Let Bridesmaids Bouquets Perform Double Duty

Mother of the Bride, does getting twice the use out of the bridesmaids bouquets sound good to you? I thought it might. As long as you’re spending the money on beautiful bouquets for your daughter’s maids, you might as well let them perform double duty, right?

Bridesmaids bouquets can be easily repurposed as table décor at the reception. Simply give the bridesmaids instructions as to where they are to place their bouquets as soon as they arrive at the reception. Or have a designated person gather the bouquets (after any photos of the maids holding them) and then run ahead to the reception and place the bouquets for you.

At my daughters’ weddings, we used the bridesmaids bouquets on the groom’s cake table (as seen above) and also on the gift table. The bouquets came in particularly handy on the cake tables. No need to purchase any other kind of décor to accent the cake. Place a bouquet or two near the cake and dress up the table further with a framed photo or two of the happy couple and the cake table is good to go. (By the way, we used my girls’ bridal bouquets on the main cake tables.)

The wonderful thing about bridesmaids bouquets is that they can be used anywhere you need a touch of beauty. You could place them next to the guest book at the reception site or on a photo table if your sweet couple chooses to have one of those. They could even be used as centerpieces on some of the guest tables if you’re doing a variety rather than the same centerpiece on every table. And you may think of other spots where they’d work beautifully as well.

So MOB, why not make plans for the maids bouquets to do double duty? A win-win for sure!

*You might also like to read Quick Tip: Getting the Most Bang for Your MOB Buck, Savings Tip for Bridal and Bridesmaids Bouquets and Christmas Gifts for the Bride.

*Photo by Flowers Photography

Bridal Bouquet Idea: The Roses Have It!

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Mother of the Bride, has your daughter decided yet on what kind of bridal bouquet she wants? The choices are myriad so unless she’s always known what she wants for her Big Day bouquet, it will be helpful to look at many options to see what strikes her bridal fancy.

As she considers her options, be sure to show her an all-rose bouquet like the one pictured above. Absolutely stunning, isn’t it? This particular bouquet is a large one, but a medium size bouquet can be equally beautiful.

You might think an all-rose bouquet would be pretty expensive, but roses are actually considered one of the cheaper flower options for weddings. Even going with a large number of roses in the bouquet can be less expensive than bouquets featuring some of the more expensive wedding flowers.

If your sweet girl decides on roses, then next she’ll need to decide if she wants to go with a single color or mix it up a bit by featuring a few colors. The all-white one above is always a gorgeous and elegant choice, but other colors make beautiful bouquets too. She just needs to decide on the look she is going for and on what appeals to her.

As you share the all-rose bouquet idea with your daughter, MOB, encourage her to make the choice she truly wants. The bridal bouquet is part of her overall look for the biggest day of her life so you’ll want her to be in love with her choice. Good luck to you both as you wade in to the world of wedding flowers!

*You might also want to read White or Cream Bridal Bouquet: Add a Touch of Color, Single Bloom Bridal Bouquets, Inexpensive Bridal Bouquet Idea: Baby’s Breath!, Bridal Bouquet: Classic and Elegant Calla Lilies, Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere Sheet Music Idea, Knitted Bridal Bouquet and More, and Wedding Idea That Sparkles: A Brooch Bouquet!

*Flickr photo by Katsunojiri, Creative Commons License

Wedding-Themed Shower Gifts

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Mother of the Bride, since you will undoubtedly be attending more than one shower for your soon-to-be married daughter, you may be on the hunt for ideas. As ever—on the gift front or any other wedding-related front—I stand ready to help with ideas I’ve used myself or have seen others score a homerun with.

Since you may be shouldering most of the expense of the wedding, why not give yourself a break and give shower gifts that can be used at the wedding? Not only will your pocketbook thank you, but your daughter will too. She will love receiving elegant wedding-related items that may end up becoming keepsakes.

Some wedding-themed ideas that make lovely gifts include: Classic wedding photo frames that can be used on the cake tables or photo table (excellent places to display bridal portraits and engagement photos), an elegant cake server set, exquisite toasting flutes, pretty garters (one for keeping and one for tossing), a beautiful wedding photo album or scrapbook, or even a dated wedding-themed Christmas ornament.

Use one of these ideas, MOB, and you’ll make your daughter very happy with a beautiful keepsake gift—plus your shower gift will do double duty and help save on your overall wedding expenses. A win-win for everyone!

*You might also like to read Bridal Shower Gift Idea: A Wedding Towel Cake!

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (current or new) will receive a Starbucks gift card and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Since the readership of this blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post from November 2013 helps you today!

*photo by Chris Humphrey

Use Engagement Photo for Bridal Shower Invitation

3603572456_1c7fcaf33f_oMother of the Bride, are you helping plan a bridal shower for your daughter? Or do you know the girls planning the shower well enough to make a suggestion? If so, here’s an idea you might want to pass along—or incorporate into your own plans if you’re one of the hostesses.

Why not use one of the engagement photos on the invitation? The photo on the invitation above is fairly small, but I’ve seen a bridal shower invite done that uses the entire top half of the invite to feature the engagement photo. The details of the shower were then listed beneath it.  

I love this idea—how about you? Not only does it make the invitation gorgeous and meaningful, but it utilizes the expense for the engagement photos in one more way. Gotta love that, right, MOB?

*You might also like to read Bridal Shower Cake: A Cupcake Wedding Dress!, Bridal Shower Idea: A Cooking Class!, and Wedding-Themed Shower Gifts.

Wedding Cake-Stand Idea: A Mirror!

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Mother of the Bride, when it comes time to decide wedding cake details, I encourage you and your daughter to consider several options for cake stands. Maybe with some extra thought, you can avoid renting traditional cake stands for the wedding cake and/or groom’s cake from your baker.

For example, how about using a mirror as a cake stand? The mirror cake-stand above is pictured with a groom’s cake, but one could be used for the wedding cake, too, if you aren’t concerned about adding height to your cake.

A mirror as a cake stand not only provides a cool illusion but could also be used for other purposes after the wedding. So even though there will be some expense in purchasing a mirror, it will continue to benefit you after the wedding instead of simply losing your investment in a rental fee.

What do you think, MOB? Why not check with your daughter and see if a mirror might work well with the cake she has in mind? She might just love the thought of getting a bigger bang for the wedding cake buck!

*You might also like to read Wedding Cake-Stand Idea: Use Glass!, Wedding Cake Idea: Swiss Dots, and Cake Table Tip for Weddings: Display Engagement Photo.

*Flickr photo by prettydaisies, Creative Commons License