Wedding Planning Help and a Holiday Blogging Break

Mother of the Bride, with all things Christmas in full gear now, I’ve decided to take a blogging break until after the first of the year. Like you I’m sure, I want to focus on faith, family, and friends over the next few weeks. We need to make the most of our precious time and do what’s really important, don’t we?

So allow me to go ahead and wish you and yours a very merry Christmas—and I wish all the best to you and your daughter as you continue preparing for her big day. May the following help you as you do just that!

Here are five resources from yours truly:

  1. Read my book Mother of the Bride: Refreshment and Wisdom for the Mother of the Bride. Allow me to be your friend for the journey!
  2. Look through the list of Favorite Posts on the sidebar and click the links to the ones that spark your interest. (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find the sidebar items.)
  3. Use the Search bar. Simply type in any topic you’d like to find some ideas or info for and see what comes up!
  4. Check out my Pinterest pageAmong other things, it features eighteen wedding-related boards!
  5. Glance through the roundup posts I’ve written. They are listed below. Roundups can be very helpful:

Wedding Photography: Bridal Portrait Roundup

Roundup: Popular Mother of the Bride Blog Posts

Bridal Bouquet Roundup

Wedding Cake Roundup

Wedding Registry Roundup

Wedding Photo Ideas Roundup That Star the Groom

Finally, if your daughter is in the beginning stages of gathering ideas and investigating her options, try Martha Stewart Weddings and Brides.  And if she wants a rustic wedding, check out Rustic Wedding Chic.

Hope this helps you and your sweet bride-to-be daughter, MOB!

*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, comes out in early February. Sign-up is free! Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Daniel Y. GoCreative Commons License

Wedding Cake Idea: A Gift Box!

Mother of the Bride, are you or your bride-to-be daughter on the hunt for a unique wedding cake idea? I might have just what you’re looking for today!

How about a wedding cake that looks like a gift box? The one pictured above is just one example of a multitude of possibilities. The fresh flowers make a lovely topper, but a ribbon and giant bow would look great too. As long as your cake designer coordinates the design with the wedding colors, the details can be up to you. And I’m willing to bet your designer will have some great ideas too, right?

Be sure to share this idea with your daughter, MOB. Who knows, the hunt just might be over!

*You might also like to read Unique Wedding Cake Idea: Word Search Cake! and Wedding Cake Idea: A Crepe Cake!

*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 earlier this month, but 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 Graceful Cake Creations; Creative Commons License

Wedding Keepsake Photo Including the Invitation

Mother of the Bride, here’s a keepsake photo that’s easy to forget on wedding day: one that features the invitation. The photographer will take shots of the programs, the tent cards for the reception tables, and place cards for the bride and groom, but if a copy of the wedding invitation is not on hand on the big day, chances are you’ll miss getting a professional photo of it.

In the photo above, I love how the wedding invitation is featured along with the bride’s rings and shoes. What a beautiful shot capturing these precious elements of a once-in-a-lifetime day!

MOB, don’t let the invitation get overlooked. Take a moment right now to add it to the list of shots you’d like the photographer to take. You and your sweet couple will be glad you did!

*You might also like to read Turning the Ordinary into Keepsakes, Add Sparkle to the Bridal Garter, and Craft It: Bridal Keepsake Box.

*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 November. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by shannylynneCreative Commons License

Wedding Planning Advice: Give Yourself the Gift of Easy

Mother of the Bride, if you’re like I was while in wedding planning mode, you’re all about saving a dollar or two (or ten!) every chance you get, right? Your mental calculator runs non-stop, causing you to continually feel the pressure of mounting expenses. You begin to look for every way you can to save a little money. But you know what? Sometimes it’s not worth it.

My first time around the MOB block, I decided we should forgo the pre-cut tulle circles we wanted to use for making the favors—little bags of chocolate candies tied with pretty ribbon. In an attempt to save some dollars, I decided we could cut our own circles of tulle.

Big mistake. At a time when both the bride and I had more to do than we had time, we had to push ourselves even more. Yes, believe it or not, the tulle circle-cutting fairies did not show up at nighttime to cut the circles for us.

My decision to cut costs ended up costing us in other ways—in time, in stress, and in weariness. The dollars saved were definitely not worth it.

Learn from my mistake, dear MOB. Carefully weigh all the costs before making more work for yourself or the bride. Sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself the gift of easy.

*You might also like to read A Simple Wedding Expense TipMothers of the Bride Need Prayer, and Gather Photos Early for Wedding Day Slide Show.

*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 November. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by FutUnBeidlCreative Commons License

Wedding Cake-Stand Idea: A Glass Stand

Mother of the Bride, once your daughter chooses the design for her wedding cake, she’ll still need to decide what kind of cake stand she’d like to use. And believe it or not, there are several varieties to choose from—everything from silver-plated to acrylic to wood and lots of options in between.

One simple but still beautiful option is a glass stand. Not only does it look classy, but it gives you the opportunity to further add to the presentation of the cake by placing décor of some sort under the glass. Glass crystals are pictured under the stand above, but you could use flowers, pearls, or any number of other items.

You or someone in your family might be able to fashion a glass stand on your own, but your wedding cake designer will have cake stands available to rent too. If your daughter likes the glass option, be sure to ask your designer if she has one available and what the rental price is. Also be sure to search online because you might be able to purchase one for about the same price. Then you’d be able to use it again or sell it and earn back the purchase price.

Of course, glass pedestal stands offer another great option for all sizes of cakes but could work especially well with smaller cakes and cupcakes. See below for one example. You can still scatter decor under this style of cake stand too.

If you’d like to show your daughter other possibilities for cake stands, have her check out these links for more ideas:

etsy.com/market/wedding_cake_stand

pinterest.com/explore/wedding-cake-stands/ 

Get creative, MOB, and have fun brainstorming options with your precious girl!

*You might also like to read Wedding Cake Trend: Multiple Mini Cakes and Cake Table Tip for Weddings: Display Engagement Photo.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride 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.

*Top Flickr photo by the-icing-on-the-cake. (Jo)Creative Commons License; Second Flickr photo by smcgee, Creative Commons License