Lehenga for the Mother of the Groom: Graceful, Comfortable and Made for Her Day Too

The mother of the groom has one of the busiest days of anyone at the wedding. She leads the rituals at home, welcomes the baraat's return, receives the bride, and stands beside her son in nearly every family photograph. Her outfit needs to look graceful, feel comfortable for hours, and sit beautifully next to the bride's without competing with it.

Lehenga, saree or something in between?

A lehenga is easier to move in than a saree, stays in place through long rituals, and looks festive in photographs. Many groom's mothers now prefer one.

A saree remains the classic choice and is lovely for the pheras.

A lehenga saree, with a pre-pleated drape, gives the look of a saree with the ease of a lehenga.

An anarkali or long jacket set is wonderful for the mehendi or a daytime function. See our guide to customised anarkali suits.

What to think about for each function

• Haldi and mehendi: light fabrics, cheerful colours, short sleeves, easy to sit in.

• Sangeet: something she can dance in, with a lighter dupatta.

• Baraat and wedding: her richest outfit. Silk, brocade or velvet for a winter wedding, with embroidery that photographs well.

• Reception: elegant and evening-ready, often a saree or a gown-style lehenga.

• Griha pravesh: a fresh, auspicious colour for welcoming the bride home.

Coordinating with the bride's side

The kindest thing the two mothers can do is talk about colours early. The groom's mother doesn't need to match the bride, but it helps to:

• avoid the bride's main lehenga colour, so the bride stands out;

• choose colours that sit well next to the groom's sherwani;

• agree on roughly how heavy the outfits will be, so the two mothers look balanced in photos.

For the bride's mother, see our guide to mother of the bride outfits and bridesmaid lehengas.

Comfort is not optional

She'll be standing, walking, bending to touch feet and sitting through long ceremonies, often for most of the day. Things to ask for:

• A lehenga made to her measurements, so nothing pulls or slips. Our lehenga measurement chart explains what we measure.

• Sleeves she is comfortable in: elbow or three-quarter sleeves are popular.

• A lighter can-can, or none, so the skirt isn't heavy.

• A dupatta that stays put, pinned properly, so her hands are free for the rituals.

• Pockets, for the envelope, the keys and the safety pins.

Making it personal

Customised details are lovely for the groom's mother too: her son's and new daughter-in-law's names on the dupatta border, or her own wedding saree turned into a new lehenga. See our guides to dupattas with names and turning an old saree into a lehenga.

Ready-made or customised?

Our showroom has ready lehengas and sarees she can try on today. If she wants something made for her, our designers can create it with her, made by our own karigars. A customised piece takes about eight weeks from design approval, so start once the wedding dates are fixed.

Bring her to Golf Course Road

Bring her, and anyone whose opinion she trusts, to our showroom. The consultation is free, whether you buy or not. If she can't come to Gurugram, a free 30-minute video call works just as well.