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