Choosing A Mother Of The Bride Dress - Pleasure Or Predicament?

Image : http://www.flickr.com

If you're the mother of the bride at an upcoming wedding, congratulations! You have a major part to play in supporting your daughter as she prepares for her big day. Being the mother of the bride (or the M.O.B., as she is sometimes known these days) is a role which calls for understanding, tact and diplomacy in many delicate areas, not least being the question of wedding attire. As well as helping your daughter to select her bridal gown, you have another tricky choice to make: finding your own mother of the bride dress.

As with most aspects of wedding planning, there are conventions that some couples wish to follow and others they will prefer to ignore. But if you know what the 'rules' are, you'll be better able to decide when you want to break them! And in most cases, the principles governing mother of the bride gowns are designed to allow her due precedence -- without overshadowing the bride herself!

• 
  Appropriate color. Many people feel that mother of the bride dresses should not be white or black. In the first case, of course, it's because white is traditionally the color reserved for the bride. The second rule harks back to a time when the bride's mother could signal her unhappiness at her daughter's marriage by wearing the color of mourning.
  
  While such a gesture might be thought extreme in today's world, it is still frowned upon in some quarters for the M.O.B. to wear black -- perhaps simply because it might be considered bad luck. These days, however, what's appropriate is often dictated by the style of the wedding and the bride's preference -- and in an era when evening weddings are not unusual, black might be an acceptable choice.



• 
  Coordinate with the mother of the groom. While it's customary for the M.O.B. to choose her dress first, it's considerate as well as prudent to liaise with the groom's mother in matters of style and color. This will at least minimize the risk of both mothers turning up to the wedding in the same outfit!



• 
  Complement the dresses of the bride and bridesmaids. As a member of the wedding party, the eyes of the guests will be drawn to your outfit too. Plan well ahead with the bride to decide on an age-appropriate design and color to coordinate with their styles.

As part of the build-up such a joyous event as a wedding, choosing a mother of bride dress ought to be fun. And while finding exactly the right outfit may require a considerable expense of time, energy and shoe leather, it's a task that you can enjoy in the company of your daughter or a close friend or two, if you like. After all, the wedding will be partly your day too!

Nigel Patterson is a business writer and publisher of http://Inexpensive-Weddings.com

Visit his website for tips and ideas for creating your dream wedding on a tight budget: wedding dresses, invitations, rings, cakes, wedding favors, flowers and more ...

Wedding Shower Questions

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Who may organise the bride her Wedding Shower?

Any of her friends, often a member of her bridal party, cousins, sister-in-law, aunts, friends of her mother or of the groom's mother, frequently, if she works, staff members of the organization where she is employed. Because gifts are the sole object of a shower, good taste forbids members of either the bride's or the groom's immediate family to give the shower. Note: It is a good plan for friends to consult one another before arranging a shower in order to avoid four or five affairs with the same guests. It is much better to join forces in one or two showers. If a joint shower for the bride and the groom is planned, it should be given jointly by friends of each.

Who is invited to the Wedding Shower?

The bride's friends (those who are close enough to her to want to be included in giving her a present); always all members of the bridal party. The hostess of the shower may invite friends of the bride even though she herself does not know them well, but she does not ask her own friends who do not know the bride well because they would have no reason to bring a gift, but could not very well come without one. Also, the hostess invites the bride's and the groom's mothers and sisters (but they are not expected to bring gifts). If only women are invited to a shower (usually daytime parties), the groom does not participate. Sometimes men are invited to join the shower party after the gifts are opened. On such occasions, the men do not bring gifts. If the shower is a joint one, both the bride's and the groom's friends are invited, including members of the bridal party, the best man and ushers, and the parents of the bride and the groom.

Invitations to showers are not limited to any particular age group. Both the bride's and the groom's friends are likely to be of various ages. If the bride is employed and her office or school gives her a shower, it is not customary to invite those not employed in the organization in which she works.

When is a Wedding Shower given?

Usually six weeks to one month before the wedding. They are planned for any time of the day or evening, according to the kind of party the hostess would like to give.

How are invitations extended to a shower?

They may be telephoned: 'I'm having a linen shower for Mary Smith on Saturday. Come for brunch at one o'clock' or Written on a visiting card:

Everything goes really, except Formal engraved 'fill-in' invitations are never correct.

What should those invited to wedding showers know about gifts?

Everyone invited to a wedding shower gives a present whether able to attend or not. The only exception is when a person happens to be invited who does not know the bride well enough to be interested, in which case the invitation may be declined with a reasonable excuse and a present is not sent. Guests either bring the gifts to the wedding shower personally or send them in advance to the hostess' home. If an invited guest does not attend the shower, he sends the gift to the hostess' home. Bring or send the gift wrapped, although the hostess may re-wrap in uniform gift paper. Enclose the donor's card in every case. Wedding Shower gifts are sometimes given in place of wedding gifts, especially when a shower is given by a bride's co-workers in an organization. Usually, however, the shower gift is in addition to the wedding gift. It is good taste to keep wedding shower gifts small. They should never cause financial strain. Remember that there may be a number of wedding showers. Guests should consult the hostess in advance of the wedding shower date to avoid duplication of gifts. If the hostess suggests the services of a shower consultant in a local department store, gifts may be purchased through her to avoid duplication. Guests should always give the kind of gifts indicated on the invitation and suggested by the hostess. If the gifts are to be any kind of wearing apparel, exact sizes should be learned. Guests do not individually present the gifts to the bride at the shower-the gifts are presented all together, and are opened while the friends watch.

At a joint shower, the women guests give presents to the bride and the men to the groom. Note: Guests never give lingerie at a joint shower.

What does a hostess consider when she decides to give a shower?

She decides whether to give a 'bride's shower,' a 'groom's shower' (although more frequently this kind is given by a host), a 'joint shower,' or one of the 'special' showers.

She consults with the bride's mother about what the bride will need or would like. Also, in order to avoid duplication, she checks with her about the kind of shower some other group of friends may have planned.

She considers especially the advantages o£ the 'important gift' shower. This shower (usually a 'joint' shower but not exclusively so, if one prefers to make it one of the others) is becoming increasingly popular since it costs the individual guests no more than the smaller presents they would ordinarily bring, but gives the bride and groom something they very much want but which they might not be able to afford for years. The invited guests each contribute a small amount of money and the total is used to buy one good gift-an electrical appliance, a piece of furniture, a rug, a fine painting, or a special piece of silver.The hostess also decides whether the shower is to be a surprise and if so, how to make sure it will be.

What kind of party should be the setting for a wedding shower?

A wedding shower may be any kind o£ a party-a breakfast or brunch, luncheon, bridge, afternoon tea, cocktail party, dinner, dance, supper, or evening party.

What kind of refreshments are served, and when?

Wedding Shower refreshments usually are light. The kind, of course, depends upon the type of party-brunch, luncheon, tea, or after dinner. Whatever the refreshments, they are usually served after the gifts are unwrapped.

What are some general ideas for wedding shower decorations and the presentation of gifts?

First plan a color scheme related to the kind of shower to be given. A kitchen shower might be red and white checks; lingerie shower, blush pink and ice blue; wines and liquors, brown and beige.

Decide in what part of the room the gifts are to be arranged, and where the bride will sit to open them. Have a supply of gift wrapping paper in the color scheme to re-wrap all gifts uniformly. Guests may be asked to send their gifts to the hostess' home in advance of the shower day. The new wrapping is put over the original wrapping. Note: If all guests are ordering gifts through the shower consultant of a department store, this consultant will have them wrapped uniformly according to the color theme specified. For decoration and for the refreshment table, be sure to order fresh cut flowers to tie in with the color scheme.

Have a huge laundry bag in the color scheme in which the presents may be carried home.

What about entertainment at wedding showers?

Entertainment may be planned or unplanned. Many people think immediately of games. These should be planned and included only if the group is one that enjoys games. Or, they may be planned, one or two started, but given up if they do not seem to be going over well. It is better to have planned entertainment than to have everyone sitting around stiffly, or to have one or two people doing all the talking. A shower should last about two hours and should consist of the greeting to everyone, a game or general conversation for awhile, unwrapping the gifts, and refreshments. There are a number of good books on this subject which give a wide variety of games, many planned especially for showers.

Should the Bride send any thank-you notes?

The bride thanks each one as she opens her gifts. She may write individual thank-you notes in addition if she wants to, but this is not usually expected. She should write a thank-you note or telephone anyone who sent a gift but did not attend. She should by all means write a thank-you note to the hostess.

Beautiful Jewelry for Him and Her. Diamonds, Gold and Silver. Best choice & best prices at MyPinkDiamonds.com

The DIY Bride - Planning Your Own Wedding Has Never Been So Easy

Image : http://www.flickr.com

This year women are deciding to cut back on wedding expenses, especially on the small things. In my own wedding I was able to significantly cut expenses by avoiding any services that had "wedding" in front of the name. A "wedding caterer" is no better than a normal caterer. The only difference you will find is the price. Always stick with high quality professionals, but stray away from anyone that specializes in weddings whenever possible because they will raise the price just because they know that they can.

A really great way to cut back on wedding expenses is to do many things yourself rather than paying a wedding planner or wedding service to do them for you. If you're the creative type and love things like scrapbooking, knitting or sewing you will enjoy designing and planning your own wedding while saving lots of money at the same time. Some of the things I did myself for my own wedding were designing, purchasing, and putting together my own centerpieces, buying "like real" flowers and creating my own bouquets ahead of time, designing and printing my own invitations (complete with gold ribbon and matching envelopes), and doing my own hair and makeup (not recommended unless you are confident in your abilities and not very stressed about your wedding).

One thing I enjoyed very much was finding vendors who were just starting out. I really love giving opportunities to small businesses and I was able to find a wonderful caterer and cake maker right in my neighborhood and had exceptional food at a fraction of the cost of a "wedding" vendor. They were full service, delivered the goods and served at my wedding and I received several compliments on the excellent food and service. I was also able to recruit a teacher-friend of mine who had also planned her own wedding to be my wedding coordinator. With the heart of a teacher and the organizational abilities to go with it she was able to lead my bridal party in creating a breathtaking wedding march and Bridal reveal.

Visit sites like YouTube.com and watch tutorial videos to learn more about wedding planning and saving money on your bridal purchases.

Becoming a Blushing Bride

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Walking down the aisle is perhaps one of the most earnest dreams of every woman. From little girls who imagine marrying Prince Charming to the lovely ladies who wish to exchange vows with the love of their lives - there are just so many who long to be a blushing bride.

To many, the bride is the center of the wedding, the belle of the nuptial and the star of the romantic event. In fact, surveys show that the second most anticipated moment of the wedding is the moment the bride shows up in her beautiful gown. The only moment that beats it is the couple's kiss after they are declared man and wife. Just the same, every bride owns the spotlight on her wedding day and her wedding night. Her groom, guests and bridesmaids indulge her to wallow in everyone's attention and affection.

As a bride, the woman wants to make sure that the wedding she has is the one of her dreams. Many brides prefer traditional white gowns and simple gold bands in lovely churches. Others on the other hand want to get married beside the sea or in plush gardens. There are also others who want to tie the knot on top of towering skyscrapers or even underwater. No matter what a bride picks, one thing is certain. She will exhaust all possible options just to get what she wants. This is just the nature of every beautiful blushing bride.

Since being a bride is a phenomenal event in a woman's life, many females also face the pressure which comes with it. From petty problems like losing weight before the wedding and major dilemmas like getting cold feet - the negative possibilities are simply endless. Sometimes, brides even tend to worry about the more unimportant things. Obsessing over bridal gowns, reception themes and others are some major "bridezilla" syndromes which suck out the joy in all weddings. If this happens to you, or a bride that happens to be dear to you, just remind yourself, or them, that the wedding is not about the gown or the guests. It's about two people celebrating their undying love for each other - no more and no less.

However, every bride must face and overcome these troubles in order to become a happy woman. The important thing here is to make sure that a bride's impending marriage is done for reasons of true love at the right moment and time. Otherwise, it is always better to postpone being a blushing bride for a more suitable time or sometimes, a more suitable man. It may sound harsh at first, but a harsh realization is sometimes better than being a blinded bride forever.

These are the things every girl needs to know when it comes to making their bridal dreams come true. Remember, it takes a lifetime of love and life before finally getting started on that one minute wedding march of a lifetime.

Mark Clayson is a widely read physician who has a variety of interests.