Wedding Registry to Consider: Williams Sonoma

Mother of the Bride, has your daughter considered setting up a wedding registry at Williams SonomaSince it’s not one of the standard registries that most brides think of, setting up a registry at this amazing cooking (and more!) store might not have occurred to your darling bride-to-be.

Williams Sonoma offers top-of-the-line quality products that any newly married couple would be lucky to own. Since many of the items fall outside the price range most newlyweds’ own purchases, what better way for your sweet girl and her beloved to begin to acquire these wonderful kitchen and home products than by receiving them as wedding gifts?

Like with most other registries, your daughter can create a Williams Sonoma registry online, but if she’d prefer, they also offer free in-store or virtual registry consultations. Even if she doesn’t feel like she needs a consultation, she might like to visit a store to see their products first hand. It always helps to see and handle items in order to choose what we like best, doesn’t it?

MOB, suggest the Williams Sonoma registry to your daughter and offer to visit a store with her. And then do your best not to want to buy everything in sight for yourself!

*You might also like to read Bridal Shower Idea: A Cooking Class!

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and 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 November. Sign-up is FREE! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*My photo

Wedding Cake Table Idea: Display Engagement Photos

Mother of the Bride, want to add another aww factor to the cake table besides the cake itself? Display one or more of the happy couple’s engagement photos! It will be elegant but simple at the same time. Can’t beat that!

Featuring an engagement photo on the cake table not only adds a sweet and romantic touch to the cake table décor, it gives you one more way to use and share those special photos that you’ve already spent money on. It’s always a plus when one expense can fulfill more than one purpose, isn’t it, MOB?

If possible, match the frame to the cake or other décor on the table to help pull the whole look together. The silver frame in the photo above is the perfect complement to the white wedding cake, silver cake stand, and the silver champagne bucket and cake server set used at my daughter Kelli’s wedding. In the photo below, the brown wooden frame is a perfect match for the chocolate groom’s cake chosen by my daughter Kristin’s groom for their wedding.

If simple, elegant, and already paid for sounds like a good combination to you, MOB, see if your daughter and her beloved would like to display some of their engagement photos on their cake tables. Everyone will enjoy!

*You might also like to read Preparing to Decorate: Reception Venue Visit, Wedding Table Decor: Add Pizzazz with Confetti. and Table Decor Finishing Touch: Fresh Rose Petals.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and 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 May. 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.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Photo above by Flowers Photography; photo below by Chris Humphrey Creative Services

Wedding Centerpiece With a Rustic Flair

Mother of the Bride, is your sweet girl wanting to add a hint of rustic-yet-elegant to her wedding? It’s certainly possible to feature some rustic touches without going full-on rustic in every aspect of the wedding. It helps that many rustic wedding décor ideas lean closer to the feminine and elegant side than to the down-home country vibe that many couples really love.

One way to add a beautiful rustic touch is with a centerpiece that says rustic and romantic all at once. The centerpiece pictured above is a perfect example. Just look—you’ve got jars and burlap, but you’ve also got lace and delicate flowers. And what do you end up with? A centerpiece that exudes romance and beauty but also casual simplicity.

Also, consider the elements that make this centerpiece work so beautifully—the odd number (three jars) used, the various heights used as well as various shapes of the jars, the base that ties in to the theme, and the colors that work so well together. All of these things work together to make such a pretty centerpiece.

So MOB, why not show this centerpiece to your daughter and see if it (or something similar) would help her add that hint of rustic that she’d like to include in her Big Day festivities. She may love it—and you’d get to check one more thing off your list! Fingers crossed for you, MOB!

*You might also like to read Rustic Wedding ResourceRustic Wedding Ideas: Boot Bouquets, and Cake Idea for the Rustic Wedding.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride 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 last week. 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.)

*Photo by Stephtphotography

Idea for Wedding Card Box: A Hatbox!

Looking for another wedding card box idea, Mother of the Bride? If your daughter would like something other than a wedding theme for her card box (as in the wedding cake card box), why not suggest a pretty hatbox for collecting the cards?

When my daughter Kristin got married, I asked the groom’s mother if she would be in charge of providing the card box. My sister Debbie had provided one for her son’s wedding so I thought it would be a nice way to include our groom’s mom—plus relieve us of the task. Smart, huh?

Even though Linda admitted to not be very arts and craftsy (I’m not either), she happily agreed to do it. She recruited the help of a friend, and they came up with the hatbox card box pictured above. So clever and pretty!

To make the hatbox idea work for a wedding, just incorporate the wedding colors on the box as well as some gorgeous flowers and pretty ribbon. Add a corded handle and personalize with the happy couple’s names, and you’re good to go. It will definitely make an attractive and unique addition to the gift table.

Hope the hatbox idea appeals to you and your daughter, MOB. And if you’re lucky, the groom’s mom will take care of it for you!

*You might also like to read Wedding Card Box Idea: A Wedding Cake!

The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive $15 gift card to Starbucks 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! (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 check out my Books/My Work page.

*My photo

Table Décor Finishing Touch: Fresh Rose Petals

Mother of the Bride, here’s a quick decorating tip for your daughter’s big day—ask your florist to sprinkle fresh rose petals on all the tables at the reception. Guest tables, cake tables, photo tables, buffet tables. They look beautiful everywhere. All it takes is a few scattered here and there.

Fresh rose petals add the perfect finishing touch—a splash of color and oh so delicate. They might even provide a whiff of fragrance. Plus the lush look of fresh rose petals just can’t be duplicated with the silk variety.

At our daughter Kristin’s wedding, it was actually our cake baker and not our florist who added the final cake decoration of fresh roses and then surprised us by scattering petals from some of the same roses on all the tables. Not only was it gorgeous, but it helped tie all the décor together by incorporating the flowers from the cake. Thanks so much to Emeline from Grandeur Affaires: Nibbles Café in Tulsa, OK for adding so much to the overall beauty of the reception.

So check with your daughter, MOB, and see if she might want to add this delicate final touch to the tables at her wedding. Tell her I highly recommend it! :)

*You might also like to read Wedding Table Décor: Add Pizzazz with Confetti, Table Décor for Rustic Weddings, and Bride’s and Bridesmaids’ Bouquets as Cake Table Décor.

The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early November. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble 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! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Since the readership here on my blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post from October 2013 helped you today!

*Photo by Chris Humphrey