Bridesmaids Gifts: Buy from Ten Thousand Villages!

Mother of the Bride, is your daughter looking for a dynamite gift idea for her bridesmaids? Why not suggest gifts from Ten Thousand Villages? In case you’re not familiar with them, Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retailer who has been empowering and supporting fairly paid artisans in developing countries for more than seventy years.

Purchasing  bridesmaids gifts from Ten Thousand Villages will allow your sweet girl to be a double blessing—blessing her lovely bridesmaids with terrific gifts plus supporting hard-working, fairly paid artisans around the world.  Can’t beat that, huh?

Among the items that Ten Thousand Villages carry are jewelry, scarves, hats, purses, and other bags—all excellent ideas for bridesmaids gifts. If there is not a store in your daughter’s area, assure her that she can shop for these gifts online. On their website , the pictures of the individual items are large, and she will have no trouble selecting some beautiful gifts directly from the site.

And MOB, as you browse the site, I bet you will find something you’d like to have, too. Go ahead—be a double blessing!

*You might also like to read Polka Dot Nails for the Bridesmaids! and A Prayer for the Bridesmaids’ Luncheon.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early May. Sign-up is FREE! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Thien VCreative Commons License

Full Length Mirror for the Bridal Dressing Room

Mother of the Bride, your daughter and her beloved may have already secured their wedding ceremony venue since that’s one of the first things that needs to be done before other wedding planning. But chances are they didn’t think too much about the bridal dressing room when they made their choice. After all, other factors are indeed more important.

But now that the venue has been selected, be sure to tour it soon with your daughter. Not only will you want to see the area to help plan décor, but be sure to view the rooms the wedding party will use to get ready in and  await the big moment.

In addition to wanting a bridal dressing room large enough to accommodate the bride and all her bridesmaids, another must is a full-length mirror. The bride and her maids will want to check their appearance before walking down the aisle, and they will want a full-length view. They’ll want to make sure they look perfect, not to mention delighting in their beautiful appearance for a minute and tucking it away in their memories. The bride especially needs the opportunity to do this. The groom and his guys will need a mirror as well, but you and I both know it won’t be quite as important to them, will it?

So, MOB, if a full-length mirror is not already part of the bridal dressing room, add that to your to-do list. Arrange for one and make sure your baby girl gets the view of a lifetime on her special day!

*You might also like to read Preparation for Decorating Wedding Reception Venue.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Corey AnnCreative Commons License

Wedding Bouquet That Sparkles: A Brooch Bouquet!

Mother of the Bride, here’s a brilliant (in more ways than one!) idea for the bride’s and bridesmaids’ bouquets—use brooches! If your daughter wants a look that sparkles or somehow stands out from the ordinary, beautiful brooch bouquets may be just what she’s looking for.

I’ve pictured several styles in this post so you can see how versatile brooch bouqets can be. The bride might want to go with a clean elegant look that blends in with her white dress (as pictured above). Or she might want to take the more colorful approach you can see in the photos below. She might even want to go super casual and fun, as in the last photo. And you can see how easy it would be to color coordinate brooch bouquets to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.

A brooch bouquet also affords the opportunity to include a memento or memory of a loved one. Some attach a portrait brooch to the bouquet’s stem in honor of a special loved one who can’t be present. A brooch that has been passed down through the family or that has been given to the bride as a special gift can also easily be incorporated into the bouquet.

And just think of the possibilities for the bouquet after the wedding. The bride could keep it as a gorgeous memento from the big day, or it could be taken apart so the brooches could be worn or even given as special gifts.

MOB, this is an idea worth showing your daughter, isn’t it? Hope you have a sparkling wedding day!

*You might also like to read Bridal Bouquet Idea: Add Some Sparkle with Gemstones, Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere Sheet Music Idea, Knitted Bridal Bouquet and More, and Wedding Décor: Craft It with Paper.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me. p.s. If you sign up after Jan. 27th, you will be included in all future Life Notes giveaways but not in this current giveaway.

*Photos from top to bottom: Flickr photo by arripayCreative Commons License ; Flickr photo by nparekhcardsCreative Commons License; Flickr photo by emperialduo, Creative Commons License; Flickr photo by KristaCarolynGCreative Commons License

Fall Bridal Bouquet Idea

Mother of the Bride, does your daughter need a fall bridal bouquet idea pronto? Time is definitely running out to select flowers for a fall wedding, but maybe this idea will appeal to your bride-to-be daughter as soon as she sees it.

Why not add a few orange lilies and gold chrysanthemums, zinnias, or marigolds to some gorgeous orange, red, and yellow roses? These colors will coordinate with so many different fall colors your daughter may have chosen for her wedding, and the effect will be stunning.

The bridesmaids’ bouquets could be a smaller version of the bride’s bouquet—maybe featuring a few of the roses but minus a couple of the other flowers in her bouquet. Those could be reserved for the bride—a special touch to make her bouquet especially beautiful, allowing it to stand out from the others.

So suggest away, MOB—and enjoy a fabulous and colorful fall wedding!

*You might also like to read Sculpted Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns for Fall Wedding Décor, Summer or Fall Wedding Favor Idea: Jars of Honey, and Fall Wedding Idea: Caramel Apple Favors!

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by FestivitiesMNCreative Commons License

Wedding Day Photo: Bouquets in a Bunch

Mother of the Bride, I have a wedding day photo idea for you today that’s a real winner. This shot will be super simple for your photographer to set up but provides a colorful and gorgeous reminder of the day. Easy plus amazing. You can’t beat that!

I call this dynamite photo idea bouquets in a bunch. Simply have the bride hold her star-of-the-day bridal bouquet waist-high and then ask the bridesmaids to hold their bouquets all around hers. The effect is stunning as the bridesmaids’ bouquets encircle the bridal bouquet, showing off in glorious fashion not only the colors of the wedding, but the bride’s choice in flowers as well.

Why not suggest this perfect wedding day photo to your daughter, MOB? Then jot it down on the list of photos you’d like the photographer to take on her big day. You’ll be glad you did!

*You might also like to read Cute Idea for the Bride: Shoes to Match the Bouquet.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early August. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by theinvinciblemom, Creative Commons License