When it comes to the actual wedding ceremony, the mother of the bride may have little or nothing to do but sit and watch as her little girl marries; however, just because we don’t see her do anything, doesn’t mean her role in the wedding ceremony is easy or light.

The mother of the bride, or MOB for short, works alongside her daughter and the wedding planner when it comes to making sure the ceremony goes smoothly and perfectly. In most cases, without the expertise of the wedding planner, it’s just the mother and the daughter who do the majority of the wedding planning.

It’s the subject of a lot of television dramas and movie moments, when the mother of the bride becomes overbearing and clashes with her daughter. It’s at that point when a confrontation between mother and daughter occurs because they have extremely opposite views regarding the perfect wedding.

What’s written in this article is not an explanation, but a guide for all MOBs or mother of the brides out there who are willing to fulfill or play their designated role with poise and aplomb.

Duties of the Mother of the Bride

• To provide emotional and sometimes even financial support to the bride.
• To listen to the bride and give her advice, without being too domineering.
• To help the bride look for reception and wedding ceremony locations.
• To help the bride find her perfect wedding dress.
• To arrange a meeting with the groom’s parents, if they have not met prior to the engagement.
• To help the bride with the wedding budget, and help her decide on the total number of guests.
• To help draw up a list of guests on the bride’s side of the family, and to help contact guests who have not yet RSVP-ed.
• To let guests know where the couple are registered.
• To take care of hotel room reservations for guests coming from abroad or another town.
• To help make sure the guests are comfortable during the ceremony and at the reception.
• To go to both the bride’s wedding shower and the couple’s rehearsal dinner.
• To give advice to the bride when she asks for it.

The bride getting a last minute advice from her Mom

A mother helping the bride with her wedding gown

A speech from the mother of the bride

Wedding Attire

Although it’s not required, it would be great if the mother of the bride and the groom’s mother show up in dresses with complementary colors. This can be done by having the mother of the bride choose her gown as soon as possible so she could coordinate with the groom’s mother.

Need dress options on your wedding for your Moms? Check out the video below.