‘Wrong occasion’: Mother of the bride’s dress sparks heated debate

A woman in America has been accused of trying to “upstage” her daughter at her own wedding in a showstopping gown.

A mother of the bride is causing a commotion on the internet because of the dress she wore to her daughter’s wedding – and no, it wasn’t white.

Louisiana mum Lori Dewitt was seen in an Instagram reel walking down the aisle in a green floral custom dress from the brand Audrey + Brooks, replete with a plunging neckline, detachable bow and train, The New York Post reports.

“The most stunning MOB dress we’ve ever seen!!!” wedding content creator Chloe Leblanc captioned the post.

Meanwhile, the bride, Amanda Dewitt Leblanc, wore an off-the-shoulder trumpet gown by designer Romona Keveza for her walk down the aisle.

People found the 53-year-old mother’s dress quite controversial, with some in the comments saying she was “trying to upstage her daughter”.

“Wow. Couldn’t she let her daughter be the bigger deal that day?!!! If my mother did that I’d send her back to change,” someone wrote.

“Beautiful dress. Beautiful woman wearing it. Wrong occasion,” another commented.

“Beautiful but a bit over the top considering her daughter’s dress!” a third said.

“Why does MOB want to be the centre of attention???” someone else questioned, while another asked, “Why upstage your daughter????? Shocking.”

“It’s not the mother’s day!” another said.

Lori DeWitt wore a custom Audrey + Brooks dress with a plunging neckline, detachable bow and train. Picture: Instagram

People found the mother’s dress to be quite controversial, with some saying she was 'trying to upstage her daughter'. Picture: Instagram

However, not all the comments were negative – some found the criticism to be people “projecting their (own) insecurities”.

“If my mum doesn’t do this she has to go home. I would be p*ssed if she did anything less!!!” one person wrote.

“You go mum!! Your look fabulous!! I can’t wait until my daughter gets married! I wanna look just like you!!” another commented.

“A lot of y’all have mummy issues and it shows,” one person said.

“I love this so much! I want my mum to feel so beautiful on my wedding day, y’all are crazy,” another comment read.

“My mum never got a wedding, absolutely I want to make her feel special and beautiful like what are y’all going on about,” someone else shared.

Unlike the internet, Amanda Dewitt Leblanc thought her mother’s dress was 'perfect'. Picture: Instagram

Luckily for the mum and daughter, they have a good sense of humour.

“We didn’t realise my dress was going to spark a debate, but we’re laughing about it,” Ms Dewitt told TODAY.com.

“I’m the last person you’d expect to go viral. I don’t even post photos!”

Ms Dewitt Leblanc, 26, and Ms Dewitt bought their dresses during a shopping trip to New York City – and they claim there’s now even a waitlist for Ms Dewitt’s custom gown at the store they bought it from, Flora on Madison.

“The response has been amazing. We have a substantial number of women on the waitlist. We are taking virtual appointments for our out of town requests,” owner Flora Petakas told The Post.

“I encourage the mothers of the wedding to wear a dress that makes them feel beautiful and important, don’t minimise your role.”

“It was originally strapless – but I didn’t think that was appropriate for a Catholic Church, so they changed the neckline,” Ms Dewitt, an interior designer who specialises in university dorm rooms, shared with TODAY.

'I love what she wore. My mum looked absolutely stunning.' Picture: Instagram

Unlike the internet, Ms Dewitt Leblanc thought her mother’s dress was “perfect”.

“I love what she wore. My mum looked absolutely stunning,” the Florida-based podiatrist told TODAY, adding that she and her husband “wanted our family members to shine”.

“It was just as much as her day as it was mine.”

Ms Dewitt Leblanc’s mother-in-law wore a statuesque pink gown with statement flowers.

Even though the mother and daughter both loved the MOB look and were able to laugh about it, Ms Dewitt admitted she found the criticism to be “a little heartbreaking”.

“I would never do anything to hurt my daughter. Everybody just wanted to look their best,” she said.

“For my next daughter’s wedding, I think I’m going to show up in a burlap sack that says MOB.”

This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as ‘Wrong occasion’: Mother of the bride’s dress sparks heated debate