Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Dress Shopping with Your Future Mother-in-Law

Here's how to let her know you want her to be there when you choose your big-day look.

Deciding who will help you shop for a wedding dress can be tricky, but your ultimate decisions should be based off of whose company you enjoy and whose opinions you respect. Some brides bring along just a couple of close friends while others are sure to have both their mom and future mother-in-law in tow. If you decide you'd like your soon-to-be MIL to be part of this important day, here are a few things to keep in mind when you ask her to join.

WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW

Let her know her opinion matters to you.

Inviting your future mother-in-law along for your wedding dress shopping shows her that you trust her opinion and know she'll respect your choices. Let her know you're excited to hear her creative input and see what she thinks of the styles you like.

Give her the guest list in advance.

Be sure to talk to your mom about your future mother-in-law coming along for dress shopping. No need to have hurt feelings in the room and communication is key to avoiding that. You should also let your future mother-in-law know who will be in attendance so she has an idea of what to expect.

Make her aware of your budget, style, and cut preferences.

In order to keep the shopping on track, it's helpful to let anyone attending your dress hunt know the specifics of what you're after. Color, cut, style, budget, and fabric type are all important details you should share with anyone joining you. While she may have her heart set on seeing you in a sweetheart neckline, it's best for you to tell her in advance that you're only interested in tops with full coverage for your body type.

Let her know you've pre-selected a few dresses.

Your first day of trying on dresses is one you may want to keep the parents out of. Once you've narrowed in on the style you like and feel like you've got a few great options to choose from, bringing in the moms for opinions should be much easier. Your future mother-in-law is more likely to stay on track with constructive feedback in a more controlled setting where there's less to choose from.

Know that this invitation isn't obligatory.

There's no rule that you have to bring along your future mother-in-law for wedding dress shopping and you should only consider it as an option if you can count on your fiancé's mom to be respectful, patient, supportive, and encouraging. If you're totally unsure how she'll handle the day, it may be best to involve her in something else instead.

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