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Miss Doe, Northern California Age and Occupation: 24, Real Estate Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling Manager Engagement Date: December 25, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: Monte Verde Inn About Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
About Miss Doe

Ain’t Nothin’ But A Hoochie Mama

November 16th, 2011 @ 1:48 pm by Miss Doe

I consider my mom to be a stylish lady. Her hair always looks great (seriously, everywhere we go she gets compliments, it’s turned into a ridiculous joke), her makeup is always nicely done, and she is always wearing cute clothes.

Ain't Nothin' But A Hoochie Mama :  wedding dress northern california 221769 221769_

So the search for the Mother of the Bride dress should be super easy, right? Wrong.

The search for my dress was much easier than the search for her dress. Seriously, and it has nothing to do with my mom being overly picky or anything. It is the simple matter of the options for MOB dresses are not great. They are either matronly looking or  kind of hoochie mama.

It seems as though the options are either something that Betty White or Sofia Vergara would wear.

Ain't Nothin' But A Hoochie Mama :  wedding dress northern california Betty W betty_w

{Image via NY Post}

Ain't Nothin' But A Hoochie Mama :  wedding dress northern california Modern modern-

{Image via Modern Family Cast}

Love both ladies and they are both gorgeous, but my mom isn’t really down with either of those styles. Where are all those in between dresses for the moms that want to look great and in style but also want to keep the goodies in the jar, if you know what I mean?

It seems our best bet so far has been Nordstrom. She has tried on everything…and when I say everything, I truly mean that. Some were just so-so and some were downright awful. Right now her current pick is this dress:

Ain't Nothin' But A Hoochie Mama :  wedding dress northern california 654600 _654600

{Image via Nordstrom}

It looks beautiful on her and the color brings out her stunning blue eyes. The only drawback is that the material is satin, and she isn’t so keen on satin because it tends to be clingy. Her preference would be chiffon or something similar that moves and breathes easier. While this dress isn’t ruled out, the search is still on for the right dress.

Does anyone else agree with me that the options for our moms are lame? There really should be some better options out there for those “in between” moms.

Has your mom found her dress yet? Was the search difficult or did you find a great dress right away? Where are you shopping?

Tags: dress, northern-california |
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19 Responses to “Ain’t Nothin’ But A Hoochie Mama”

1.
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Bee
Miss Aardvark (message)  635 posts, Busy bee

I have two moms to dress (well three if you count Mr. Aardvark’s mom) and they are all too hip for the Betty White side of things and too ermmm age aware for hoochy dresses. We have not found dresses yet but are having better luck with bridesmaid dresses than MOB. Non-wedding related dresses are also scoring well.

 
2.
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Bee
Miss Fox (message)  859 posts, Busy bee

I totally hear you on the MOB dress thing. My mom searched literally everywhere and finally settled on one that is more of a bridesmaid’s/possible prom dress.. but she looks great in it. As for MIL, we’re have a bit more trouble.. she likes Nordy’s the best, for sure, but nothing really popped out to her.. at least nothing under $400! So that was a no go. I believe the front runner is now a bridesmaids dress for Dessy.. I found that those dresses are really the best bet for my “moms”!

 
3.
Fixin2BMrs.Awesome
Member
Fixin2BMrs.Awesome (message)  229 posts, Helper bee

Amen Miss Doe! I love the dress your mother has her eye on but have to agree that the satin can be a downfall. Mom & I went shopping last week for something to wear to my sister’s wedding… it was horrible. Finally scored a fantastic buy at JC Penny but wading through all the frumpy stuff made the day seem so long! (My mother is 63 and happens to have an adorable, not-so-old-lady-ish, style.)
Wanna open a MOB clothing line?!? I see a huge profit in our future! lol

 
4.
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Guest
guess26grl

Check out Enzoani…they have gorgeous MOB dresses. That’s what my mom’s wearing and she is also a pretty hot mamma!

 
5.
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Guest
Sara

I have this dress and wore it as a MOH in a friend’s recent wedding. Not sure if your mom has tried it on but the material is thick and well lined so it seems to hang better than some satin dresses.

 
6.
alicia1745
Member
alicia1745 (message)  501 posts, Busy bee

I’m right there with you. My mom is hot (lol) and in shape- all of the MOB stuff just looks so old on her. We haven’t found anything yet but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. We still have 5 months.

 
7.
MissCarolyn
Member
MissCarolyn (message)  65 posts, Worker bee

Oh lord, MOB dress shopping was probably the most frustrating experience of the whole wedding planning! I had no idea my mother could be so picky, but it also doesn’t help that the selection most places is awful. She ended up getting an awesome dress that was just her style at JC Penney’s of all places! And it was only $60.

 
8.
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Guest
LL

J. Crew and Michael Kors have lots of sexy mom options!

 
9.
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Member
marieta (message)  339 posts, Helper bee

I dread when it comes time to find my mother something to wear to the wedding. She can’t wear any synthetic fabrics, just to start off the trouble. She also needs certain kind of supportive shoes. And I think she looks terrible in skirts. Right now my personal thought is to find a nice pretty top and then have her wear nice jeans with her normal sneakers. At least I know she’d be comfortable and not looking miserable! (She doesn’t mean to, but she always looks miserable to me when she dresses up.)

 
10.
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Bee
Miss Sunhat (message)  865 posts, Busy bee

I read your post title and sang to myself “Hood rat, hood rat hoochie mama!”

 
11.
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Bee
Mrs. Hyena (message)  1,882 posts, Buzzing bee

Mom Hyena totally hated all the MOB dress options too. The one she ultimately picked was actually a Bill Levkoff bridesmaid dress! If you’re having trouble finding options, I recommend checking out some of the BM dress lines!

 
12.
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Member
Future Army Wife (message)  1,102 posts, Bumble bee

I agree. My mom is having an issue because she’s trying to find some non-hoochie but age appropriate for a summer evening in NC.

 
13.
Miss Ke Aloha
Member
Miss Ke Aloha (message)  479 posts, Helper bee

I commend you for going dress shopping with your mother. I plan to escape this one (it helps when you don’t live anywhere near them) I have sent attachments of dresses and styles I like, but I’m just not picky and as long as she will wear it and be comfortable (and its not white) I will be happy with what ever she chooses. Good luck and keep us posted.

 
14.
Miss Kid
Member
Miss Kid (message)  122 posts, Blushing bee

Oh my goodness! That’s the dress my mom is wearing! Literally the exact dress! My mom went through a similar struggle but came out picking that one. She felt the exact same way your mom did, don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but don’t want to look like a 90 year old woman. NOTHING WRONG with being a 90 year old woman or a voluptuous 30 year old woman unless you are not either of them. Good luck! My mom bought a few dresses before she found the right one.

 
15.
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Bee
Miss Hawk (message)  598 posts, Busy bee

Completely agree. The options out there for MOB are downright awful! I do really like the blue Nordstrom dress though. It’s very classy but not matronly.

 
16.
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Bee
Miss Dalmatian (message)  480 posts, Helper bee

My mom is just starting to look but I think she is facing the same thing. The Nordstrom dress is beautiful, but I understand the fabric thing. I think my mom is going to look at a big bridal store where they also carry MOB dresses and even some bridesmaid dresses that may work.

 
17.
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Member
Aud1628 (message)  395 posts, Helper bee

I’m not a bg fan of MOB dresses either, we’ve had better luck at looking at nice fancy dresses in department stores. Your mom is gorgeous, I’m sure she will find something that looks great and she feels comfortable wearing :)

 
18.
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Bee
Miss Doe (message)  540 posts, Busy bee

Sounds like everyone’s mom is in the same boat as my mom!
@marieta: Well there’s a thought….jeans are always comfy!
@Miss Sunhat: haha I had that song stuck in my head ALL DAY!
@Miss Ke Aloha: Yeaaah, I live in the same town as my mom. So even ones that come in the mail, I run over to her house to check it out haha, it is definitely quite the process.
@Miss Kid: Wow!!! That’s so funny! It is such a beautiful dress, and the material feels like butter…it is so lush! :)
@Aud1628: thank you, I will tell her that :)

 
19.
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Bee
Miss Doe (message)  540 posts, Busy bee

And thanks everyone for the tip on bridesmaids dresses for mom’s…we might have to give that a shot!

 

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Miss Doe
Miss Doe

Miss Doe, Northern California Age and Occupation: 24, Real Estate Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling Manager Engagement Date: December 25, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: Monte Verde Inn About Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.

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