Wedding Party: the Mother of the Bride

Because today is Mothers' Day--at least on the other side of the pond--it seems like the perfect day to inaugurate my long-intended series on members of our bridal party.

The mother of the bride is different than the rest of the bridal party. The parents of the bride are the only people involved in the ceremony about which the bride has absolutely no say. I picked my readers, my bridesmaids, and even my groom... but, even if I did have a choice, there is no one I would rather have gone through this wedding planning journey with than my mother.

Mom has been absolutely amazing! She's spent a lot of time playing intermediary across three states and the Atlantic Ocean, but she's done it without ever complaining. She asks me what I want and then makes it happen--like a fairy godmother, except better. We could never have done this without her.

More than that, though, she's been an amazing emotional support. She's been extraordinarily aware how being overseas occasionally makes me feel like I'm missing out on part of the "wedding-planning experience," so she's gone out of her way to make me feel extra special when I'm at home--particularly in the forms of manicures, "trousseau shopping," and pleasant lunches. She's also the one I call for tough answers about marriage. After almost thirty-five years of loving marriage, she's always ready with honest and helpful advice about starting our marriage off right.

There's no way a simple blog entry could be an adequate tribute for someone who has done so much to make our wedding a success. But in the little way I can, I just wanted to thank her. Happy Mothers' Day, Mom.