Desperately Need Mature Bride Wedding Dress Advice

by Elizabeth Warman
(Downey,CA USA)

Help me,I am a woman who is almost 55 years old. Never never been married.

The man I have been dating for 4 years is starting to change his mind. Suddenly he has a niece and nephew to take care of. The parents were sent back to the Philippines. So I think after 4 years of dating he is seeing me as a wife and mom.

No, problem. I accept the challenge. But what does a women in her 50s wear, I do not want to look like the mother of the bride. I want to look glamorous, fashionable, and royal.

Help me.
Liz

Hi Liz,

Congrats on your engagement and being a first time bride over the age of 50!

As a mature bride you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in and what looks good for your body type. When it comes to age appropriate wedding attire... there are no restrictions.

It is all about what you feel is appropriate for your wedding dress being a bride over 50. Some are comfortable with a strapless gown without a jacket, some are not. Some women must have sleeves and some don't mind a sleeveless or cap sleeve gown.

But it is important to choose a dress that works with your wedding location, theme and formality.

Also... take into consideration the the time of year and the time of day you will get married. If you get married in the winter time you may need to purchase a jacket or wrap to wear with your gown. Certain times of the day, tradition has it that you should dress more formally than at other times. An after 6:00pm wedding is considered a very formal time frame. A morning wedding or early afternoon wedding is a less formal time frame.

You can wear a traditional dress with a train if you like. Or you can wear a short white wedding dress. You can also wear a bridal suit instead of a gown.

Some places to shop for your gown would be your local bridal shop. You can also check department stores like Dillard's, Macy's, JC Penney, Bloomingdale's and the Limited. Most of these department stores now carry wedding dresses online only. But before ordering from them, check their return policy for bridal gowns, which may be different from their regular return policy.

I once had a mature bride have success buying a gown online from Amazon.com. What? Yes, I know you probably are thinking this because I said this too when my bridal alteration customer told me where she got her wedding gown. The quality wasn't bad either, and she saved a lot of money!

Just remember if you order from a bridal shop, it takes 4 - 6 months to receive a dress. So you need to order early enough to receive the dress and allow time for it to be altered.

Also realize that usually a wedding gown purchase is a final sale. No refunds or exchanges are the policies of most retailers. Others may allow a refund with a charge anywhere from a 20% to 50% restocking fee. So make sure to ask questions of the stores policies, or if shopping online... read the return policies.

So as you see there really are no restrictions on what a woman over 50 can wear for her wedding. Just see what is available out there and have fun wedding dress shopping!

Desiree
Perfect Wedding Dress Finder