Archives for December 2016

Holiday Blogging Break Plus Wedding Planning Help

5284717124_4b13475ce1_zMother of the Bride, I’m taking a blogging break until the first of the year so I can enjoy the holidays with my family, but first 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!

I’ll resume regular posting on Jan. 3rd, but in the meantime, why not peruse the list of Favorite Posts on the sidebar or use the drop-down feature in the Archives to spot some posts that might be especially helpful to you at this stage in your Mother of the Bride journey. I hope you find just the help and encouragement you need and also enjoy some special moments with your daughter as you work together to plan the wedding of her dreams.

How’s that for some MOB help this holiday season, Mother of the Bride? And now just one last thing—Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

*You might also like to check out my Pinterest page. Among other things, it features nineteen wedding-related boards!

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

*Flickr photo by mysza831, Creative Commons License

Season of Anticipation

5387409984_a2e741f923_z*Giveaway winner announced below!

Ah, the days leading up to Christmas… Such a season of anticipation. We find ourselves looking forward to many things with excitement — visits with family and friends, giving our loved ones special gifts, indulging in our favorite holiday treats, helping make Christmas a little merrier for a hurting soul, or carrying out our well-loved traditions. We each could add our own personally anticipated events to the list, couldn’t we?

I pray that reflecting on the coming of our Savior and time spent worshiping Him will be at the very center of our season of anticipation this year. Let’s take time each day to celebrate the fact that our Savior was indeed born so many years ago. Let’s not wait until Christmas Eve to begin our Christmas worship.

One good way to do this is with music. As you sing the carols of Christmas this holiday season, truly think about the message of each verse. With songs that have become so familiar, it’s easy to merrily sing along but fail to actually hear the messages of the carols with our hearts. Let’s not miss those messages this year. Let’s sing with our hearts.

There’s no better time to start than now. Join me in hearing afresh the message of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as we sing our worship today! (This is one of several versions of the Latin hymn, author unknown.)

“O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!”

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23 KJV

*What special things are you anticipating this Christmas season?

*The winner of the Kick Off the Holiday Giveaway is . . .  Joanna! Congrats and Merry Christmas, Joanna! I’ll put your copy of Mother of the Bride along with the Starbucks gift card in the mail today!

*Hope you enjoyed this encore presentation of one of my December 2010 blog posts!

*Flickr photo by johanneschnelldorfer, Creative Commons License

Sweet Engagement Photo with Your Favorite Pooch

11875968776_9ddc4d8a5d_z*Giveaway winner announced below!

Mother of the Bride, does your daughter or her beloved have a dog they love to pieces? If so, they might want to think of ways to include their favorite pooch in part of the upcoming festivities.

One way they can include—and remember for posterity—their own “man’s best friend” is to ask their photographer to include the dog in one or two of the engagement shots.

I love the way the shot above is done with the freshly groomed furry friend in the foreground of the shot and the couple kissing in the background. Especially love the bokeh effect. A shot set up and taken like this ends up being both cute and romantic at the same time, doesn’t it?

So MOB, if your sweet couple are dog lovers, be sure to share this idea with them. Even if the doggy doesn’t cooperate, they’ll still end up with some sure-to-be funny shots—plus new memories made in the process!

*You might also like to read Man’s Best Friend as Ring Bearer and Cute Engagement Photo Idea: Include the Dog!

*The winner of the Kick Off the Holiday Giveaway is Joanna! Merry Christmas, Joanna! I’ll put your copy of Mother of the Bride along with the Starbucks gift card in the mail today!

*Flickr photo by Ryan Smith Photography, Creative Commons License