The mother of the bride, as well as the mother of the groom, used to have to play by the rules when it came time to find a dress for the wedding. While many of the rules have lightened and now allow more freedoms, there are a few that etiquette still holds to. The main rule is to communicate with the bride and try to coordinate with any color themes of the wedding and bridesmaid dresses, as well as wedding colors. It is also courteous to open communications between the mothers of the bride and groom for some less rigid coordination.