, 'no one is looking at your arms!' But I understand the insecurities because I have them myself.”
She wore a classic white shirt with three quarter sleeves and blue hydrangeas skirt for her daughter Charlotte's wedding — a small backyard event during Covid.
For her daughter Emmy's wedding at an historic chapel and inn in Sudbury, Mass, she chose one of her signature printed silk twill shirt dresses.
For her third time as mother of the bride, her daughter Hilary's April 2026 black tie wedding in Charleston, she finally wore a strapless dress, her Bennett gown, which is delicately (and strategically) layered with an off-the-shoulder beaded topper.
"I did want that part of my arms covered," Albright says. "I would never tell a woman how to feel. You don't want to have to think about that at all on the day of the wedding."
Albright works out of an atelier in the coastal resort town of Pawleys Island, South Carolina where the patterned shirtdress is not just a timeless look; it's a lifestyle. Many a mother of the bride or groom will plan a vacation around visiting her studio to get fit for a gown. (She will take virtual appointments to guide customers on style, fabric and size before they place an online order.)
Susan Albright dresses are made to order from the designer’s hand drawn prints. She favors bright, preppy hues: teal, yellow, pink and green. The overskirt — in taffeta or silk Dupioni — is a signature item, instantly transforming a straight dress into a ballgown.
“I love helping mothers feel beautiful, confident and special on their child’s wedding day," she says.
The latest addition to the collection: the Elsa, a one shoulder gown made of lightweight silk with sculptural pleating and a small train. “I wanted to do something that was very flattering, so it’s draped over the bust and down the skirt with a flourish at the top and a back piece that grabs your attention as she walks up the aisle.”
Here are Albright's top tips for mothers of the bride and groom:
Look like yourself. “Don’t try to pick something that’s so outside of your normal style. You’re not going to feel comfortable. Look like yourself, but the best, elevated version of yourself.”
Don’t follow the bridesmaids. “Think about what colors are flattering to you — not just what the bride has selected for the linens and florals, or for the bridesmaids. Unless you have another daughter who is a bridesmaid, you probably won’t be photographed with them anyway.”
Volume, in moderation. Many women think they want a full-on ball skirt with pleats all around the waist, Albright says. “If they’re not tall and they’re more of an apple shape, that might not be the best. I gently steer them to an inverted box please which is going to have the feeling of fullness, but be more flattering.”
Go for balance. Particularly if you’re petite, she says. “You can wear volume, it just has to be in one place. So if you wear a full volume shirt, make sure the top is sleek. Or if you want to have more embellishment on the top, or a big bow, do more of a column gown.”
Dress for the weather. “If it’s an outdoor wedding and there’s potential that it will be very hot, make sure you wear a fabric that’s breathable like a silk Dupioni. That’s a good one — the slubs and texture to the fabric don’t show wrinkles and it holds its shape. A cotton sateen in the right print and style can be quite dressy. So those are the two that I mainly recommend. And don’t wear a long sleeve. You can always do a pretty short sleeve or cap sleeve.”
It’s okay to stand out. “I have a lot of daughters coming in with their mothers and they don’t want their mother to fade into the background. They are proud of their mothers and they want them to shine.”