Archives for 2018

Wedding Planning Help Plus Holiday Blogging Break

December 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, it’s time for me to take a holiday blogging break but not before I leave you with some great wedding planning help. I’ll be back with my weekly posts starting Jan. 1st, but in the meantime, I hope you’ll find lots of helpful ideas and info as you take advantage of today’s post.

I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas—and I wish all the best to you and your daughter as you continue preparing for her big day. May the following help you in that endeavor!

Here are four resources from yours truly:

  1. Look through the list of Favorite Posts on the sidebar and click the links to the ones that spark your interest. (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find the sidebar items.)
  2. 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. You’ll find the Archives on the sidebar too so use the directions above to find it if you’re on a mobile device.
  3. Check out my Pinterest page. Among other things, it features eighteen wedding-related boards!
  4. Glance through the roundup posts I’ve written so far. Roundups can be very helpful:

Roundup: Popular Mother of the Bride Blog Posts
Bridal Bouquet Roundup
Wedding Cake Roundup
Wedding Registry Roundup
Wedding Photo Ideas Roundup That Star the Groom.

Helpful Links for Wedding Planning

*If your daughter is in the beginning stages of gathering ideas and investigating her options, try Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple Weddings, and Brides.

*If your daughter wants a rustic wedding, check out Rustic Wedding Chic.

*If you want a unique and fun gift idea for the bride or bridesmaids, take a look at Along Came a Box.

Hope this helps you and your sweet daughter, MOB!

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

*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 with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. 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.)

*Flickr photo by Daniel Y. Go, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, bride, help, holidays, Mother of the Bride, preparation Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Joy

December 4, 2018 by 4 Comments

December is already a month of great joy as we celebrate Christmas, but I’d like to further focus on joy in this month’s installment of my blog series which features sentence prayers that invite God’s power into our lives.

I pray that these brief prayers will not only increase the joy you’ll already be experiencing this month, but that they will make a difference in your life every month as you make them your own. May these prayers be a special blessing to you, my friends!

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Joy

  1. Father, since you are my ultimate and unfailing source of joy, help me be faithful  to praise you and daily spend time with you, knowing that these things will bless not only you but will also give rise to joy in my heart. (Psalm 71:23; Habakkuk 3:18; Acts 2:28)
  2. Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit each and every day and bless my life with the fruit of joy that will be a natural by-product of the Holy Spirit’s filling. (Acts 13:52; Galatians 5:22)
  3. Lord, help me to be a blessing to you and a blessing to others today, and as I find opportunity to do that, joy is certain to bubble up in my life as well. (Psalm 147:11; Acts 20:35)
  4. Father, cause me each day to hunger and thirst for your Holy Word, and may my reading and study of it bless me with a deep and abiding joy. (Psalm 119:16; Jeremiah 15:16)
  5. Lord, inspire and strengthen me to daily choose joy, keeping my eyes on you instead of the circumstances surrounding me. (Psalm 118:24 KJV; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Philippians 4:4)
  6. Lord, help me each day to be more mindful of things both large and small that give me joy and help me remember to thank you for them. (James 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
  7. Father, give me wisdom to daily do something that gives me joy, something that will keep my spirit refreshed and my energy recharged. (Ecclesiastes 5:19 and 8:15; 1 Timothy 6:17)

As our lives always shine with the joy of the Lord, may others be drawn to him!

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” Psalm 126:2 NIV

*Which of the prayers do you most need to incorporate into your life right now?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. 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.)

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

*Flicker photo by Pamela P. Stroud, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: blogs, faith, focus, growth, help, joy, life, prayer, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Fun Pre-Ceremony Idea for the Bride and Groom

December 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, one of the many fun parts of your job as MOB is to pass along good wedding-planning ideas to your daughter, but it carries an extra thrill when it’s a fun idea especially for her and her groom. And today’s idea—which I saw on the Martha Stewart Weddings website—is sure to be a hit with both of them.

If your happy couple has opted to not see each other on wedding day until the ceremony (or first look photos), suggest they have fun texting teaser photos to each other in the hours leading up to their first in-person moments together. This will be a playful way for them to feel more connected, build anticipation, or to simply ease whatever nerves they may be experiencing. It will also add to all the special memories of their big day.

So go ahead, MOB—add to your daughter’s and future son-in-law’s joy by passing along this super fun pre-ceremony idea. They will be so glad you did!

*You might also like to read Coordinate Colorful Bride’s Shoes with Groom’s Socks , Custom Sneakers for the Bride (and Groom!), Wedding Reception Game for the Bride and Groom, Wedding Photo Idea: The Corner Shot, and Fun Gift Idea From Bride to Groom: Snazzy Socks!

*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 with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. 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.)

*Flickr photo by goingslo, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: bride, fun, groom, joy, laughter, love, memories, Mother of the Bride, photo fun Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Guest List Help: Don’t Forget the Father of the Bride

November 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, when you’re thinking of people to include on your portion of the guest list for your daughter’s upcoming wedding, don’t forget to ask for help—from the father of the bride. That’s right, here is one of the tasks where you need to get his input and find out his desires.

Don’t assume that you know who the FOB would like to invite to the wedding. You might be surprised by just exactly who he wants—or doesn’t want—to invite to join you for the festivities. He may want to invite his co-workers but not his boss, or he might like to include his golfing buddies but not the fellow members of the civic group committee he’s serving on.

Also be sure to get his input on the total number of guests to invite. Unless the bride and groom are paying for their own wedding, you need to be on the same page with the FOB on this important decision since it will impact the cost of the wedding. If you avoid hard feelings over unexpected financial stress, everyone will be happier when wedding day arrives.

MOB, maybe you could even make the guest list conversation fun and make a date out of it. Go for coffee or dessert and take your pad of paper along. Brainstorm names with the father of the bride and enjoy something yummy while you’re doing it. Another win-win on the wedding planning front!

*You might also like to read Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride, Wedding Day Emotion: Father-Daughter Dance Songs, and Wedding Day: Grab FOB for Impromptu Portrait. 

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

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out early this month. It’s not too late to receive it. 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.)

*I hope this slightly revised encore post from Mar. 2014 blessed you today!

*Flickr photo by Corey Ann, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, bride, celebrate, family, help, money, Mother of the Bride, preparation, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Christmas Moments: Carol Your Way to Worship

November 27, 2018 by 2 Comments

Have you ever caroled your way to worship? I have. And one of the best ways I know to enter into sweet moments of personal worship is through singing the carols of Christmas.

As the season gets started, I urge you to find a hymnal or a songbook of classic Christmas carols and choose one to sing each day in your quiet moments with God. You probably know many of these long-time favorites by heart, but I encourage you to find the words written out somewhere so you can sing all the verses. I promise you will find treasure you have forgotten about or never knew was there.

Several years ago while singing “O Holy Night!” during one of my personal worship times, the Lord ministered such encouragement to me through the last half of the second verse—the verse that is usually left out when we sing it in groups or hear it performed. How grateful I am I didn’t leave it out as I sang privately to him that Christmas season.

Join me today, won’t you, and carol your way to worship this holiday season. Here is “O Holy Night!” to get you started (text by John S. Dwight; melody by Adolphe Adam). May the King of kings minister to your heart as you sing to him!

“O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Fall on your knees, Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand;
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend;
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace;
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name;
Christ is the Lord, Oh, praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim.”

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness . . .” Psalm 96:9 NIV

*Which carol would you like to sing next as you carol your way to worship?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out early this month. It’s not too late to receive it. 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.)

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

*I hope this slightly revised encore post from Nov. 2011 blessed you today!

*Flickr photo by infomastern, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: celebrate, Christmas story, holidays, music, praise, worship Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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