Archives for 2015

Holiday Blogging Break Plus Wedding Planning Help

7980406309_3524c3f3bd*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, here is an updated encore post I hope will be helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it last December.

Mother of the Bride, I’m taking a holiday blogging break until the first of the year, but I have a little gift for you—a gift of help! Allow me to point you in the right direction to find some great ideas and tips. Maybe at some point over the holidays, you’ll have a little time to wear your MOB hat. The chances may not be good, but you never know!

Three great sources of help are right here on my website. Glance over to the right sidebar and scan down until you see the Favorite Posts section. There you will find links to some important or super-helpful posts here on the Mother of the Bride Blog. Also, if you would like info or help on a certain topic, just use the search feature right under my picture on the header. It will pull up all kinds of help in an instant. You can check my Archives as well (the last item on the right sidebar.) Click on each year and then click on each month. When you click on the month, then you will see a list of the post titles. I bet you will spot some posts that will be especially helpful to you at this stage in your Mother of the Bride journey.

Another great source of helpful ideas can be found on my Pinterest page. I have eighteen wedding-related boards filled with terrific ideas for you. When you go over to check it out, be sure to follow me while you’re there so you won’t miss out on great new pins I post each week.

How’s that for some MOB help this holiday season? Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

*Find my annual Christmas poem over on my home page. Hope you enjoy—and see you in the new year!

*Flickr photo by top10things, Creative Commons License

A Winner Plus My Favorite Christmas Verses

4037699377_b218f58079_zToday’s the day to announce the winner of the Little Christmas Warmth Giveaway—yes, time to make someone a little warmer! The lucky winner who will soon be wrapping her cold hands around a luscious hot drink from Starbucks is . . . Tamra! Congrats, Tamra! I’ll dash to my mailbox as fast as I can (without a one-horse open sleigh!) and send the gift card on its way. Hope it makes your holiday season a little merrier!

For all of you dropping by today, I’d like to pass along the best holiday joy I know by sharing my favorite Christmas verses from the Bible. I love reading all of the passages related to the birth of Jesus, but the verses below have become my favorites. May God’s Word bless you today, friends!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

“‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 KJV

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

A child. A son. A Savior. The Word. The One and Only. Amen and amen!

*Which of these verses speaks to you in the most powerful way?

*Flickr photo by sakarias.ingolfsson, Creative Commons License

Wedding Day Photo: A Toast for the Groom and His Guys

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Mother of the Bride, as you think of wedding day photo ideas, your thoughts probably center around the bride (after all she is your little girl!), but let me encourage you not to forget the groom. He is the other half of this dream-come-true day and deserves attention devoted to him, too. He may not act like he wants it at the time, but when all is said and done, he’ll be thankful to have memories captured of him, his family, and his friends.

One great photo idea to involve the groom and his groomsmen is to catch them celebrating the big day with a pre-ceremony toast. Not only will they enjoy kicking the party off a little early, but it will make for a cool wedding day shot, too. It’s also neat to capture some of the fun camaraderie between the groom and his guys before the ceremony. Afterwards, it will be all about the new Mr. and Mrs., right?

So MOB, add this idea to your list of photo ideas to suggest to the happy couple and/or their photographer. If they like the idea, why not ask the groom’s mother to be sure to have a bottle of champagne or sparkling cider, etc., on hand for her groom-to-be son and his groomsmen. This provides one more opportunity to help make the groom’s mom feel included in the wedding preparations. And that’s definitely a win!

*You might also like to read Fun Photo Idea for the Groom and Groomsmen, Wedding Day Photo Idea: Bridesmaids Hold the Groom!, Wedding Day Photo Idea: The Groom and Minister, Photo Idea: Bridesmaids Blow the Groom a Kiss!, and Make the Mother of the Groom Part of the Team.

*Flickr photo by dan.thoburn, Creative Commons License

Christmas Gifts for the Bride

The Loot (3)*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, here is an updated encore post I hope will be helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in December 2013.

Christmas-shopping bills plus wedding expenses can equal one slightly stressed (okay, highly stressed) mother of the bride, can’t it? Either one of these particular expenses puts a strain on most of our budgets, but combine them and we’ll be seeing dollar signs in our sleep each night.

So what can you do, Mother of the Bride, to help alleviate a little of the financial pinch that may come your way in December? My oldest daughter Kristin inadvertently sparked one solution while we were planning her wedding. When the holidays rolled around, she told me not to worry about buying any Christmas gifts for her that year because she knew we were already spending a lot on her upcoming wedding. Of course, I didn’t want to forgo Christmas for her, but an idea clicked—why not combine the two?

And you know what? It worked perfectly. I went ahead and purchased the bridal veil she had shown interest in as well as a pair of bridal shoes and a beautiful wedding memories album that could serve as a guest book for the wedding. It also provided a place to record bridal shower and wedding gifts. A dear friend made some lacy garters for her and even decorated a special keepsake box for them with a bridal theme. I also gave Kristin a beautiful unity candle set as well as a fun honeymoon photo album. She was delighted.

So remember this, MOB, during the holiday season: A few meaningful wedding-related Christmas gifts for your bride-to-be daughter will strike her as not only fun but special as well while also giving your bank account a bit of a break. Another win-win on the wedding front!

*You might also like to read A Simple Wedding Expense Tip, Making Her Beautiful—Bridal Primping on a Budget, Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride, and Wedding Savings Tip: Borrow!

*Why not pop over to my home page and enter the Little Christmas Warmth Giveaway? Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. (CST) on Dec. 9th!

*My photo

Holiday Trimming Needed

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*In the spirit of trying to follow my own advice below, I’m featuring an encore post from December 2009. It’s as much needed today as it was then. Hope you enjoy!

Anybody else ever have a moment of panic when the holiday season arrives? Mine happened just the other day when I turned my calendar to December and saw several extras already scheduled in a month where tasks and must-do traditions always seem to outweigh available time.

Somehow I know I’m not alone in my sudden case of H.P.I. — otherwise known as holiday panic interruptus. It’s a tricky condition. Sneaks up on you and grabs you by the throat when you least expect it, flashing everything you need to do in the next 30 days in front of your eyes in the span of five seconds. It steals your joy and interrupts your holiday peace faster than Christmas elves sliding down candy cane poles during a midnight toymaking drill.

My holiday conclusion? The Christmas tree isn’t the only thing that needs to be trimmed this year. The cure? Immediate evaluation and trimming of the December to-do list coupled with a guarded approach to saying “yes” to anything more. Anyone else need to follow this sage advice I’m trying to give myself?

In this season of “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men” brought to us by the Prince of Peace himself, let’s not let anything rob us of the fullness of joy he longs to give to us this Christmas. Like Mary did in choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of stressing over details like Martha (Luke 10:38-42), let’s choose what is better and experience his peace. Let’s do some holiday trimming.

“‘The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’” John 10:10

*How can you give yourself a break this year and trim a few things from your to-do list?

*Have you thrown your name in the hat for my “Little Christmas Warmth Giveaway” yet? Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. (CST) Wednesday!

*Flickr photo by John Curnow, Creative Commons License