A bit of a different slant--Father of the groom shenanigans. When we got married, I bought my fiance a nice navy suit, which was quite the chore back in the day before there were lots of options for tall guys; he is/was 6'4" and 180 lbs. Anyway, I found a nice 3 piece suit in a conservative navy. My father had a nice suit in a conservative navy. I asked my future FIL to wear a nice suit in a conservative navy. At which point he went out and bought a nice suit in a conservative BROWN! I was sooooo angry at him, and since he was the best man I was convinced my dream wedding image for the guys was ruined. So, on our wedding day there was my FIL resplendent in his brown suit. I was still a tad miffed, right till we were all leaving the church and as we walked out the doors, he suddenly gave me the world's biggest hug, with the joyful comment 'now you're part of the family!' and the world's biggest smile to go along with it. He's gone now but thinking of that moment still makes me smile every time. It was a good lesson too about whats important and what's not on a wedding day. Happy memories come from what we do and say, not what we wear...have a wonderful wedding! Ann

I guess I have a different take on this than the other posters. I think that the MOB sets the formality of dress, and maybe length, but the MOG has the freedom to buy something that she likes and looks good in. If the OP looks best in pastels, I think she should get a pastel dress. She isn't part of the wedding party and doesn't need to match them. Perhaps she shouldn't clash with them, but that's about it. Since saris leave a portion of the midriff and back exposed, I'd not recommend the OP wear one unless she feels comfortable with that. And I don't think there is any need to wear a sari or a dress made from a sari, either. The sari is part of the bride's family's culture. There is no reason the groom's mother can't wear something reflective of her own culture. If the OP wants to wear a sari, fine. If she wants to wear a dress she is comfortable in, also fine. I'm concerned that making a sari into a dress could be difficult. I did once and it was tricky finding a pattern that would work with the fabric, as lindac mentions. I just quickly grabbed three dresses that would fit the bill for the time and place of the wedding (the first one would have to be shortened). Just as ideas. http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/ProductATB.aspx?productid=44607&ensembleid=50771 http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/ProductATB.aspx?productid=45857&ensembleid=52017# http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/ProductATB.aspx?productid=44603&ensembleid=50783

Oh, Gardengal, I'm so glad you posted another picture. You and your daughter and mother all look gorgeous, and you all look alike, too. Tell whoever picked out the flowers that they are the loveliest I have ever seen! I adore all the color. You definitely look even better than the model in that dress. Here we come up on our children's first anniversaries! The top tier of their wedding cake was taking up half a shelf in the freezer all year -- then got ruined and had to be thrown out, along with everything else, after the long power outage in 110+ degree heat here a few weeks ago. Luckily, my daughter-in-law was fine with that. I was sort of relieved I didn't have to figure out a way to get it to them!

As the MOG, I waited till MOB chose her dress. As she lived in England and bought her dress here, it was stored (with everything else for the wedding) at my house in the guest room/wedding room. I procrastinated about my own dress until about 2 months before the date because the only things I ever wear are jeans or uniforms. I got a little nervous when I finally went shopping and couldn't find anything appropriate. A friend (recent MOG) gave me the name of her upscale dress shop; a shop that assigns you your own personal consultant who assesses the style of the wedding and your body size and comfort level and all that stuff. She picked out 6 dresses for me to try on--I bought the first one. She suggested the shoes and jewelry and purse, too. What a relief it was to have professional help. Good luck with your wedding. If I can pass on one piece of advice--be comfortable. It's a long day/night and you want to enjoy yourself, not think about holding your tummy in or how much your feet hurt.