Bridal Dressing Room Must: Full-Length Mirror

May 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, I imagine your daughter and her beloved have already secured their wedding ceremony location since that’s one of the first things that needs to be done before proceeding with 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 when selecting a ceremony venue.

But now that the venue has been selected, be sure to tour it at some point 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 then 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, plus they’ll want to savor their beautiful appearance for a minute and tuck 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 it won’t be quite as important to them :)

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 Preparing to Decorate: Reception Venue Visit.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out May 1. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign up is free and to the right!

*Don’t miss out on the Splurge A Little Giveaway over on my home page. Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. (CST) Wednesday!

*Flickr photo by Corey Ann, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: appearance, bride, church, Mother of the Bride, preparation

Confessions of a Choir Junkie

April 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

6553031375_cc47471709_z*Since I’ve been traveling quite a bit the past few months to help take care of our grandbabies, I’ve been sharing encore posts more often than usual. Hope this updated April 2009 post blesses you today!

Okay, I admit it. My name is Cheryl, and I’m a choir junkie. I’ve been getting regular fixes for nearly 45 years now. At this point, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to quit.

Yes, I started young. Like so many others, I got hooked as a teenager. It didn’t take long for church choir to become addictive. I couldn’t help it. I loved to sing. Still do. And not just the occasional choir special for a Sunday morning service. I go in for the hard stuff — the cantatas. Just this morning, in fact, our choir did our Easter musical for the Palm Sunday service. And by the way, I lost track a long time ago of how many cantatas I have under my belt. Probably between eighty and ninety if you figure two per year — Christmas and Easter both.

We choir junkies stick together. We have to. We need each other to really soar. I’m an alto, even though I’ve always wanted to be a soprano. I’ve always envied the gals in the choir who can get really high. But the rest of us — the altos, the tenors, the basses — sing harmonies that add a completely different dimension to our shared effort, that take us all to new heights. Yes, we need each other to achieve the most satisfaction, the most glorious highs.

Okay, silliness aside, know what gives choir members the deepest satisfaction of all? Giving and bringing glory to God as we lift our voices as one, as we use the talents and abilities he’s given us to honor him and bless others. Isn’t he good to let us do that?

I’d say if I have to have a habit, choir’s a pretty good one to have, huh? How about you? Anyone else a choir junkie?

If you don’t love to sing, what do you love to do? Are you athletic or artistic? Maybe you love to bake or quilt or any other number of wonderful possibilities. I’d love to hear about some of the things God has given you a knack for — the things you really enjoy doing. Go ahead and brag on God a little. After all, we are His workmanship!

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God planned in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, will come out in early May. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by Stefan Karpiniec, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: church, creation/creative/creator, fun, music, praise, team

Bridal Photo Idea: Down the Aisle From Above

October 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, are you looking for some great photo ideas for your daughter’s bridal portrait session? The greater variety of shots the photographer takes, the better the chances are of getting the dynamite photos you’re hoping for. Of course, the photographer will have lots of great ideas, but if you and your daughter can add to the list, so much the better, right?

How about trying a down the aisle shot but taken from above? If the photographer has a way to stand somewhere above the bride, this angle produces an especially striking photo of the bridal gown in all its glory.

This shot can be captured if your daughter’s bridal portrait session is held at the church, but it can also be taken the day of the wedding before the guests arrive.

Similar from above shots could be taken in other locales, too. You wouldn’t get the down the aisle effect, but the photographer could still capture the beauty of the gown from this angle in a number of other gorgeous venues.

Just be ready to fluff the gown, MOB—and then watch the beauty unfold!

*You might also like to read Bridal Portrait Idea: Windows Plus Great Light, Bridal Portrait Idea: Fun with Sunglasses, Bridal Portrait Idea: A Mirror Shot, and Bridal Portrait Idea: Watching for the Groom.

*The Life Notes Subscriber Appreciation Giveaway is underway. Details are in my Oct. 16 post on my home page and sign-up is to the right under “Free For You.” Deadline is 6 p.m. Nov. 12. Don’t miss out on the chance to win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble!

*Flickr photo by thelivingdead531, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: beauty, bride, church, Mother of the Bride, photo fun, variety

Wedding Décor Tip: Adorn the Church with Pew Bows

June 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Church prepared for wedding

Mother of the Bride, when it comes to adding beauty to your daughter’s ceremony site, don’t overlook the power of a pretty pew bow. Simply attaching a bow to the end of the pew or row of seats is one way to help transform the normal everyday look of the church’s sanctuary into a place announcing the joy of the day, a place prepared for the beauty that will walk down its aisle.

You can purchase pre-made pew bows (be sure to catch them on sale), or better yet, ask an experienced bow-making friend or family member for her help. When my oldest daughter Kristin got married, one of her bridesmaids made the bows for us. We supplied the ribbon (purchased on sale, of course!), and she supplied the expertise and hands-on help. (Thanks, Chandi!)

And here are two bonus savings tips: 1) Only use the bows on every other aisle. Not only will this help cut expense, it will prevent an overdone look. 2) Also, knowing that our younger daughter might have need of them someday, we gathered the bows after Kristin’s wedding so I could save them for Kelli’s—and use them we did! 

So MOB, whether satin or sheer, whether white or one of the wedding colors, use pew bows to adorn the church with an extra touch of beauty. Remember, a simple addition like this can make a big difference!

*You might also like to read Wedding Table Decor: Add Pizzazz with Confetti, Wedding Decor Beauty: Candlelight Works, Reception Beauty Tip: Add Lights!, and Preparing to Decorate: Reception Venue Visit

*Don’t miss this: FREE 8×11 guestbook from Shutterfly for a limited time only while supplies last. Great offer!

*Flickr photo by Eusebius@Commons, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: appearance, beauty, church, decorate, Mother of the Bride, preparation

Let Others Serve the Way God Intends

March 10, 2014 by 4 Comments

Engleman Aster and butterfly“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body . . . We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:4-8

Do you ever feel like you’re being hindered from fully using the spiritual gift or gifts God has given you? Or maybe you feel like you’re being pressured to serve within the church—within the body of Christ—in a way you’re not gifted for? This can happen in your local church body or in the larger family of believers—maybe even including your own personal family or friends.

The verses above are from a well-known passage that exhorts us as believers to use the gifts God has given us. They teach us to fulfill our role in the body by serving God and others with the abilities God has individually equipped us with. For the body to function well, we each need to do what God intends.

When I read this passage not long ago, I saw it in a slightly different light as well. This time I saw how we are to allow others—to let others—use their specific gifts. If a brother or sister in Christ has the gift of teaching, we should let him teach. If his gift is giving, we should let him give generously, if encouraging, let him encourage, and so on.

What a wonderful reminder to allow others to be the individuals God designed them to be. We should not hold one another back from fully expressing and carrying out our God-given gifts.

For example, my husband Don has the gift of giving, and I have a tendency to apply the brakes at times. I know part of my role as his wife may be to help provide a voice of balance, but I also need to be ready to let him give and give generously. I need to let him use the spiritual gift God has given him.

Not only should we allow others to use their uniquely God-given gifts, we must also be careful not to try force them into roles not intended for them. This will lead to frustration for all concerned. It will also keep a person who is gifted for the role from serving because the position is filled.  In addition, we must remember that just because a program or ministry is important to us, it doesn’t mean that everyone else should be passionately committed to it. We all have different roles—which may, in fact, even last only for a season.

Let’s ask ourselves if there is someone in our lives we need to give the grace of freedom to. Someone we need to let be the person God’s gifted him to be, to do the thing He’s called him to do. Let’s let others serve the way God intends.

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?” 1 Corinthians 12:17

*How has God gifted you?

*My phot0

Filed Under: body, church, free, Gift, grace, serve, variety, Word of God
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