Mother of the Bride Memory Boosters for Shopping

silly MOBMother of the Bride, I hope you like to shop because you will be doing a lot of it while you’re helping your daughter get ready for her big day. You may even find that all those dresses and décor are starting to run together. The details you thought you’d remember from one store turn to a haze by the time you’ve shopped around at others.

Why not go ahead and give your overworked brain a break and plan to boost your memory with two of the best friends an MOB-shopping-machine can have—a notebook and a camera. Pull out your cute little MOB journal/planner and jot down the name of the store along with the colors, prices, and other details you may need to remember. And if it’s not against store policy, snap a photo of each item. You’ll be glad you  did. (Notice I have my journal in hand in the photo above!)

My wedding planning notes and photos saved my MOB skin more than once. Even after my girls’ weddings, I referred back to my notes for certain information, and during our months of planning, the photos provided the perfect memory jog.

So next time you head out on one of your wedding shopping expeditions, MOB, arm yourself with a memory booster or two. Your weary brain—and your bride-to-be daughter—will thank you!

*You might also like to read A Planning Journal for Your Mother of the Bride Notes.

*Photo by my daughter Kristin; the dress is not the one my daughter Kelli eventually chose, but she still looked good in it! :)

*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post has been helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in August 2013.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter came out this week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Where to Find Your Mother of the Bride Dress

6276679391_98d1da37e6_zMother of the Bride, has the time come yet in your wedding planning journey to find a dress for yourself? If you’ve already helped the bride find her gown and accessories and helped select the bridesmaids dresses, it’s probably time to get busy finding a dress for yourself. You don’t want to feel too rushed with this task. After all, you deserve to look gorgeous on the big day, too!

To help make life a little easier for you, here’s a list of places where you just might find the perfect dress for yourself. I will link you directly (with embedded links) to the MOB or special occasion dresses. Enjoy your window shopping—and good luck!

Dillard’s
Macy’s
JCPenney
David’s Bridal
Alfred Angelo
Jasmine Bridal
Nordstrom
BHLDN
Bloomingdale’s
Neiman Marcus
Teri Jon
Mon Cheri

*You might also like to take a look at my Mother of the Bride Dresses Pinterest Board.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also 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.)

*Flickr photo by princess toadie, Creative Commons License

Christmas Gifts for the Bride

The Loot (3)*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, here is an updated encore post I hope will be helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in December 2013.

Christmas-shopping bills plus wedding expenses can equal one slightly stressed (okay, highly stressed) mother of the bride, can’t it? Either one of these particular expenses puts a strain on most of our budgets, but combine them and we’ll be seeing dollar signs in our sleep each night.

So what can you do, Mother of the Bride, to help alleviate a little of the financial pinch that may come your way in December? My oldest daughter Kristin inadvertently sparked one solution while we were planning her wedding. When the holidays rolled around, she told me not to worry about buying any Christmas gifts for her that year because she knew we were already spending a lot on her upcoming wedding. Of course, I didn’t want to forgo Christmas for her, but an idea clicked—why not combine the two?

And you know what? It worked perfectly. I went ahead and purchased the bridal veil she had shown interest in as well as a pair of bridal shoes and a beautiful wedding memories album that could serve as a guest book for the wedding. It also provided a place to record bridal shower and wedding gifts. A dear friend made some lacy garters for her and even decorated a special keepsake box for them with a bridal theme. I also gave Kristin a beautiful unity candle set as well as a fun honeymoon photo album. She was delighted.

So remember this, MOB, during the holiday season: A few meaningful wedding-related Christmas gifts for your bride-to-be daughter will strike her as not only fun but special as well while also giving your bank account a bit of a break. Another win-win on the wedding front!

*You might also like to read A Simple Wedding Expense Tip, Making Her Beautiful—Bridal Primping on a Budget, Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride, and Wedding Savings Tip: Borrow!

*Why not pop over to my home page and enter the Little Christmas Warmth Giveaway? Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. (CST) on Dec. 9th!

*My photo