Mother of the Bride

I have nine children, six boys and three girls. I have experienced a lot of things - childbirth, first communions, confirmations, piano recitals, sports, plays, grade school graduations, high school and college graduations, marriages, and the births of grandchildren. I have been the mother of the groom to five of my sons. Now I am taking my first tentative steps into being the mother of the bride. This is a new and awkward role for me. In the beginning, I tried to do it quietly and thoughtfully without stepping on anyone's toes. Unfortunately, I was successful for a few hours, and then I screwed it up. Not only did I put my one foot in my mouth, I ended up with both feet in it. That was just the beginning.

It is hard to be asked questions or advice when you know what you should say but being honest just might get you into trouble. The hardest part for me was the Wedding Fair. I saw more flower arrangements, more photographers with their new and "in" photo presentations, dresses long and short, simple and trendy with and without a flowing train, cakes of all shapes and sizes, and women who had glazed eyes, like mine. But sampling pieces of all different wedding cakes and flavors was a perk, as was the free candy that I snatched out of the bowls on the vendors' tables.

My daughter and her fiancee are paying for the wedding. I should have learned to say, "If that's what you like and want, go for it." But no, I seemed to have added a little bit more like, "You know what would be nice, or if it were my wedding..." That doesn't go over well at all.

A destination wedding might be the best route. Yet, my fear of flying might add more stress upon stress. Then again, it would add to my year of adventure. Since this is just the beginning of my adventures in the role of the mother of the bride, I will be adding more about this in my future blogs.

If anyone has any words of wisdom for the mother of the bride, or wants to share any of your stories, please feel free to do so.