For Mother's of the Bride
I have searched high and low for a positive wedding story from a bride and groom caught off guard by the uninvited Storm Irene attending their wedding. I have been unsuccessful.
My heart breaks for all the brides planning an East Coast wedding this weekend. I am confident I can say you are in the thoughts and hearts of all readers of The MOB Blog.
I spent a few relaxing days with Nicole last week. She filled me in on the fun she had being a bridesmaid for two college friends who married only weeks apart. We made lists of tasks for her wedding, and determined who would be responsible for each. More immediate was creating a theme and a game plan for her upcoming fall engagement party.
She arrived home from work early one afternoon just as the skies opened up and a tornado producing New England storm began moving in. We cancelled our reservations for dinner, opting to curl up on her sofa with her two kitties Walle and Ralph, surrounded by piles of wedding magazines and books; a recycling of information gifted her from one of her recent weddings.
It wasn’t long before we were totally focused on choosing a color theme for her wedding. A bride’s choice of color has an intense impact on the overall look and feel of a wedding; soft or monochromatic colors give a more sophisticated and traditional feeling while bright and cheery colors can be used to created a less formal setting. It is an important decision and one not made easy by the variety of options available both in wedding attire and floral arrangements.
I just received a tweet on a wonderful site that offers information and photos on just this topic. While I send it off to Nicole, I thought I would also share it with you. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and being a visual person, I found Ideal Wedding Magazine very helpful.
If you are discussing color choice with your daughter for her wedding I think you will enjoy this site.
Happy Planning!
Cellulite? Who me?
OK ladies, if we ever need to look our best it is while we carry the title of Mother of the Bride. Fab Over Fifty, one of my favorite websites for women of a certain age, is offering a giveaway of the BelleCore HoneyBelle® Body Buffer, the brilliant cellulite buster that Neiman Marcus just named “Best Beauty Tool of 2011” to four lucky winners.
Let’s see if one of our readers from The MOB Blog or member of The MOB Group on Facebook can be that lucky lady. What fun to get hands on feedback from a Mother of the Bride on a product that helps reduce the appearance of cellulite just when needed most!
Click on over to Fab Over Fifty and enter to be that lucky lady.
Happy Planning
I love the honesty of Janet Mitchell, author of the blog, My First Daughter’s Wedding. Her byline reads, “I am the mother of a 21 year old college senior, currently assisting with planning her wedding and (mostly) loving every minute of it!”
Who are we kidding? A wedding requires the planning and execution of a time sensitive and detail focused event. Colleges offer degrees in Hospitality and Event Planning! Planning a wedding is no small task.
And if the physical planning of a wedding wasn’t enough, there is the emotional drama, often caused by those closest to us…our family…and his family. There is no silver bullet for solving these issues. Family problems that have been swept under the rug, or that have bubbled for years will not be resolved because of a wedding.
Here is advice from Nara Schoenberg, author of Family smackdown: Should you get into the ring?
Don’t make it worse:
There are plenty of things you can do to head off or defuse a big family fight…and a few approaches you probably shouldn’t take:
Don’t interfere if you don’t have real influence over the key players. You could make matters worse.
Don’t take sides. That just fuels the fire.
Don’t get upset yourself. Your family needs a calm grown-up right now, not another overgrown child.
Read more on Ms. Schoenberg’s advice for defusing the drama at weddings : Family Smackdown: Should you get into the ring?
Cynthia Keeley is author of Cyn’s Spin and contributor to The MOB Blog.
Cynthia Keeley, author of Cyn’s Spin Blog on The MOB Blog had three short months to plan her daughter’s wedding. She quickly went to work researching on-line wedding resources. Here is a list of Cyn’s recommended websites for On-line wedding products.
EBay: BM dresses, cake set, silk guest book, sunglasses and ribbon.
Etsy: Invitations, soaps, truffles and assorted candy items (handmade), favor tags and paper items for the tables.
WeddingLinensDirect : Overlay chair ties and favor bags.
ACandyStore: Candy in all colors for the candy buffet.
OrientalTradingCompany: Various wedding items.
SaveOnCrafts : Apothecary jars for the candy buffet.
ScoopScoop : Candy scoops.
PaperMart : White boxes and shredded filler.
Luna Bazaar: Parasols for the bridal party pictures.
PureDymondEvents : Rented chair covers for the unbelievable price of $1. each!
Happy Planning!
When you leave the house for work, or to run errands, do you often throw that little extra something in your bag … just in case?
Your daughter’s wedding day will be no different, except with detailed planning, you just might need a bigger bag!
Take a moment to think about what items you will want close by before you walk down the aisle; tissue, your favorite lip gloss? Would you like cold water available as you travel to the wedding ceremony and reception venue?
Perhaps you and your daughter would have fun pulling together a Mother – Daughter emergency kit in a fancy container to be delivered to the wedding venue and waiting for you when you arrive. (Come to think of it, wouldn’t this make a nice Bridal Shower gift for your Bride if done in a pretty purse or tote?)
Here is a list to get you thinking. Simply add your favorite things to complete your MOB Emergency Kit.
Small scissors
Nail file
Clear nail polish
Tide pen stain remover
Antacids
Breath mints
Extra stockings
Tissue
Hair pins
Safety pins
Double sided tape
Scotch tape
Crazy glue
Snacks
Travel size:
Tooth brush & tooth paste
Deodorant
Hand cream
Hair Spray
Mirror
Did you know…
According to The National Association of Wedding Ministers
Be clear on your Save the Date cards as to whether a single person is invited to attend with a guest.
Inviting a guest of a guest is always difficult. In many situations you are eating into your head count limit with people you do not know.
That said, if a single guest is invited to bring a significant other, the significant other requires the same courtesy of lead time to set the date aside and make arrangements. This is especially true when a wedding takes place over a long holiday weekend. If a guest you invite knows he or she can bring a date to your wedding, they will probably be thrilled with the invitation. If, however, your single guest is invited to come alone, they may opt for spending that July 4th weekend at the beach with friends.
Be confident with your wedding guest list…right down to guests of guests…before sending out your Save the Date cards. If you are inviting someone with a guest, be sure to mark “& Guest” on the envelope. Don’t make friends and family call to ask about bringing a guest.
The perfect gift for a bride and her mother!
Price per book: $12.95
Marisa Baratelli