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Find wedding hats and fascinators

Mothers' of the bride and groom have the perfect excuse to wear something flamboyant and head-turning in the form of a hat at your wedding. In fact, this is the one occasion where the guests will be hat-spotting to see what the mum's wore. If big and bold in the hat stakes is your style, or delicate and feminine in the form of a fascinator, throw abandon to the wind and stand out in the crowd.

On a scale of 1 to 10, a son or daughter’s wedding ranks at the very top in the glamour stakes and after the bride, all eyes will be focused on you. Your appearance in your chosen outfit is a significant highlight and although you want to be instantly recognisable as the mother of the bride or groom, you must be careful not to outshine the bride.

This is quite a brief to fullfil, especially if ostentatious head wear is the most striking element of the outfit. Strictly speaking, there are no taboos on style, or trends, but white and ivory should be avoided when this has been chosen by the bride. Play it safe and keep the bride involved when shopping, and give her the final vote before buying. If the bride chooses to wear daring scarlet, or other vibrant colours, then cream, ivory or white become completely acceptable.

Select your hat or fascinator that is both comfortable and one you could wear for long hours, making sure hats are worn on the crown not the back of your head and the fascinator is worn tilted and not central. It's traditional that the guests keep their hats on and only remove them if or when the bride's mother does. This may mean that all guests continue to wear their headdress throughout the breakfast.

Tips:

Hats should be worn on the crown not the back of your head, with fascinators placed off-centre and not square on top.

Choose colours that suit your complexion and hair colour and not the season’s hottest.

Wear the whole caboodle, including your accessories; have a photograph taken so that you can fine-tune the look before the day.

If your hat matches those 4 inch heels, becoming a must for the ensemble, invest in a 2nd pair, also matched to your chosen colour, having a more comfortable fit and heel size to change into later.

Wear stockings that are lighter in colour than your usual.

Always accessorise with compatible co-ordinates such as wraps and scarves, earrings, jewellery and handbags. As we all know, bling isn't everything, so if you've chosen something sparkly or pearly for your hat, cut back on the jewellery around your neckline. Otherwise, you risk blowing your chance of being remembered for the beauty of your stunning hat or fascinator, by leaving memories of, 'too much going on'.

Mother of The Bride and Groom