Advice to the Mother of the Bride

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For most mothers, the time when their daughter becomes engaged is a very exciting time. It may also be a bit bittersweet to see your little girl all grown up, although it is important to make sure that those feelings do not overshadow your joy. Planning a wedding with your daughter can be a marvelous bonding experience or a dangerous minefield, depending how it is approached. This is some advice that every mother of the bride should hear:

Don't criticize your daughter's fiance. Unless you are genuinely concerned for her safety, your daughter is an adult and has a right to pick her own husband without parental interference. By the time she becomes engaged, her mind is clearly set that she has found the man of her dreams. This is no time to nitpick about his choice of career, appearance, or even the size of the diamond engagement ring he gave her. These types of comments are likely to fall on deaf ears, and will only serve to drive a wedge between you and your daughter.

Do keep an open mind about the type of wedding your daughter wants to have. Perhaps your idea of a proper wedding is one with a church ceremony followed by a reception at your country club, but that might not be what your daughter has in mind. A key point is that she is not going to change who she is for the sake of the wedding. So if she always said that your club was stuffy, don't be shocked or offended when she announces that the wedding will take place in a state park. Be supportive and try to go with the flow. You might even find out that her ideas are pretty good!

Be diplomatic when shopping for a bridal gown. The chances are that you know your daughter's taste, and if it does not match your own, that is unlikely to change when it comes to the wedding gown. It is absolutely crushing to a bride to fall in love with a gown and have her mother shoot it down because it is not what she would have selected. Of course, you are free to give your opinions, but be sure to be diplomatic. I will never forget the mother who insulted the very informal dress her daughter had purchased for her wedding because it was not the satin ballgown that the mom thought all wedding gowns should be. The bride looked at her mother in disbelief and asked, "Remember me? I'm your daughter Sarah. I am not my sister!". Don't let this happen when shopping with your daughter!

Follow the bride's lead for your attire. If possible, take her shopping with you when you select your dress and jewelry for her wedding. You should obviously choose an outfit that you like, but the chances are that it matters more to the bride than you, so listen to her opinions. For a black tie wedding, go all out and dress to the nines with a very elegant dress and sparkling wedding jewelry, even if your everyday uniform is jeans and a t-shirt. Conversely, if the wedding is informal, don't insist on wearing a traditional mother of the bride outfit which will be out of sync with the style of the event.

Offer opinions, but don't be a dictator. If you are paying for your daughter's wedding, you certainly have the right to have your thoughts heard, but don't hold your checkbook over her as a weapon. It is no fair to threaten to withhold promised funds because she chose a different venue or centerpiece design than you would have liked. Compromise is the key to getting through the wedding planning process with your relationship with your daughter better than ever.

Laura is interested in wedding planning and wedding trends including wedding jewelry,receptions and gifts. Visit us at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ today and receive free shipping on any jewelry order over $99.

Wedding Day Advice From Veteran Brides

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As your wedding day draws near, it is only natural to feel some jitters. Did I plan for everything? What did I forget? What if something goes wrong? These are the types of questions that every bride-to-be asks herself at some point. To calm your nerves, check out this helpful wedding day advice from the veteran brides who have been there before you.

Most brides plan their wedding either with the help of a professional coordinator or a wedding organizer book. If you have kept up with your checklists, you can be pretty sure that you will have all of the major parts of your wedding covered. Often though, it is the little things that a first time bride will not be aware of until it is too late. Luckily, you have the assembled wisdom of many previous brides to make sure that your wedding day goes off without a hitch. Here is what they say.

Break in your shoes! Most dressy shoes are made with thin leather soles that can be very slippery. The last thing that you want is to slip on your way down the aisle while wearing a brand-new pair of shoes. Start by scuffing up the soles with sandpaper. (If you forget, drag your feet around the church parking lot before heading down the aisle.) To help the shoes form to your feet and avoid blisters, wear them around the house with a thin pair of socks a few times. Just keep them indoors so that they stay fresh and clean.

Remember to eat! In their nervous excitement, it is all too common for brides to forget to eat on the morning of their weddings. A little food is important, though, to keep your blood sugar steady and to keep you from getting lightheaded. Even if you do not feel hungry, force yourself to eat a cup of yogurt or a few crackers before slipping into your wedding gown and bridal jewelry. Have little sips of water to stay hydrated, but don't overdo it drinking coffee, as it will make you more jittery, and will make you need to pee a lot.

Speaking of that, use the bathroom before getting into your gown. Most wedding gowns have layers of fabric and crinoline that make using the restroom a logistical nightmare. Even brides with slender skirts will find relieving themselves to be a challenge, as your dress can get all wrinkled when it is bunched up around your waist. Drink just enough on your wedding day to stay hydrated, and designate a bridesmaid or two to assist you with your gown, in case you do need to go to the restroom.

When you are standing at the altar, do not lock your knees. It stops the blood from circulating in your legs, and you can end up feeling dizzy or faint. This is a common problem when brides are standing around for their bridal gown fittings as well as during the ceremony itself. During your fittings, you can practice standing still with soft knees.

The final piece of advice that experienced brides say they would like to share with women who are on the verge of getting married is to relax and soak it all in. It is easy to get so caught up in the whirlwind of your wedding day that you forget to take a moment to appreciate what is going on. When you are in your bridal gown, with your beautiful veil, and special jewelry waiting for the limo to the wedding ceremony, sneak off to a quiet room and steal a few minutes by yourself to reflect on the wonderful day. Do this a few times during your reception with your groom as well just to be able to take a breath and enjoy your wedding to the fullest.

Finding the whole process of weddings and all the planning that goes into one fascinating, Laura writes about many of the considerations that brides have to deal with. For beautiful bridal jewelry, take a look at the custom pearl sets at Silverland Jewelry.com.

Mother of the Bride Speeches - Tips & Advice

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Probably the busiest person around when their daughter decides to get married has to be the mother of the bride. This selfless woman spends untold hours planning the wedding, dealing with various schedules and appointments, arranging for fittings, tasting foods for the reception, visiting flower shop to select the needed flowers, planning the actual ceremony and getting all the invitations sent out.

As if this were not enough to keep her busy all day it is also her responsibility to provide the mother of the bride speech.

The mother's speech is typically given as the reception festivities start to close down. It is left to the mother to provide that unique opportunity to establish a lasting impression upon the reception guests as well as the bride and groom. It is the mother's speech which sends the couple off on their memorable honeymoon.

Here are a few important tips to make that speech special in every way. The speech provided by the mother is generally presented right after the groom's father has toasted the bride.

The speech should start out by telling a few humorous short tales about the daughter perhaps relating how she first introduced the mother to the groom. You should then officially welcome the groom to the family and don't forget to relate how you are very happy that he is marrying your daughter. Mention publicly to your daughter how special she is to you and that you wish her all the happiness that you possibly can.

You may perhaps care to thank the groom's family for having a thoughtful son. At this time you could thank anyone who may have helped in the creation of the wedding. Make your toast and stop there. You don't want to make your speech too long.

If you want to know how to craft the perfect wedding speech, you should take a look at my blog - I'll show you exactly what you should say in your speech. This will take all the stress and anxiety away, and it'll make it one of the most memorable & heart warming parts of the wedding, guaranteed. Click here to go there now.

The Bride Did What?! Outrageous Tales of Tulle and Taffeta

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Do you have a bride in your life who has gone a bit nutty? Or perhaps you are waist deep in tulle bags and Jordan almonds and could use a laugh right now? Well then, take a look at these tales of brides going off the deep end.

What is the craziest thing that you have ever seen at a wedding? Now personally, at the weddings which I have attended, the brides have been models of decorum and grace (well, mostly), but there are some pretty outrageous things that can happen at weddings. What makes them particularly funny stories to hear is the juxtaposition of the heavenly vision in the flowing white gown and perfect pearl bridal jewelry pulling some wacky sort of stunt.

For instance, I once knew a young lady who came from the "right sort of family", and was planning a tented wedding on her family's property overlooking a picturesque lake. Well, in the days after the wedding, some stories started to trickle in about this newlywed, and it turns out after knocking back a few brewskis (from a can, no less!) in her custom silk gown, nature called. Rather than venture back to the powder room in the house, this lovely young bride simply headed over to the edge of the woods and hiked up her fabulous gown, and well...you get where this is going. It certainly gave the guests something unique to remember about her wedding!

Sometimes the wacky things that brides do are not impulsive (or gross, for that matter), but rather pre-planned stunts to surprise or amuse their guests. There was the case of a couple who had a lovely outdoor wedding in a bucolic field beside a stream. Everything was as beautiful as could be, from the flowers, to the cake, to the radiant bride in her pretty bridal gown and pearl jewelry. Nothing could detract from the perfection of the scene, except...off to one side there was something covered by a big ugly tarp. The guests could not imagine why such an eyesore had not been removed before the wedding. That is until the end of the reception when the couple pulled off the tarp, and hopped into the river to make their grand exit...in a giant inflatable dragon boat!

Or what about the bride and groom who decided that they wanted to offer their guests some unique entertainment at their reception? It sounds nice, right? Until you hear that the fun activity is going to be rides on old mattresses pulled through the mud on the back of a four-wheeler! Worse yet, the bride hopped right aboard, white dress and all, for a mud-splattered mattress ride. Suffice it to say that not too many people were asking for her advice on planning their weddings.

We all know that there can be tension between a bride and her future mother-in-law. But really, is the wedding the best time for the bride to rub her mother-in-law's face in it? This happened when one outrageous bride decided to have a very unique wedding ensemble created for her special day. The outfit consisted of a long lace coat with a lace dress underneath. Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Until you hear that the dress underneath was a micro mini cut on a diagonal and trimmed with fringe. The most important thing to the bride was that when she danced, everyone would be able to catch a good glimpse of her butt cheek! This exercise in questionable taste was all done in the effort to shock and appal her mother-in-law...what do you think the chances are that it worked?

So the next time that your fiance or bride-to-be friend is driving you nuts, just remember these tales of outrageous brides. She may spend hours obsessing over bridal magazines or finding the perfect ecru napkins, but as long as the bride in your life does not end up on this list, you will know that you are doing just fine!

Laura helps brides with their wedding plans by offering advice on selecting bridesmaids gifts,reception ideas and other aspects of planning a wedding. Nothing is lovelier for a bride than pearl bridal jewelry.

Mother of the Bride Speeches - Tips & Advice

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Probably the busiest person around when their daughter decides to get married has to be the mother of the bride. This selfless woman spends untold hours planning the wedding, dealing with various schedules and appointments, arranging for fittings, tasting foods for the reception, visiting flower shop to select the needed flowers, planning the actual ceremony and getting all the invitations sent out.

As if this were not enough to keep her busy all day it is also her responsibility to provide the mother of the bride speech.

The mother's speech is typically given as the reception festivities start to close down. It is left to the mother to provide that unique opportunity to establish a lasting impression upon the reception guests as well as the bride and groom. It is the mother's speech which sends the couple off on their memorable honeymoon.

Here are a few important tips to make that speech special in every way. The speech provided by the mother is generally presented right after the groom's father has toasted the bride.

The speech should start out by telling a few humorous short tales about the daughter perhaps relating how she first introduced the mother to the groom. You should then officially welcome the groom to the family and don't forget to relate how you are very happy that he is marrying your daughter. Mention publicly to your daughter how special she is to you and that you wish her all the happiness that you possibly can.

You may perhaps care to thank the groom's family for having a thoughtful son. At this time you could thank anyone who may have helped in the creation of the wedding. Make your toast and stop there. You don't want to make your speech too long.

If you want to know how to craft the perfect wedding speech, you should take a look at my blog - I'll show you exactly what you should say in your speech. This will take all the stress and anxiety away, and it'll make it one of the most memorable & heart warming parts of the wedding, guaranteed. Click here to go there now.