my mil waited for my mom to choose first. She ended up going with a purple beaded dress...it was actually her favorite color--fushia. But it had a black overlay and beadwork so it really looked more purple and it complimented the peacock feather theme and was good and dark for a winter wedding. I kind of just told her she had to wear it--it looked really good and she was spending all her time and energy on my dress, and the bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. My mil ended up wearing a casual outfit of pants and a semi-casual top. She was more comfortable in the winter weather that way and i was happy she was happy :)