It's Mothers Day, so it is only fitting that today we talk about the Mother of the Bride and their role in the wedding planning process.
So what are the responsibilities of the mother of the bride?
First, she needs to be so excited and supportive of her daughter. She is taking one of the biggest steps in her life and will need her mother to be her guide, confidant and supporter.
This is a time for her to make her decisions with what she wants, not what Mom wants. Offering advice is one thing, taking over is another.
This can be a fun experience for Mother and Daughter if Mom can let go of the control and enjoy the process. It can be magical when she chooses her wedding dress, sees the perfect flower arrangement and finds the right venue. These will be moments to be treasured forever.
There will be times when all engagement etiquette can go out the window. This is when the bride and groom have reached levels of stress that they never imagined they could find, Mom should try to be the calming force in the engagement.
Other than being a great support for the bride, there are other mother of the bride etiquette items to follow. These will help move the planning and execution of the wedding along smoothly.
- Budget~ if Mom is helping fund the wedding, she will need to sit down with the bride and groom to determine the wedding budget. This needs to be done right away and throughout the engagement.
- Mother of the Groom~ if she does not contact your Mom, ask your mom to contact her. It is a good idea for her to establish a good relationship with his mother.
- Guest List~ compiling a guest list quickly is a good thing to do. There will be people that are important to Mom that she wants to include that the Bride may not know.
- The Dress~ Once the bride has chosen her dress and colors, Mom will need to select her dress. Good mother of the bride etiquette will have her in a long, modest dress that fits in with the colors the bride has selected. Once Mom has chosen her dress, let the mother of the groom know so she can select hers.
- Accommodations~ It is one of Mom's jobs to help the bride's guests make travel and hotel arrangements for the wedding day. If there are a number of guests coming in from out of town, reserving a block of rooms at a nearby hotel will be the best bet.
- Ceremony Instructions~ Make sure that the wedding party has instructions for the ceremony. This will include the seating arrangements, the order of the receiving line and any other requests the bride has. Making sure the wedding party shows good wedding etiquette is very important.
- Enjoy!~ Last but not least enjoy the day! The Bride may be the princess for the day, but remember Mom is the queen. Take the time to cherish the occasion and the people who are sharing it.