Pretty dress.

But! (always a But!) Venue, time of day, attendant's attire all need to factor in. As well as having the bride’s ok with your pick.

Occasion photos may now be very important too.

I’m of the opinion that unless you're going to a BBQ and wearing a formal, you should wear what feels right to you. If you want to wear this dress, then don’t pair if with any accessories save for small stud earrings and a plain bag. You’ll look fabulous!

So much to consider. DD is very laid back. "Wear whatever you want Mom." Venue is kind of rustic/country/upscale barn. I believe there will be everything from short dresses with cowboy boots to long casual dresses. If you have never had to consider shoes before your dress, believe me, it makes things much more complicated. I'm not stressing. I know I will find something and the fact that my daughter is so easy about things makes it a lot less stressful.

Not seeing the shoes, but the dress is lovely. I tried to google your descriptive terms to get an idea why you might feel it was too casual -- I spotted this dress and thought your dress would be perfect with it, so I'm guessing that's not it. The lined sound like they could work together, so are you concerned about the fabric?

I'm working on MOG outfits (plural -morning wedding and evening reception) for THIS October. Already made 4 garments (wore 2 of them) for another MOG outfit last month. They had a Hindu ceremony added in July after they were not able to combine them in October. I started looking last fall, but I'm going to have to make something (again) to meet the requirements. Which makes me want to show up in flannel pjs. LOL I would love to have your dress as an option.

Okay - sneaky work around. Her dress is something like this but with elbow length sleeves. Hers has an illusion panel in the fron and is not quite as deep V neckline but other than those two differences, it'spretty much spot on.

And here are the shoes I ordered

I would not wear something more embellished than the bride. One of my friends was married in her mother's 1955 wedding dress, which was something like this, although maybe even plainer around the top.

She told her bridesmaids that they could wear whatever they wanted as long as it was a certain color, and a couple of them wore dresses that were fairly elaborate with beading and such (as was popular at the time of her wedding). It made her look underdressed as the bride.

Uggh! Don't know why the shoe pics aren't showing. If you have not completely lost interest by now, here is the link.MOB shoes

@palimpsest You nailed it. Never outshine the bride. If her dress has no sparkles/bling, then neither shall mine. The dress picture that you posted is the almost the exact style that my mother's bridesmaids wore at the 1958 wedding, they were in shades of blue and pink. I love it and just said to my daughter that I should look for something like that.

Love the shoes. I agree that the dress you pictured above might be too formal. Also - congratulations!

Also wanted to add, my DD's wedding was pretty laid back and small but the ladies did try to somewhat coordinate prints and formality. We wanted the pictures to look like we were invited to the same event. All the guys wore muted suits and Liberty print ties so they coordinated a bit as well.

I think co-ordination is the key. It would be ridiulous for me to show up in a floor length embellsihed dress for this particular occaision. I love the style of the dress that @palimpset posted

Talk your dtr into changing the venue so you can wear that beautiful dress! The shoes will be perfect with whatever you wear.

Congrats!

You are right start early. There really is a certain window of opportunity if you need something seasonal.

Be open to various styles and colors.

I agree, flexibility is the key. Definitely want to go with fallish colours and thankfully, I think I look good in almost any shade of green or rust. I have another daughter that is yet to be married, so still might get to wear the dress I originally had in mind.

I like your shoes - a lot! I thought you were going to show us something like this https://www.dsw.com/en/us/product/aerosoles-lamirca-sandal/509767?activeColor=002

which is what my niece’s MIL had to wear to DN’s wedding. (What’s the deal?? Pictures won’t post!!)

I love the original dress you had in mind, but the beading does put it up a notch relative to what you should be shooting for. I still think you could do floor length if it had less embellishment. A solid color sheath dress with a V-neck and cap sleeves (maybe add a pretty belt?) would capture some of the style of the original dress without being too much (IMO).

I agree with Pal.

I absolutely adore your DD's choice. No offense to anyone but if I ever see an off the shoulder bridal gown (which I too had, before it was a thing), I will not miss it. I love demure brides.

Congratulations! I agree the dress you show maybbe too much bling for wearing alongside your DD’s dress. It is a beautiful dress though and the style is lovely. And if you wish to wear a more simple long dress, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so. And the flats look nice and very comfortable.

@bbstx, I would wear those shoes if I could - I could dance all night lol. Mtn, I agree and as I posted earlier, both daughers learned their lesson about strapless with grad/prom dresses. They spent the whole night tugging their bodices up. Granted, my DD did try on one or two strapless/off the shoulder dresses and they were quite supportive but as I mentioned she has broad shoulders and muscular upper arms, chest and back. Her take on the strapless/off the shoulder dress was "I look like a linebacker." i had an off the shoulder dress in 1989. I was channeling Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress (in my mind.)

Here are some simple long styles that could work. The Nordstrom site is wonky, so I’ll look some more.

Does anyone have personal experience with the JJs House site (from Pal’s photo)? They have quite a few dresses that appeal to me.

Y hhireno. MOG neighbor got her dress from there and was pleased with the price and the quality. She did have it locally altered though as she doesn't have an "off the rack" body. But note that their custom dresses are not returnable.

Our own Annie has recommended JJ's House . I am unable to tag anyone it seems at the moment.

She looks lovely. Thanks for the info and the photo evidence.

While I think full length would be fine if less formal than the 1st posted...esp as maxi styles are in now... it's really up to you as to which you would feel more comfortable in...full length when others aren't but deemphasize the flats...or tea length to go with others but show the flats. Most important is that you feel comfortable.

Somehow, when I think of flats with tea length, I think of a fuller skirt silhouette....or a narrow skirt. But for weddings and dancing, I do think a fuller skirt works better. If you do decide to go with tea length, try the trick of standing in front of a full length mirror with bare legs and a towel in front. Gradually raise the towel and you will find 2 skirt lengths that are most flattering on your leg. Be sure to look from both the front and the side. You can have your dress altered to that most favorable length and it will look good regardless of shoes chosen.

There are some beautiful full-length dresses that aren't overly embellished. While I think pretty flats can go perfectly with tea-length dresses, I also believe you should feel confident and comfortable on the special day.

Given your DD's dress style (beautiful, btw!) and the setting, something like these may work.

Must ask…is that you wearing the lovely dress?

I wish! I do have a similar body type to the model, although not without Spanx!

If it appeals to you, that dress Pal posted looks like it would complement your daughter’s dress style nicely. It comes in a gazillion colors and the skirt style would look nice with flats.

@ratherbesewing - Please share the website for the lovely shoes. I have been looking for cute low evening shoes. After several foot injuries I can only wear heels for a short time.

It's too bad that more long dresses aren't sold with interesting textures or subtle prints. It seems like most have either very glammed-up fabric or very plain fabric, there isn't a lot of middle ground.

One " trend" that had me clutching my pearls

while bridal gown shopping was an otherwise fairly formal dress with a see-through midriff with the boning showing. Boudoir bride? I think if you're at the beach, by all means show some skin, for a wedding dress, not so much. This is a fairly inoccuous example - some were much more sheer. Like this one

Here are some more - the last one is my favorite

Thanks Spanish, some pretty dresses for sure. Not sure I can do a print, I mean I could but I'm not much of a bold print person. The third one (green) is quite similar to my daughter's dress. On this old body, that kind of plunging neckline just won't cut it!

I view a print as less formal so probably would not recommend unless it's like a garden reception.

Especially for that time of year, I do like a nice jacket dress, esp for the MOB. I also like the length...I think it would look better with flats, and it is dressy enough to not be undone by the below-knee length.

Here’s the shoe source. i googled flat embellished shoes.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/jewel-badgley-mischka-womens-bambi-slingback-evening-flat?ID=10478025&CategoryID=50295&swatchColor=Rose%20Gold%20Gold

@nekotish that second dress/bustier is so pretty - for under the dress!

pssst…I just went shoe shopping. Found this price. I want the black snakeskin, they’ll let me know when its available.

...that second dress/bustier is so pretty - for under the dress!

Yes, I suppose a bride can wear what she wants to wear. But I can't imagine a father/parent feeling comfortable walking a daughter down the aisle in that. I find it cringey.