Recommended gowns
What to Wear to a Wedding — Choosing a Dress as a Guest or the Mother of the Bride
A wedding invitation comes with one unavoidable question: what do I wear? The dress has to feel festive without competing with the bride, be comfortable for a whole day yet formal enough for the photographs. And if you are the mother of the bride, the choice weighs twice as much — you will be beside your daughter in almost every picture. Here is how we approach it at the Areti salon in Lozenets, Sofia, where alongside wedding gowns we curate prom and evening dresses for every occasion.
Rule one: white belongs to the bride
White, ivory, champagne and very pale pastels are hers — in photographs blush and light beige often read as almost white. If you love light tones, choose a deeper shade or a style with a clearly defined colour. Black is entirely appropriate today, especially for an evening celebration: in satin, with some sparkle or an interesting back it looks festive rather than severe.
Length depends on the time and the venue
- Evening wedding at a restaurant or hotel — a long or midi dress. Satin styles such as Style 3606 (an off-the-shoulder A-line) look formal without feeling heavy.
- Daytime, garden or beach wedding — a knee-length cocktail dress. Style MV1110 in chiffon with a light cape is comfortable for a full day outdoors.
- Civil ceremony — a simpler but finished look: a clean cut and one accent — a belt, a neckline or the shoes.
A dress for the mother of the bride
The mother of the bride is the hostess of the day: beside her daughter at the ceremony, for the congratulations and in most of the photographs. Her dress needs to be elegant and comfortable for 10–12 hours, in a colour that echoes the wedding palette without copying it. What we recommend most often:
- Navy, slate blue, aubergine, mocha — deep tones that look expensive on camera and never compete with white.
- Chiffon and embroidery — a light fabric that drapes beautifully and does not crease; embroidery on the bodice adds occasion without excess sparkle.
- Three-quarter sleeves or a cape — they cover the arms without needing a jacket and leave you free to move.
That is exactly what the Marsoni styles in the salon offer: Style MV1052 — a chiffon A-line with an embroidered bodice and three-quarter sleeves — and Style MV1094, with a chiffon cape and embroidery around the neckline.
Choose the silhouette for your figure, not the trend
The A-line is the safest choice for almost every figure: it defines the waist and falls freely. The mermaid is for a bolder look at an evening wedding — Style 3523 in stretch satin with a draped skirt follows the line of the body. Not sure which silhouette is yours? See our guide to choosing a dress for your figure.
Maid of honour and bridesmaids
The maid of honour is beside the bride all day — a long or midi dress in a colour agreed with the couple works well. For bridesmaids, one colour in different cuts works best: each wears a silhouette that suits her, and the group still looks unified in photographs.
When to come for a fitting
Come 4–6 weeks before the wedding. That leaves time for alterations — shortening, taking in or adjusting straps usually takes 1–2 weeks in our own atelier. Bring the shoes you will wear on the day so we get the length exactly right.
