Mother of the Bride Hats
The mother of the bride is in more photographs than anyone except the couple, from the morning preparations to the last dance. The right piece is structured, comfortable for a full day and chosen beside the outfit rather than after it. Every hat here is blocked by hand in the London atelier by Monika Perlinska and made to order, so the shape, the scale and the exact colour are decided with you at a fitting.
Shapes that carry a wedding day
A pillbox is the mother's reliable silhouette because it sits high and stable, stays put through embraces and photographs cleanly from every side. The Classic Silk Pillbox (£450) is the formal register, the Classic Jackie-Style Pillbox (£395) in rich berry or espresso is the warmer one, and the Classic Parasisal Pillbox (£480) answers a summer wedding in fine straw. For more presence, the Sculptural Pillbox with Lace in navy (£410) adds detail without adding span, and the Sculpted Felt Bow (£390) gives sculpture on a hair-matched band for a mother who does not wear hats.
Choosing beside the couple's palette
Start from the outfit, then check the colour against the wedding party's palette so the family photographs read as one picture. Bring a fabric swatch to the fitting, cut from a hem or seam allowance, and the material, ribbon and thread are matched against it in daylight. A tone two or three shades deeper than the outfit builds a gradient that carries the eye to the face, which is what you want in every photograph that matters.
Comfort across twelve hours
The piece is blocked to your head measurement, the head ribbon is stitched by hand to that number and the weight is kept low, which is the difference between a hat worn until the evening and one carried after the ceremony. Fittings take place in the London atelier or by video call, and the sizing method is in the size and fit guide.
Questions mothers ask us
Should the mothers' hats match each other?
They should speak to each other in scale and formality rather than colour. Share what the other mother is wearing and we will keep the two pieces in the same register.
When should I commission?
Once the outfit exists, even as a swatch and a photograph. Dispatch is agreed to a date when the commission is confirmed, and wedding season fills the calendar earliest.
What if I have never worn a hat?
Start with our guide to wearing a hat without feeling in costume, then book a fitting and try shapes on. The mirror settles what no page can.
Shop the Mother of the Bride collection or start a commission and we will begin with the outfit and the date.