When you’re shopping for a fall or winter wedding, so much attention naturally goes toward the wedding-day look. But the rehearsal dinner is another opportunity to choose something beautiful  and often, it’s the moment when you have a little more freedom to wear exactly what you want.

For mothers of the bride and groom, the rehearsal dinner look should feel special without feeling overly formal. Think classic, comfortable, polished, and easy to wear through dinner, introductions, speeches, and all of those moments leading up to the wedding day.

Let the Rehearsal Dinner Look Feel More Like You

On the wedding day, you may be working within a particular color palette selected by the bride. Maybe you’ve been asked to wear navy, champagne, blue, green, or another shade that coordinates with the wedding party.

The rehearsal dinner is a wonderful time to step outside of that color scheme.

If you normally love wearing black, wear black. If a rich berry, burgundy, chocolate brown, emerald, or deep blue makes you feel your best, this is your chance to choose it.

You’ll still want your look to feel appropriate for the occasion, but it doesn’t necessarily have to coordinate with the wedding colors.

In fact, choosing a completely different color can help each outfit feel like its own moment rather than simply becoming an extension of your wedding-day look.