worried about me as I was about him, but prior to my departure, he told me he wanted me to call him every night when I got home to tell him I was safe and sound.
Whatever you do for your bachelor and bachelorette parties, just make sure you have fun. Take the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, to introduce past VIPs to present VIPs in your life. And, yeah, you should probably wear a tiara.
SUSAN
As a romance writer, I believe in fairy tales. In particular, I believe in fairy godmothers. Elizabeth, an only child, has many of them. Through the years, my friends and those she made on her own have given her many spiritual gifts. Like the gorgeous, pastel-colored fairies in Sleeping Beauty, they gathered around, showering her with the gifts of kindness, empathy, wisdom, beauty…probably fashion sense from my friend, Carol.
Wedding time is a time to let the fairy godmothers back in. Invite the whole horde of them. You can never have enough well-wishers. Trust me on this. The bride has her chosen entourage—the wedding party. As the mother of the bride, you get to have one, too. Your girlfriends know how fun this is for you. Let them cheer you on! I spread the news like a computer virus, emailing photos and badly punctuated squeals around the globe. There’s something about the announcement of a wedding that brings people’s good cheer to the fore. I learned things about my friends’ weddings I never knew before—the hilarity, the heartache, the surprises and the bombshells.
It’s also a time to move closer to your daughter’s friends. My own wedding was so tiny, I had only the maid of honor—my sister. Elizabeth kept adding beloved friend after beloved friend until the bridal partyresembled a small army. I kept my mouth shut, however, because the nieces were in the picture, so I got my way. (Surprise.)
Now it was time to get to know the bride’s friends. There was Molly, who is sweeter than your favourite Hallmark commercial. Lindsey and Aubrey, the fashionistas with hearts of pure gold. Funny, genuine Lucy…and Melissa, who once lobbied successfully to get me to name a character after her in one of my books.
These are the people who are going to be in your daughter’s future. Cultivate them as friends, as people who will be there for her, through thick and thin. They’re a lot like your own closest girlfriends—lovely, compassionate and always ready to listen to your troubles and triumphs.
There’s something else you need to remember from Sleeping Beauty, though. That final pesky fairy, the one who put a curse on the poor kid and left in a whirlwind of fury, might be lurking in the wings. Unfortunately, you run into people like this, people who point out the percentage of marriages that fail, who warn you that planning a wedding will consume a year of your life and send you plummeting into debt—the doubting Thomasinas of the world. I refer to this sort of person as the turd in the punch bowl. (Again, sorry about that visual.) Tell yourself such people are put in the world to test your character—your reserves of patience, the depth of your wellspring of human kindness. And if that doesn’t help, well…flush.
You needn’t worry, though. A wedding tends to inspire people to be their happiest, most hopeful and kindest. Believe it, and it will be true.
----
CHEAT SHEET
TOO BUSY WARRING WITH YOUR MOTHER OVER
WHETHER YOU SHOULD HAVE COUSIN BERTHA IN YOUR WEDDING PARTY? HERE’S YOUR CHEAT SHEET:
If you remember one thing after you put this book down, remember this: when people ask you who your bridesmaids are going to be—and they will ask you—smile and say you haven’t thought that far ahead yet until you’ve made a final decision on your bridal party.
Find a gracious and special way of asking your bridesmaids (or bridesmen) to stand up there with you—even if it’s just a nice card or a phone call on a Sunday morning.
Here’s how guys ask: “Yo, you wanna be in my wedding?” “Sure,
Whatever you do for your bachelor and bachelorette parties, just make sure you have fun. Take the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, to introduce past VIPs to present VIPs in your life. And, yeah, you should probably wear a tiara.
SUSAN
As a romance writer, I believe in fairy tales. In particular, I believe in fairy godmothers. Elizabeth, an only child, has many of them. Through the years, my friends and those she made on her own have given her many spiritual gifts. Like the gorgeous, pastel-colored fairies in Sleeping Beauty, they gathered around, showering her with the gifts of kindness, empathy, wisdom, beauty…probably fashion sense from my friend, Carol.
Wedding time is a time to let the fairy godmothers back in. Invite the whole horde of them. You can never have enough well-wishers. Trust me on this. The bride has her chosen entourage—the wedding party. As the mother of the bride, you get to have one, too. Your girlfriends know how fun this is for you. Let them cheer you on! I spread the news like a computer virus, emailing photos and badly punctuated squeals around the globe. There’s something about the announcement of a wedding that brings people’s good cheer to the fore. I learned things about my friends’ weddings I never knew before—the hilarity, the heartache, the surprises and the bombshells.
It’s also a time to move closer to your daughter’s friends. My own wedding was so tiny, I had only the maid of honor—my sister. Elizabeth kept adding beloved friend after beloved friend until the bridal partyresembled a small army. I kept my mouth shut, however, because the nieces were in the picture, so I got my way. (Surprise.)
Now it was time to get to know the bride’s friends. There was Molly, who is sweeter than your favourite Hallmark commercial. Lindsey and Aubrey, the fashionistas with hearts of pure gold. Funny, genuine Lucy…and Melissa, who once lobbied successfully to get me to name a character after her in one of my books.
These are the people who are going to be in your daughter’s future. Cultivate them as friends, as people who will be there for her, through thick and thin. They’re a lot like your own closest girlfriends—lovely, compassionate and always ready to listen to your troubles and triumphs.
There’s something else you need to remember from Sleeping Beauty, though. That final pesky fairy, the one who put a curse on the poor kid and left in a whirlwind of fury, might be lurking in the wings. Unfortunately, you run into people like this, people who point out the percentage of marriages that fail, who warn you that planning a wedding will consume a year of your life and send you plummeting into debt—the doubting Thomasinas of the world. I refer to this sort of person as the turd in the punch bowl. (Again, sorry about that visual.) Tell yourself such people are put in the world to test your character—your reserves of patience, the depth of your wellspring of human kindness. And if that doesn’t help, well…flush.
You needn’t worry, though. A wedding tends to inspire people to be their happiest, most hopeful and kindest. Believe it, and it will be true.
----
CHEAT SHEET
TOO BUSY WARRING WITH YOUR MOTHER OVER
WHETHER YOU SHOULD HAVE COUSIN BERTHA IN YOUR WEDDING PARTY? HERE’S YOUR CHEAT SHEET:
If you remember one thing after you put this book down, remember this: when people ask you who your bridesmaids are going to be—and they will ask you—smile and say you haven’t thought that far ahead yet until you’ve made a final decision on your bridal party.
Find a gracious and special way of asking your bridesmaids (or bridesmen) to stand up there with you—even if it’s just a nice card or a phone call on a Sunday morning.
Here’s how guys ask: “Yo, you wanna be in my wedding?” “Sure,
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