Being the mother of the bride is definitely one of the most important roles in a wedding. The mother of the bride will not only be providing the all-important support, but also be helping with the decision-making process by bringing valuable knowledge and experience to the table.

Every wedding will be unique, but over the next few paragraphs let me take you over a few of the aspects where the mother of the bride can make all the difference!

 

Tradition

Who better than the mother of the bride to bring up the religious or cultural traditions to bring into your ceremony? How many “back in the day” stories might actually bring valuable ideas for your special day?

 

Decisions

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that Bridesmaids aren’t important when it comes to the decision-making process. Just think about it though… Times do change but in all likely-hood, the mother of the bride will have gone through the same challenges at some point.

She’ll know what to look out for in vendors and she’ll anticipate issues before they arise.

Also she’ll be great to bounce ideas off of. The dress, the decoration, the invitations, the catering, the venue, the groom… no, just kidding about the groom, but they can definitely help trim the guest-list! The point is you should always expect honest feedback from the mother of the bride.

Not to mention that when the need arises, the mother of the bride can be the perfect tiebreaker!

 

Keeping order

Speaking of tiebreakers, there will be occasions where a tiny bit of interference is required. I’m talking about disagreements. I’m talking about not letting things get out of hand and saying what has to be said.

It’s certainly true that most disagreements do resolve themselves but the self-sacrificing mother of the bride will usually be the one willing to have those awkward and difficult conversations should the need arise.

 

Point of Contact

For my weddings I know that I always request that there be someone designated to help with coordinating but so will other vendors. Wedding planners, florists, caterers, the venue will often have questions throughout the day and require a second point of contact.

 

The hostess

Naturally every wedding is different, but often the mother of the bride is the official hostess seeing to the guests. She’ll be the one greeting and making sure everything’s alright.

 

Dressing the Bride

Most of the points above will be completely invisible when it comes to the photos of the big day. This one however is the big exception. It’s such a special moment watching the mother of the bride helping her daughter into the dress and placing the veil.

I often see brides considering whether or not whether they should have the wedding preparation captured. The idea is to free up budget for the honeymoon, however is it not priceless to have these moments documented? These moments are all-important in telling the story of the day.