Bridesmaids Gifts: Buy from Ten Thousand Villages!

Mother of the Bride, is your daughter looking for a dynamite gift idea for her bridesmaids? Why not suggest gifts from Ten Thousand Villages? In case you’re not familiar with them, Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retailer who has been empowering and supporting fairly paid artisans in developing countries for more than seventy years.

Purchasing  bridesmaids gifts from Ten Thousand Villages will allow your sweet girl to be a double blessing—blessing her lovely bridesmaids with terrific gifts plus supporting hard-working, fairly paid artisans around the world.  Can’t beat that, huh?

Among the items that Ten Thousand Villages carry are jewelry, scarves, hats, purses, and other bags—all excellent ideas for bridesmaids gifts. If there is not a store in your daughter’s area, assure her that she can shop for these gifts online. On their website , the pictures of the individual items are large, and she will have no trouble selecting some beautiful gifts directly from the site.

And MOB, as you browse the site, I bet you will find something you’d like to have, too. Go ahead—be a double blessing!

*You might also like to read Polka Dot Nails for the Bridesmaids! and A Prayer for the Bridesmaids’ Luncheon.

*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! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Thien VCreative Commons License

Full Length Mirror for the Bridal Dressing Room

Mother of the Bride, your daughter and her beloved may have already secured their wedding ceremony venue since that’s one of the first things that needs to be done before 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.

But now that the venue has been selected, be sure to tour it soon 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  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, not to mention delighting in their beautiful appearance for a minute and tucking 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 you and I both know it won’t be quite as important to them, will it?

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 Preparation for Decorating Wedding Reception Venue.

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

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Corey AnnCreative Commons License

Wedding Day Photo: Bouquets in a Bunch

Mother of the Bride, I have a wedding day photo idea for you today that’s a real winner. This shot will be super simple for your photographer to set up but provides a colorful and gorgeous reminder of the day. Easy plus amazing. You can’t beat that!

I call this dynamite photo idea bouquets in a bunch. Simply have the bride hold her star-of-the-day bridal bouquet waist-high and then ask the bridesmaids to hold their bouquets all around hers. The effect is stunning as the bridesmaids’ bouquets encircle the bridal bouquet, showing off in glorious fashion not only the colors of the wedding, but the bride’s choice in flowers as well.

Why not suggest this perfect wedding day photo to your daughter, MOB? Then jot it down on the list of photos you’d like the photographer to take on her big day. You’ll be glad you did!

*You might also like to read Cute Idea for the Bride: Shoes to Match the Bouquet.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride 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 August. 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.

*Flickr photo by theinvinciblemom, Creative Commons License

Bridesmaids’ Manicure: Polka Dots and More

Mother of the Bride, here’s a fun idea for your daughter’s bridesmaids—polka dot nails! It might not be something the bride herself wants to do if she wants to go classic and not have her nails draw attention away from her dress or her bouquet, but this could be super fun and cute for the rest of the girls to do if it’s done tastefully.

Other design elements to the manicure could be added as well—just the tips in polka dots, a glitter line of some sort, different designs on different fingers, etc. I’ll include a few photos below to give you some ideas.

Another thought—polka dot manicures for all the girls could be a special gift from you, the MOB, to all the bridesmaids as the bride gets her nails done too. You could do this in lieu of a bridesmaids luncheon if you’d like. What a fun outing for the bride and her best girls as they get ready to celebrate the big day. Go for it, MOB—they will love you for it!

*You might also like to read A Prayer for the Bridesmaids LuncheonA Fun Gift from the Bride to Her Maids, Fun Gift Idea: Tote Bags for the Bridal Party, and Ten Thousands Villages Gifts for the Bridesmaids.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive a $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.) p.s. If you sign up after Jan. 29th, you will be included in all future Life Notes giveaways but not in this current giveaway.

*Photo credits in order of appearance:

1. Flickr photo by i love nail polish. . .  2. Fickr photo by kittynailpolish  3. Flickr photo by Eye Candy Joanne Duckmanton  4. Fickr photo by kittynailpolish  5. Flickr photo by .Krol.  All with Creative Commons License.

Gift for Bridesmaids: Personalized Canvas Carry Bag

Mother of the Bride, has your daughter given any thought yet to the gift she’d like to give her bridesmaids?

Most brides give their maids a little something special just to thank them for being a special part of her big day and for all their support along the way. Some give the gifts during the rehearsal festivities and while others give them on wedding day. Some might even opt to surprise their bride tribe ladies at a bridesmaids luncheon or some other special time like a spa day together. Any time will work—it’s the gesture and heart behind it that matters the most.

Possible gift ideas abound, of course, but one super cute idea is the Beigetone Soaps Personalized Canvas Carry Bag pictured above.

Tuck in a few special items like the amazing soaps Beigetone offers and possibly a nail polish that would work perfectly with the dresses they’ll be wearing on the big day. Your daughter will have fun selecting items and whatever she includes will be a special treat for all.

This sweet little zip bag can be used in a variety of ways and will provide your daughter’s maids with a fond memory every time they use it. On wedding day it could hold the essentials each lady will need as they get ready or it might serve as a handy catch-all as they make their way to the party following the ceremony. After that the bag might become a favorite makeup bag or a handy little item to have when packing a suitcase.

So Mother of the Bride, why not suggest this idea to your darling girl? If she loves the idea, my friend Nancy at Beigetone Soaps will be happy to help in any way she can. I’ve ordered from her before and she does a wonderful job of packaging your purchase. Your daughter can send her a note if she has special requests, and Nancy will do her best to fulfill them! (By the way, MOB, this would also make a perfect little gift for you to give the mother of the groom just for fun!)

*You might also like to read Ten Thousand Villages Gifts for the Bridesmaids, A Fun Gift from the Bride to Her Maids, and Fun Gift Idea: Tote Bags for the Bridal Party

*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 yesterday. 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 Beigetone Soaps