Author: Mary P Karnes

I am a wife, author, teacher, and MOTHER OF FOUR DAUGHTERS! Weddings are a large force in our lives these days. One daughter married in June of 2014, another will in July 2015. Please join me on my blog and enjoy the wedding ride! It's full of ups…and downs.

The Perfect Mother of the Bride Dress ?

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

So… I had a plan.  I bought my dream dress, as my “Mother of the Bride” attire, for my daughter, Maggie’s wedding… and I was going to wear it for next bride, Kathleen’s  wedding.  I presented my thought to my family, but my BRILLIANT plan was shot down.  Not by my daughters, they were all OK with it, but by my husband.

He thought the family wedding pictures would suffer…

One more thing to worry about. The pressure was on to find the perfect mother of the bride dress!  A few months ago, I visited Maggie and new husband, Rob, in Philly.  They were the ultimate tour guides. We enjoyed a horse drawn carriage ride, taking in the historical sights, visited Maggie’s school, U Penn, Rob’s Optometry School, had Philly Cheese Steaks, (I prefer Geno’s), saw the Liberty Bell, and traveled the Main Line.  But I didn’t mention… we also went to the King of Prussia Mall – the biggest mall in America, measured by the most retail stores. Guess what?!?

I found a dress!

While I can not show you the dress…I CAN share with you a swatch.  Yep, blue again!  It’s a loose weave with a matching under slip.  And yes, it’s sleeveless once more.  Am I a masochist?!?  But again, I love the dress.  It’s simple, but has a little more flair than what I’m wearing in the pictures above.  Can’t wait!  Thankfully, it fitted in with KK’s vision – or it would have to be changed. It’s her day!

You know this means I have to buy another tube of “Fat Girl Skinny Arm Candy” by Bliss, and start using my hand weights again… Good news is…this year I do not have the terrible “Softball Mom” farmer’s tan, so I won’t have to try to “even out” the tan line on my arms — don’t know if you remember, dear reader…but THAT was a disaster…

Photo creds: Patty Cloherty

Mother of the Bride Emergency Bag

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

 

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So when the big day FINALLY arrives, you want to be prepared for any minor problem, OR, Heaven forbid…major disaster.

You KNOW that no one can do it better than a mother…so as ‘Mother of the Bride’, you should be responsible for “The Mother of the Bride Emergency Bag.”  Remember when your daughter was a little girl?  You had everything in your purse but the kitchen sink?  When she got a little older and you were a “Dance Mom” or “Sports Mom” you had it all – including fashion tape or bug fogger for those “outdoor events”?  Well, your daughter’s wedding day is one of “those days” times 10!  My dear friends, Tammy and Nancy, gifted me with the wonderful bag above, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to load it up.  Following are a few items that are must-haves:

Bride’s personal make-up items for touch-up

Fashion tape for last minute adjustments

Band-aides

Mini sewing kit

Advil, or other pain reliever

Tums

Immodium – please God—no!

Tampon –again- No!!

Tissues!!

Hairspray

Deodorant

Castile soap and or baking soda for MINOR spills

Static guard

Wrinkle releaser

Wisp/ mouth wash

Safety pins

Earring backs

Emery board

Snacks – something with no red or chocolate – what in the heck would THAT BE?!?  🙂

Bobbie pins, white as well as bride’s hair color, in case you need to pin a veil or headpiece

Bride’s purse with her ID, credit card, a few bill, and whatever she may need for the wedding night.  It would be easy to forget a purse in all the frenzy of the day.

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Maybe you’re a ‘stream-lined’ mom…and you think you can get by with the minimal, (anyone who’s ever been my travel companion, knows that’s NOT the case with me… 🙂 ).  Check out the darling case above.  Found on pinterest.com

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www.bp4ublog.com

If you REALLY want to go all out, check out the enormous list above!

And you know… If you pack all these items, you won’t need a one…

 

 

 

More Excellent Wedding Ideas!

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

Ready for more excellent wedding ideas?

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Photo by She – N- He Photography and Design

I love the idea of the colored tulle netting under this bride’s dress.  It adds a bit of flare, and matches her shoes and bouquet.  Of course, one would have to choose a “ball gown”  type skirt for this effect – no mermaid gown for her!  If you can’t tell by now, after viewing my blog’s header a few times…I’m a BIG fan of brides’ shoes photos.  I’m going to be sure to have several pictures taken of my second bride’s, first daughter’s shoes…and what shoes that are!  But then when you have size 6 feet – all looks cute!

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Eliza Jane Photography

Wish I had done this at my first daughter, Maggie’s, wedding…but then again, isn’t everything digital now?  I don’t know about you, but all my addresses are on my iPhone, iPad and Macbook.  But it’s a cute idea…and all the WEDDING GUEST addresses WOULD be in one spot…gifts could be added right to the address index card for easy reference.

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Photo by Faithfully Focused Photography

Cute social media idea… we did this at Maggie and Rob’s wedding.  But KK has said, “NO,” for her wedding.  Passé already?  Things change so quickly…I MAY try to talk her into it…

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Photo by Brooke Courtney

This is brilliant.  No matter who you are, or who is helping you plan/organize, as the “Mother Of The Bride,” you are ultimately responsible for all details of your daughter’s wedding.  No guest is going to say, “Wow, that wedding planner really messed up the details.”  If things go awry, it ill be on you.  Keep a detailed list with you in your “Mother of the Bride” bag – we’ll talk about THAT tomorrow… or better yet… ALSO put all contact info into your smart phone.

Ideas/pictures found on: moncheri.com

Beautiful Wedding Ideas

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

I started a list of beautiful wedding ideas as soon as my daughter, Kathleen, was born.  After attending a wedding, I would note everything I liked about it.  I would keep this list, I told myself, until Kathleen was planning her own wedding.  I was diligent…for awhile.  Then after all our moves…California, to Utah, to Texas, to Illinois, to Kansas, back to Texas and finally, to Connecticut…it went missing.

But there are definitely some things I have found in my daughters’ wedding searches that I think memorable… Who needs a list now that there are internet sites such as pinterest.com, theknot.com, etc.?  Following are some excellent ideas…maybe daughters number three, Tess, and number four, Julia will incorporate some of them in THEIR weddings.. 🙂

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evermind.com

Love this idea.  If you are comfortable leaving your drink unattended…it’s a nice idea to keep your drink from being removed…AND hold your seat when the dancing starts.

 

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Photo by Bliss Weddings & Events

The above image is a package set for guests to take home a piece of wedding cake – complete with a fork and napkin!  This is actually something I experienced as a little girl of 4.  I attended my very first wedding, and guests were provided with a white carton of wedding cake to take home.  My mother told me to place the cake under my pillow at night and that I would dream of my husband…  Not sure if I did or not, in those days, I slept completely uninterrupted.

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Photograph by Alisha Brooks. Buy at ILovePaperkits on Etsy.

Pinning photos of loved ones gone, or not able to attend, on the bride’s bouquet is a beautiful sentiment, if a little maudlin…I think KK’s idea of pinning her grandfather’s handmade bit of jewelry, (that happens to belong to her grandmother), on her poesy is better…

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The RSVP card encourages guests to add songs to the DJ’s playlist. We did this for KK and Tyler’s response cards, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many people added songs.  I am excited to dance, myself!

Ideas found on: moncheriebridals.com

Tomorrow, even MORE ideas!