Welcome to I’m Mother of the Bride.
I’m Mother of the Bride is a unique resource for women well over 50 who want to gain confidence through good style and love the way they look.
How to use I’m Mother of the Bride
Read this page first. It will help you get the most out of the site and show you how to find what you want to read about.
First of all let me introduce myself. I’m Joni and I founded I’m Mother of the Bride.
The site started as my notebook when I was preparing for my daughter’s wedding. Now it’s about looking good every day of the year. You can find out more about me here.
To get the best out of the site do these 3 things right now. (If you’re here for wedding outfits and advice you can skip these steps.)
#1 Do the Style Quiz
You need to know what your personal style is or you’ll waste time and money on your wardrobe. You’ll see a link to the Quiz at the top right of this page on a laptop or scroll down to the end of the post if you’re on a phone.
Once you’ve done the Quiz come right back here – you’ll find this page still open – just click on our pink logo in the tabs at the top of your browser (laptop).
#2 Read these key posts
I’m Mother of the Bride is not really about fashion. It’s about great style. It’s not about spending lots of money. It’s about planning your wardrobe. To get the most from your clothes you’ll probably want to invest in a few items – but please don’t go straight for the buying guides. That comes later.
So read this post first 10 Steps to create a capsule wardrobe when you’re over 50 – it underlies all I say.
You may not be as old as me (I’m over 70) but all of us over 50 share many of the same problems with looking good. Our body shape is changing. Our middle is getting wider, our busts are lower, and we may well have put on weight that we find very difficult to shift.
Each season I share with you my own capsule wardrobe try-on so you can see how I overcome these worries. Bear in mind these wardrobes are for my lifestyle and yours may be very different.
I want to inspire you to rethink your own wardrobe without getting anxious about your age or body shape. As you’ll see I’m a short square woman but I don’t let that stop me dressing well.
Choose one of these seasonal wardrobe shoots to see how a few clothes, carefully put together, can offer almost limitless outfits.
Spring 2023 and Spring 2024 capsule wardrobes
Summer 2023 capsule wardrobe
Fall 2023 capsule wardrobe
Winter 2023 capsule wardrobe
There’s quite a bit of work goes into upstyling your whole closet. So just in case you’re wondering if it’s all worthwhile, take a quick look at this post to set your mind at rest: 45 wonderful things about a capsule wardrobe.
#3 Join our group
The newsletter let’s you know about new posts – I know how difficult it is to refind a useful site a few weeks later. You’ll get my pick of reductions and sale offers (US and UK) that are ideal for our age group. And it’s a way to ask me questions too.
If you did the Quiz then you’re signed up for the newsletter.
To get on the newsletter list if you don’t have time to do the Quiz yet, just click on the green Subscribe button in the sidebar on the right of this page or at the end of the post on a phone.
Where to find what you need on this site
OK. Stay with me, because it’s time to find out where everything is on the site and to decide what’s going to be most useful.
I’m Mother of the Bride has four main areas: Weddings, Style over 50, Shopping Lists, Look Your Best.
Weddings
Here’s where you’ll find posts on:
Outfits and accessories for Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom and older guests– I try some of them on to show what they look like on a ‘real’ mother.
Home wedding planning, advice and inspiration.
Etiquette, today’s new rules, costs, gift ideas and other must-know topics for Mothers and Brides.
Style over 50
This section includes:
Capsule wardrobe planning
How to style clothes and outfits
Try-ons to show how outfits really look
Buying guides and inspiration for clothes, shoes and accessories
Shopping Lists
If you’re looking to buy a specific item, such as a spring top, then this is the place to start your search – it should cut your scrolling time a lot!
This category was new in Spring 2024 and I will be adding shopping lists regularly.
Look Your Best
Is about keeping everything in great condition. It also covers some of the specific body issues women over 50 might have. There will be lots more articles coming soon in Look Your Best.
Hair styles and tips
Body maintenance
Clothes storage, cleaning and other advice
So why not browse through these areas and see what’s there. You’ll find these categories in the menu along the top of every page.
If you didn’t manage to complete all the steps on this visit just bookmark this page so you can get back to it easily over the next week or so.
There’s lots of style advice out there but much of it is just not right for us over 50s. I’m working to make I’m Mother of the Bride a really useful, honest and authentic place to come to.
So many women feel unsure about how they should dress and what’s appropriate for their age and body shape. It’s unnerving to see a cardigan modelled by a teenager and order it – when you’re older than her mother. But most of the time there’s no alternative. The retailer’s job is to sell clothes and young models help to do that.
But our job is to select what will make us look the way we want to look. That’s what I’m Mother of the Bride is here to help you do. We’ll show you what styles and brands you should be watching and warn you what trends to avoid.
We’ve all lived a life and developed wisdom. That shows in our faces and in our bodies.
So let’s be proud of ourselves. Let’s turn heads and get compliments. Let’s spend time improving our style so that we show ourselves at our very best – every day.
If you’d like a step by step program to get you from too many clothes but nothing to wear then take a look at The Mature Style Course. Through over 25 videos and other lessons you’ll build a collection of coordinated outfits for each season that are appropriate for your body shape, your personality and your budget. And you’ll gain real confidence in the way you look – every day of the year.