I am the stepmother of the groom for an early October wedding. I ordered my dress, asked the bride, she said she had no preference as far as colors for her mother and I are concerned.

I ordered a gorgeous black lace dress, quite expensive, am having it altered.

Now she tells me she read that if either mother wears black it's bad luck.

I certainly am not going to wear the dress (it's her wedding and these are her decisions) but I never heard anything about "mother/black dress," nor did my bridal shop.

Has anyone ever heard this before? (And does anyone want to buy a very expensive black lace dress, size 4?)

I have never heard of that one,in recent times at weddings I have noticed other guests wearing long white dresses!

Perhaps you can find a nice expensive restaurant to give your dress an evening out.

Or,is there a dinner party for the bride and groom before the wedding? Could you wear it then?

Its hard enough to find a dress to start with,never mind starting from scratch!

Here's a bit I found on the mother of the bride:

"Proper etiquette dictates that the bride is the only one who should wear white. While you may have seen other mothers of the bride wear white to a wedding, this is considered a major faux pas. You'll want to avoid black too. Not only is this considered inappropriate, but many also feel its bad luck."

Of course you will find plenty that feel it is perfectly fine for either mother to wear black. The main issue was the bride being OK with it, so if you feel she would be wary of the black, hopefully you can find a buyer for the dress, are able to return it, or will be able to use it for other events!

A wonderful black dress is never out of place or style.

And "luck" one could find a reason not to do anything if you worry about luck

That's a real shame, although I have to admit that I have never heard of that one.

Would it be possible to add something to the dress:maybe an additional colour by means of a wrap or maybe sequins of a different colour to the neckline etc.. if your wearing a hat you could also add the same there.
With perhaps a change in colour for accessories: bag and shoes.

Yes, I have heard he supersticion that a mother wearing black is bad luck, and have also heard the etiquette rule that wearing a black dress to your child's wedding can signify disapproval for the wedding (mourning the future of your child) but these attitudes are very outdated. If it's the bride's feeling still you arie wise to select something else to wear because it's the wrong time to make an issue (if it has to do with a wedding it will NEVER be forgotten and will be repeated thousands of times to everyone who will listen). Today though, black dresses are commonly worn to weddings, even by bridesmaids, because they are typically pretty universally flattering and elegant.

I've never heard that. There is an old saying that say's if the bride wears black, she'll wish herself back. That means she'll wish she hadn't married the guy.

I thought black was the hot new color -- black and purple -- for bridesmaid dresses, and even for a wedding dress. Black is slimming and very sexy!

This is my I love my mum. My formal dresses were under $50. She made them and I got so many compliments!

Id say find a new dress and try to sell the black one. If you can't sell it then the brides owes you a fancy night out for dinner!

Nonsense! At my wedding the mothers and my sister wore black and the bridesmaids wore white. And I'm married 23 years now. :)

Keep the dress, you and hubby go out to a fancy, smancy place and go dancing. You'll look smashing.