In this wedding attire shopping guide, we'll share with you a few of our favorite summer mother-of-the-bride dresses and mother of the groom dresses for warm-weather weddings.
Summer is one of the most popular times for weddings, and finding the perfect mother of the bride dress that will stand up to summer heat, and also convey your special role as the mother of the wedding can be tricky. These elegant mother of the bride dresses are ideal for June, July, and August weddings.
Image sources and featured dresses: 1. Floral Hand Beaded Gown by Adrianna Papell 2. Peach Jacquard shirt Dress Gown by Teri Jon 3. Makayla Gown in Chartruse by Sachin + Babi
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Where to Find Summer Mother-of-the-Bride Dresses
We've created this shoppable guide to elegant and modern mother-of-the-bride dresses for summer weddings by organizing some of our favorite dresses and summer gowns by dress code. We have collected over 80 dresses that were selected with the summer wedding season in mind. We keep this section updated with our favorite Mother of the Bride dresses that are ideal for summer weddings, along with the store details of where to shop each dress. This section is updated often as new dresses and elegant evening gowns catch our eye. This guide is here to help you find a dress that suits your personal style, has a perfect fit, and has you feeling your best on that special day!
Mother of the Bride Dresses for Summer Weddings by Dress Code and Wedding Style
If you're looking for specific suggestions for some lovely dresses and when and where to wear them; here are a few ideas of which dresses to choose depending on the time of day, style of wedding, and dress code. These perfect mother of the bride dresses will have you ready to celebrate your daughter's wedding in style!
Floral Dress for Summer Mother of the Bride
Adrianna PapellThis stunning Adrianna Papell gown with an off the shoulder neckline is absolutely beautiful for a mother-of-the-bride dress for an evening formal summer wedding.
Usually light-colored gowns like this that have quite a bit of cream or ivory tone aren't our first pick for a wedding guest, but we feel that mothers of the bride can wear a gown in a lighter color like champagne or a pretty print like this without issue. Of course, if the couple doesn't agree with a lighter dress color palette, then you'll want to choose different colors. We feel this sage green print is just too pretty to pass up as an option! If you love floral gowns and want one in a different shade, you'll see more in this post, or you can check our page dedicated to Floral Mother of the Bride Dresses.
Semi-Formal Summer Mother of the Bride Dress
This ankle-skimming tea-length dress with lace appliques is the perfect length in between short and long; ideal for summertime wedding celebrations. This pretty detailed embroidery and beading elevates this dress and make it supremely suited to the mothers in a summer wedding party. We adore this color and think this style is the perfect style for an early afternoon semi-formal wedding that goes into an evening reception.
Black Tie Formal Summer Dress for the Mother of the Bride
This color called 'vintage lilac" is a decidedly elegant and subtle warm-weather shade. The detailed beaded embellishment and cape make this gown an entrance-maker on the big day. It's a perfect long gown for a black tie or formal summer wedding.
What Should the Mother of the Bride Wear for an Outdoor Summer Wedding
So many summer weddings are outdoor events, and bringing in the natural theme of the open-air surroundings just makes sense. For a mother's attire for outdoor weddings, think about above-the-knee co*cktail dresses or midi dresses. Elegant gowns or longer maxi dress styles in semi-formal and lightweight summer fabrics and cheerful color palettes are often good choices.
So many summer weddings are outdoor events, and bringing in the natural theme of the open-air surroundings just makes sense. For a mother's attire for an outdoor wedding, above-the-knee co*cktail dresses, midi dresses, or longer maxi dress styles in a semi-formal but lightweight summer fabric and cheerful color are often good choices.
We love the look of this coral floral maxi dress style gown for an outdoor wedding in a venue like a farm, beach, winery, garden, or other outdoor setting. See our mother-of-the-bridedresses for beach weddings for more outdoor wedding picks like these.
Day or Night Timeless Gown
This gown is a classic that works for any style of summer wedding.
This sleeveless style is a modern-looking Mother of the Bride gown with an illusion-style neckline. The Sleeveless style keeps it cool for summer, as does this delicious Agave green color. If this particular color doesn't work for you, Azazie always has many other colors and styles available.
Shop this Green Gown at Azazie
When to Shop For Mother of the Bride Dresses for a Summer Wedding
Finding a dress for a summer wedding for a mother, stepmother, or grandmother of the bride or groom often starts a few months before the wedding. If you are doing a special order from a boutique there is often a 2-4 month wait time so you will want to start shopping between 6-8 months ahead to allow time to choose the gown and for alterations. If you have a year or more to shop, you can sometimes find dresses in stores from the previous summer that will fit the bill. However, if spring is already here the wedding is coming up quickly and you don't have that kind of time to wait, you really can now get a dress even just a few months or weeks before the wedding. Places like Nordstrom, Dillard's and Adrianna Papell ship quickly (within a week usually) and more will enable you to have your dress very quickly!
Best Mother of the Bride Colors for Summer Weddings
There are no set rules when it comes to what color the mothers in a summer wedding should wear, but we do have some suggestions!
Floral prints can look lovely for a summer wedding as do pastel dresses in light mint green, light blue, champagne, pinks and purples.
Bright colors or prints can also look great for weddings that are at a beach or in a tropical setting. As always, coordinate the colors you're considering with the couple as well as the other mother (s) and the attire color scheme of the wedding party.
While the mothers' dresses usually don't exactly match, the bridal party colors, it's nice if they have a cohesive look either by bringing in a similar color but a shade lighter or darker than the wedding party colors or some other accent colors in the wedding. Think of the pictures and how to best create a pleasing blend of colors when the wedding party is lined up.
Chasing this idea of a complimentary style is one reason why we love a patterned or floral print mother-of-the-bride dress because it can tie in all the colors in the wedding. Sequined and beaded dresses are another great way to add a special accent. For instance, if the bridesmaids are wearing pale pink, perhaps a mauve sequin dress is a way to tie in with the wedding colors. For more details, read our suggestions on whatcolors should the mother of the bride wear?
Best Dress Styles for Summer Weddings
Some of our favorite styles to recommend for mother-of-the-bride dresses during the warmer seasons are long flowy maxi dresses, short dresses, midi or tea length dresses with a bit of flared hem, sleeveless gowns, and light colors of chiffon, lace or light breathable fabrics. Sleeveless styles are great for summer weddings, but if you prefer a sleeve, try a flutter sleeve. 1/2 sleeve or 3/4 sleeve for a cooler-to-wear sleeve style for the summer months. A removable jacket or a wrap can also be a good idea for arm coverage during changing temperatures.
The Mother of the Bride Dress Selection at Azazie is amazing, we love this sleeveless floor length gown. It's the Dusty Blue Gown with Lace Back for a Summer Mother of the Bride Outfit. It's available in 9 colors and a huge range of sizes. Shop this dress here.
Casual Summer Mother-of-the-Bride Dress for a Casual Summer Wedding
We think short mother-of-the-bride dresses are perfect for summer weddings, especially if it's beachside, casual, or just in the height of summer heat. This flattering chiffon style has short flutter sleeves, is under $150, and comes in over 35 other colors!
Shop this Short Dress at Azazie
Short Sleeve Midi Dress with Lace Detail Overlay
A short sleeve length dress is such an elegant style for a spring wedding or a summer wedding. We love the fitted sheath style above the ankle length, and boat neck styling. Best of all is the pretty overlay of beaded floral detail. There are several colors available, but we love the look of this style when paired with the neutral fabric that allows the floral embroidered details on the overlay to pop! If you don't love the fitted skirt but do love the overlay effect, you'll see we have another option like this a few dresses down. We think this dress is a great choice for a daytime or afternoon wedding or dress code from dressy casual to semi-formal.
Sequin Midi Dress with Short Sleeves
Upstudio Nome Dress from Azazie
This mid-length blush sequin dress is the perfect summer look with short sleeves and an above-the-ankle length. The fitted style and the artful smattering of sequins make it a dress worthy of the mother-of-the-bride.
Shop this Sequin Midi Dress at Azazie
Also, check out summer bridesmaid dresses and mother of the bride dresses with short sleeves for more ideas!
We also have picked up-to-date looks by color so browse our picks forelegant mother of the bride dresses organized by color, and ideasfor how to accessorize mother of the bride dresses.
Featured Dress: Tadashi Shoji Illusion Yoke Lace Gown.Buy it from Nordstrom
You might also find searching by these colors is a good way to find a dress that suits your needs for you child's upcoming wedding.
Sequined Mother of the Bride Dresses|Red Mother of the Bride Dresses
Pink Mother of the Bride Dresses| Coral and PeachMother of the Bride Dresses
Yellow Mother of the Bride Dresses |Green Mother of the Bride Dresses
Light BlueMother of the BrideDresses | Dark Blue Mother of Bride Dresses
Purple Mother of the Bride Dresses | Silver and Gray Mother of the Bride Dresses
Gold, Taupe, and Neutral Mother of the BrideDresses | Black Dresses for Mother of the Bride
Spring Mother of the Bride Dresses
Mother of the Bride Dresses for Fall Weddings
Winter Mother of the Bride Dresses
Beach Mother of the Bride Dresses
This page was originally published in March 2017, updated most recently June 2023.
