Wedding Day Portrait: Father of the Bride

March 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

-5074Mother of the Bride, if getting the Father of the Bride to pose for a picture seems as impossible to do as catching a unicorn, wedding day is the answer to your prayers. Don’t miss your chance. Who knows when such an opportunity will roll around again!

What better time to capture a great photo of the former main man in your little girl’s life? After all, he’s all dressed up with nowhere to go while he waits to walk your daughter down the aisle. The Father of the Bride above just happens to be my husband on the day of our younger daughter’s wedding. I’m so glad the photographer thought to take this photo. It’s one of the best ones we have of Don.

So MOB, just ask your photographer to pull the FOB aside at some point before the ceremony and do an impromptu portrait session. A good photographer can snap three or four great shots before the FOB decides he’s had enough. Quick and painless—and you’ll end up with a dynamite photo!

*You might also like to read Wedding Day Photo Idea: The Groom and Minister.

*Photo by Flowers Photography

Filed Under: advice, appearance, bride, family, memories, Mother of the Bride, opportunity, photo fun, preparation, wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Father-Daughter Dance Songs for Weddings

May 18, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, can you guess what one of your most emotional moments will be on your daughter’s big day? If you guessed the Father-Daughter dance, you guessed right.

When your little-girl-turned-bride and her daddy take to the dance floor on wedding day, you might just come undone. Years of memories will flood your heart, and you’ll feel like you’re out there on the dance floor with them giving her away one final time. You may even feel like it’s your last hurrah as the most important family members in her life, but instead, try to see it as a wonderful tribute to all the love you’ve shared over the years.

To help your family prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime moment, here’s a list of great song possibilities for this special tribute dance. Run them past your husband and daughter and see which ones they’re drawn to. They may want to find the songs online and listen to them together. Another great memory in the making. Enjoy!

“In My Life” – the Beatles
“You Send Me” – Sam Cooke
“The Way You Look Tonight” – Frank Sinatra or Steve Tyrell
“Come Fly With Me” – Frank Sinatra
“My Girl” – The Temptations
“Isn’t She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder
“Unforgettable” – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole
“Cinderella” – Steven Curtis Chapman
“My Wish” – Rascal Flatts
“What a Wonderful Life” – Louis Armstrong
“Butterfly Kisses” – Bob Carlisle
“How Sweet It Is” – James Taylor
“My Little Girl” – Tim McGraw
“Times of Your Life” – Paul Anka
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
“I Loved Her First” – Heartland
“It Had to Be You” – Ray Charles
“Daughters” – John Mayer
“You Are So Beautiful” – Joe Cocker
“Daddy Dance With Me” – Krystal Keith

For now, MOB, get your hankie ready. I have a feeling you may need it. And that’s okay. The tears will just be love flowing from your eyes.

*You might also like to read Wedding Day First Dance Photo—Show Off Her Rings!, Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride, and Guest List Help: Don’t Forget the Father of the Bride.

*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 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 Barry.Lenard, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, bride, celebrate, family, fun, help, joy, love, memories, Mother of the Bride, music, pair, preparation, tradition, variety, wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Praying for Members of a Wedding Party

October 6, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, it’s so easy to be consumed with all the details of planning a wedding you might overlook one of the most important ways you can provide support—prayer. Chances are you have felt the need for prayer yourself so it’s safe to assume most everyone else involved has felt the need as well.

My article “Praying for Members of a Wedding Party” will give you specific ways you can pray for each member of your daughter’s wedding party. The article is now appearing on the War Cry website (national magazine for The Salvation Army) so just follow the link below to find it.

I pray that it will be a great blessing to you and many others. Why not share it with the rest of those playing a role in your daughter’s big day? And don’t be shy about sharing it with others who would love to provide you and yours with the gift of prayer.

Now enjoy and be blessed, MOB: Praying for Members of a Wedding Party

*You might also like to read A Mother of the Bride’s Thanksgiving Prayer, A Prayer for Weary Mothers of the Bride, Pre-Ceremony Wedding Day Prayer Idea: The Mother of the Bride Prays for the Bride, and Mothers of the Bride Need Prayer.

*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 November. 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 Oct. 30th, you will be included in all future Life Notes giveaways but not in this current giveaway.

*Flickr photo by Corey Ann, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, advice, blessing, bride, bridesmaids, Gift, groom, groomsmen, group, help, Mother of the Bride, prayer 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: , , , , , , , ,

Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride

March 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment

*I’ll be taking a blogging break during Spring Break so will see you back here Tuesday Mar. 27. Blessings to all!

Mother of the Bride, are you on the same financial wedding-planning page as the Father of the Bride? Budget talk is never fun—in daily life or in wedding planning—but you’ll save yourself and your husband (or ex-husband as the case may be) countless unpleasant exchanges if the two of you are in budget agreement from the earliest stages of your planning.

FOBs may joke that their job in wedding planning is to hand over the checkbook or credit card, but they really do want to have a say in what’s reasonable to spend for the whole affair. If you’re not careful, wedding expenses can turn into a runaway train in the blink of an eye. If you know how much the FOB is comfortable spending, MOB, you’ll know when to apply the brake and slow the wedding-planning locomotive down.

Most men—on their first time around the FOB block—have no idea what a wedding can cost so be sure to enlighten the FOB in your life early on. Better to give him a chance to absorb the shock and weigh in on the budget for your particular wedding than to hit him with repeated shockers throughout the course of the planning.

So MOB, honor the FOB by getting on the same financial page with him from the beginning. Remember, you’re on the same team. You’ll enjoy the big day—and each other—so much more if financial strain and unhappiness doesn’t become a wedge between you. And hey, your spirit of cooperation will bless your sweet daughter as well!

*You might also like to read Wedding Expenses: Get the Most Bang for Your MOB Buck, A Simple Wedding Expense Tip, and Wedding Savings Tip: Borrow!

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

*Have you subscribed to Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue? If not, sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, just scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Hope this revised encore post from Jan. 2014 was helpful to you today!

*Flickr photo by Tax Credits, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, family, money, Mother of the Bride, pair, peace, preparation, team, trust Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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