Archives for August 2016

Gardeners, Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers!

3370451864_6fff8307b4_zMother of the Bride, do you or your daughter love to garden? If so you might like to grow your own flowers for her wedding. Not only would it add a unique personal touch to your celebration, but it could save money and create a great memory as well.

I know it might sound a bit far-fetched at first, but why not enjoy your passion while accomplishing a task for the wedding? Some moms and brides love to sew and fashion their own dresses for the big day. Others love to cook and provide much of their own food for the reception. If you love to garden, why not plant and nurture your own flowers and then take joy in displaying them on Wedding Day?

I admit I’m not a gardener and don’t have first-hand experience with this. But I do know that people craft wedding flowers and table décor from silk flowers as well as from paper. So if they can do that, why not put your gardening skills to work for you and have some fun, too?

Maybe you feel confident in your gardening abilities but not so much when it comes to designing the arrangements or bouquets. If so, you could do the growing and find a floral designer to finish the job. You’d still be giving the wedding your personal touch.

If you’re interested in giving it a shot, here are a few resources to help get you started:

Better Homes and Gardens—Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers 

Gardenista—DIY: Secrets of Growing Your Own Wedding Flowers

Bridal Guide–How to Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers

*You might also like to read Wedding Decor: Craft It with Paper, Wedding Idea that Sparkles: A Brooch Bouquet, and Knitted Bridal Bouquet and More.

*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post has been helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in September 2013.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by Robert S. Donovan, Creative Commons License

Rustic Wedding Idea: Boot Bouquets

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Mother of the Bride, are you and your sweet daughter looking for great rustic wedding ideas? Well, you’ve come to the right place today. I adore the idea pictured above, and I bet your soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. will, too!

Using boots to hold bouquets and other floral arrangements at a rustic wedding adds a special touch that takes your wedding décor up to a whole new level of awesome. So creative, appealing, and memorable! And I love the pop of color when a bandana is added—but you certainly don’t have to do that. These floral displays will look great either way.

Boot bouquets could be used as guest table centerpieces or at other locations in your venue where you want to decorate with flowers. Boots could even be placed in strategic places to display the bridesmaids bouquets during the reception. Can’t beat using the bridesmaids bouquets a second time, right? Just tell each maid which boot you want her to place her bouquet in after the ceremony and photos.

Feel like kicking up your heels over this idea, MOB? Go ahead—and be sure to yell yee-haw while you do it!

*You might also like to read Rustic Wedding Resource, Cake Idea for the Rustic Wedding, Table Décor for Rustic Weddings, and Burlap Ring Bearer Pillow and Flower Girl Basket.

The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by Mr. Tono, Creative Commons License

Summer Photo Fun: Butterfly Beauty

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As we continue Summer Photo Fun, I’ve got some butterfly beauty headed your way today. Butterflies flitting through the air and lighting on one flower and then another seem almost magical, don’t they? They definitely deserve to be featured in one of my Summer Photo Fun posts.

So friends, enjoy the exquisite and delicate beauty of one of God’s amazing creations today. Enjoy some butterfly beauty!

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” Psalm 104:24

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Engleman Aster and butterfly

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*Which is your favorite photo? Have you ever visited a butterfly garden?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*My photos

Mother of the Bride Memory Boosters for Shopping

silly MOBMother of the Bride, I hope you like to shop because you will be doing a lot of it while you’re helping your daughter get ready for her big day. You may even find that all those dresses and décor are starting to run together. The details you thought you’d remember from one store turn to a haze by the time you’ve shopped around at others.

Why not go ahead and give your overworked brain a break and plan to boost your memory with two of the best friends an MOB-shopping-machine can have—a notebook and a camera. Pull out your cute little MOB journal/planner and jot down the name of the store along with the colors, prices, and other details you may need to remember. And if it’s not against store policy, snap a photo of each item. You’ll be glad you  did. (Notice I have my journal in hand in the photo above!)

My wedding planning notes and photos saved my MOB skin more than once. Even after my girls’ weddings, I referred back to my notes for certain information, and during our months of planning, the photos provided the perfect memory jog.

So next time you head out on one of your wedding shopping expeditions, MOB, arm yourself with a memory booster or two. Your weary brain—and your bride-to-be daughter—will thank you!

*You might also like to read A Planning Journal for Your Mother of the Bride Notes.

*Photo by my daughter Kristin; the dress is not the one my daughter Kelli eventually chose, but she still looked good in it! :)

*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post has been helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in August 2013.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter came out this week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Summer Photo Fun: Identify This Bird, Please

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You didn’t think I’d let Summer Photo Fun go by without featuring birds in some way, did you? This time, though, I’m not just quizzing you like I did for my Name This Location post. I really need your help in identifying the subject of this photo!

I saw this bird on my recent trip to Breckenridge, Colorado with my sisters, and I’m not sure what kind it is. We were hiking and I was able to snap only a couple of photos before this little guy (or gal) flew off. I think it may be a flycatcher of some sort, but I’m not sure so I thought I’d see if one of you can identify it before I spend more time pouring over my bird book.

Any bird lovers out there who can help me out? What kind of bird is this? I’ll include my other shot below in case it might be helpful. Here’s hoping for an answer!

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

IMG_8991*My photos

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out this week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!