Stuck for great gifts to give your mom and your soon-to-be spouse’s, to show how much you appreciate their wedding help and support? These thoughtful mementos range from classic and timeless, to chic and beautiful, to a little bit…of both!
A practical gift gets a dose of sentimentality when engraved with a personalized message. Click here to read the rest of this post »
Whether your parents are footing the bill for your big day or you and your boo are flying solo with the financials, whether your folks have been married for decades or you come from a family full of beloved “steps,” there’s no denying that your parents play a special role in your wedding day. While the day is, of course, focused on you and your partner, it’s a day of profound and poignant celebration for your parents, too. They got you to this point and now are guiding you along the path (perhaps literally) to forge a new family of your own.
Few people in the world of weddings are as familiar with this emotional rollercoaster as wedding photographers, whose task it is to capture intimate family photos as they document each couple’s special day. So, because we at Weddings in Houston are lovers of all things family—and amazing wedding photos—we asked them about their all-time favorite family wedding photos. Now, take a peek, get inspired…and don’t forget to call your parents!
Photo: D. Jones Photography
The father-daughter dance is always one of the most tender moments of the wedding. You never know what combination of emotions are going to unfold once the music starts. Bride Casey and her father shared this heartfelt dance on her wedding day, in a moment captured by David Jones of D. Jones Photography. “The expressions are purely genuine and telling,” Jones says of his photo. We love how Casey’s dad’s face exudes both the joy of the day and the somber realization that his little girl is all grown up.
Photo: Ama Photography & Cinema
The lengths that children and parents will go to celebrate each other on the wedding day never ceases to leave guests (and us) teary eyed. Nothing, not even the debilitating condition that confined her father to a wheelchair, would stop bride Meghan from sharing the traditional father-daughter dance with her dad, Fred. Photographer Aisha Khan of Ama Photography & Cinema, who captured this photo, recounts, “The most touching moment was when she hopped on his lap like the little girl she’ll always be to him, and he laughed. His face is priceless. I have no doubt this photo will be cherished.”
Photo: Civic Photos
Groom Jeff wasn’t about to let his wheelchair-bound mother go without a dance, so he found a creative way to make her feel honored while making her feel more comfortable. Barett Henry, one of the talents behind Civic Photos, who took this picture, says, “Jeff wanted to salsa dance with his mother for their mother-son dance…so he got a chair with wheels and rolled around the dance floor with her. The bride eventually joined in on this touching moment too.”
Photo: Taylor Golden Photography
For many wedding couples, relationships with their extended family members run deep and long. We love when brides and grooms incorporate aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents into their wedding photos. According to wedding photographer Taylor Golden, recent bride Rachel did just that. “This event was all about family,” says Golden, who captured a sweet photo of the smiling bride getting a smooch from her doting dad. Even more adorable, perhaps? The shot Golden snapped of the bride and her sister embracing their happy grandfather. “You can see the love and connection on everyone’s face, and what I love most is the adorable grandpa. I want to steal him, he is so cute!”
Photo: Dream Photo & Video
There are few things more sentimental than the special bond between a mother and son. Shiva Saadi of Dream Photo & Video says that Jesus was insistent that his mother join him on the dance floor, though she was reluctant to at first. “I love the satisfied look Jesus has after his mom agreed to dance with him,” Saadi says. “She was not able to hold back her emotions, and was holding on to him tight, clearly looking back on his childhood while dancing with him.” The connection between the two makes our hearts melt.
Photo: Kirk Surber Photography
A photo of a moment shared between father and son can be a rare find in wedding albums, which makes photographer Kirk Surber‘s photo of groom Greg and his father Ken even more special. Ken studied to obtain his officiant license to conduct the marriage ceremony for Greg and his fiancée Minji, and stood alongside them as they made their promise of a lifetime. “Only on rare occasion do you find someone who is willing to go out of their way to be a part of his son’s wedding,” Surber says. Greg and Ken’s matching grins and looks of anticipation as they await the bride’s arrival at the altar are a vivid record of a father’s devotion to his son, and an image their entire family is bound to treasure forever.
Photo: Kelly Hornberger Photography
The bond between a mother and daughter is deep, complex and enduring. And for many mothers and daughters, that bond only grows deeper during the wedding planning process. After all the work has been done, the dresses are on, and the hair and makeup have been styled, the reality sets in that today is the day. All that’s left to do is allow the day to take hold, and enjoy every moment.
In her photograph of bride Amy and her mom Julie, photographer Kelly Hornberger captures not just the poignancy and pleasure shared by parent and child, but also, with its mirror-like composition, the echo of a mother’s features in her daughter’s face. “The number of hugs and kisses and sweet moments that Amy and Julie shared during the entire getting-ready process was stopped here in time, with the way Julie is adoring her daughter, the holding of the hands and the look of almost tears on sweet Amy,” Hornberger says, “is a moment I’ll never forget.”
Writer: Laura Mericas
After all of those pre-wedding celebrations, bridal shower preps, luncheons and countless hours that your gals help you plan, it’s time to say thanks. Whether your girls love metallic flash tattoos, dainty jewelry or are makeup junkies, we’ve got you covered with 8 gifts they’ll definitely be swooning over. Happy shopping, lovelies!
1. Daydream Prints Team Bride Flash Tattoos: Daydream Prints 2. Henri Bendel Classic Diamond Cocktail Ring: Henri Bendel Houston Galleria 3. Bauble Bar Jumbo Disk Pendant: Bauble Bar 4. Greenleaf Cashmere Kiss Votive Candle: Greenleaf Gifts 5. Besame Cosmetics Lipstick in 1946 Red Velvet: Sephora 6. Henri Bendel Luxe Pave Orbital Cuff Bracelet: Henri Bendel Houston Galleria 7. Davie & Chiyo Letra Ring Trio: Davie & Chiyo 8. Sisco + Berluti Fly Me To The Moon Stack: Sisco + Berluti
If you’ve got an impulse to outfit your mom for your wedding, Houston bride, Barbara Coolidge Tibbetts advises you to fight it. Hard. “Brides dress their bridesmaids. Mothers dress themselves,” Tibbetts says—and, as co-owner of Houston’s T. Carolyn Fashions and author of “I Want My Mother’s Dress to Match the Napkins: Funny Stories and Serious Advice for Looking Your Best at Your Child’s Wedding,” she ought to know.
If your mother, or your groom’s, has already started searching for the perfect MOB/MOG dress, she’s probably aware of T. Carolyn, which is among the nation’s tiny handful of boutiques dedicated to dressing wedding moms. In fact, proud mamas travel to T. Carolyn from all over Texas, the United States, even other parts of the globe, to get that picture-perfect dress. If your mom doesn’t know about the shop, she’ll thank you for pointing her in the right direction. And if you really, really want to help, instead of insisting on that seafoam pantsuit or mauve-ish mumu, just buy her the book (available at the store, too). She’ll love it (unlike the mumu).
In the meanwhile, here are some words of wedding-dressing wisdom from Tibbetts herself:
“The three most important things in a dress are color, color and color. Color can transform a woman from being ordinary to being beautiful. This is your second most photographed day after your own wedding. If you don’t wear your color, you’re not going to be happy with the pictures.”
“One thing I have a real beef with is women executives who come in here and turn into bowls of jelly in the presence of the bride. When shopping for a dress, mothers of the bride should first go into the store themselves and see what the options are. After you’ve done that and narrowed your choices, take your husband or the bride. It’s important not to get confused by too many opinions.”
“Dresses run anywhere from $200 to $2,000, and we sell lots in the high range and lots in the low range. To find the right dress, and something within your budget, start shopping early—six months in advance. That gives us time to order without a rush charge, and with plenty of time for alterations.”
“The mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom should coordinate with each other—if one goes long, the other should go long. But they should each wear their own color, although it’s not a sin to wear the same color if they both look best in that color.”
