1. SHOP SALES RACKS. This is a no-brainer. Retail stores will discount up to 70% of the original price of the mother of the bride dress, depending on how desperately they want to clear the racks of the current season's clothing to make way for the new season. Spring/summer lines start showing up on the racks from January through April, while fall/winter dresses are introduced between June and September. Therefore, you will get bargains around these times as well for the last season's mother of the bride apparel.

2. SHOP EARLY. The mother of the bride should start shopping for her mother of the bride outfit as soon as she knows the colors of the wedding. All too often she takes care of all the details that go into the wedding, while forgetting her own needs. She should spend this time with the bride going over styles, fabrics, accents, accessories, etc. Late shopping only brings on more stress and possibly more money spent on things that were purchased in haste and then returned with "buyer's remorse". Quite a few bridal shops do not take back returns or offer refunds once the mother of the bride walks out of the store with her dress.

3. SHOP ONLINE STORES. There are tons of reputable and traditional bridal boutiques out there that have an online store on the immense "world wide web" nowadays. The costs of running and upkeeping a brick-and-mortar store are escalating and definitely cut into profits. Any savvy shop owner knows full well that they will have to own a "web store" to fully maximize their sales and therefore, profits. Check their Better Business Bureau record or see if the site has a BBB online reliability logo, if you are still not comfortable shopping online. Once you start using your fingers to do the shopping, you will never stop!

4. SHOP BRIDESMAID DRESSES. The "youthful" mother of the bride can opt for a bridesmaid dress which are normally priced less expensively than a mother of the bride gown. Seek the tailoring expertise of a bridal dress seamstress to add on beads, sequins, and other exotic trimmings to create a uniquely appealing look.

5. SEARCH FOR "DISCOUNT" DRESSES ONLINE. The mother of the bride can open up more options for herself if she is computer literate and able to do a search using the keywords "discount" or "cheap". Example, search for "discount mother of the bride dresses". These words can conjure up an image of herself in a cheesy, polyester dress but you will be surprised what will show up online that are not quite cheesy despite being made of polyester. By the way, there are 40 blends of polyester and almost all synthetic fabrics for special occasion wear are made of some type of polyester.

6. SHOP REGULAR EVENING WEAR. Add on a shawl or jacket or buy fabric to make a unique, one-of-a-kind jacket to cover the shoulders and arms for modesty or for providing warmth.

7. WEAR A TEALENGTH OR COCKTAIL DRESS. These are priced less than the floor-length gowns and are more versatile, as you can surely wear them again at another special occasion.

Source: Audrey Cheong of AudreysMotheroftheBride.com, a webstore, where "we make mothers look beautiful".