Wedding preparations are definitely a period in your life where the saying “so much to do, so little time” feels like it’s at its peak! Your Mum can be either your biggest ally or most annoying hindrance, and this will often depend on how you treat her in the lead up to the big day. I personally loved all the help mine offered and also that of my Mother-in-Law.

If you make a point not to include her in the preparations or any of the decisions, you might find she becomes upset, and her response to this will depend on the type of relationship you have. If you can find ways to include her and even give her some tasks to take care of, you might see she is helpful and responsive in every way that’s important!

Beauty Blitz

There’s nothing like a day spa for some blissful bonding time with someone special. What can be better than enjoying relaxed conversations or just the pleasure of each other’s company while being pampered?

Weddings are a very stressful time for the bride, but we often forget it can be a difficult time for family members too – especially the mother of the bride. If you decide to make some time before the wedding for some indulgent relaxation, be sure to include your Mum! She will feel very loved and special knowing you’ve taken time out your busy preparations to do something lovely with her.

Dazzling Dresses

A sure-fire way for women to have quality time together is to go shopping – especially for dresses! A smart way to spend time with your Mum and include her in the wedding preparations is to go shopping for mother of the bride dresses with her.

Doing this achieves two valuable things; firstly, your Mum is happy to spend time with you, and, secondly, you get to make sure she buys a dress you like! For mother of the bride dresses tea length styles give a simple, classic look that is always elegant in any setting – start there when helping her find something to wear!

Of course, she may also love to come and help you choose your dress, she will have been dreaming of this day for longer than you have. I did this with my Mum and it was such a special bonding time for us.

Power Play

Chances are your Mum probably wants to help you with the wedding preparations but might be scared to look as though she is trying to control things. One way to make her feel like she has got some input into the wedding is to put her completely in charge of a particular task – with your final approval of course!

Wedding favors are a fantastic task to leave your Mum in charge of – give her some scope of what you are looking for and have her look around for them. Once you have chosen the favors if there is any personalization to do such as adding names or writing out cards or tags, leave your Mum in charge of doing this, or getting it organised.

Mum’s can often be trusted to make more practical choices for wedding favors than a bride with a bad case of perfectionism, so it’s a win-win situation all around!

**Collaborative post**