The Mother of the Bride: A Guide and Keepsake for the Mother of the Bride to Help Her Daughter Plan an Unforgettable Wedding

The Mother of the Bride is an elegant and practical book that celebrates and informs a mother's important rite of passage: the marriage of her daughter. The planning and celebration of this time-honored event can be memorable both in its joy and in its frustration. The Mother of the Bride is meant to be the book that will guide the mother of the bride to help her daughter plan an unforgettable wedding. A useful planning guide as well as an elegant keepsake; this book includes helpful planning advice for the mother of the bride, such as: her role, responsibilities, timelines, checklists, tips from bridal specialists on making the event more memorable for instance: how to create a guest list; arranging a father and daughter "time alone" day; organizing a pre-wedding event for the bride's wedding party -- a brunch, a day at a spa, or a cruise; a dinner for the in laws-to-be; hosting an engagement party; special ways to include the father of the bride, as well as the mother and father of the groom; how to find the perfect dress; and practical advice like having extra boutonnieres; creating a wedding day emergency kit , diplomatically dealing with unruly guests and/or relatives, and finally what to do if the parents aren't invited to any of the parties.

Marguerite Smolen has nearly two decades of experience writing about weddings. She began her career in bridal journalism as editorial director of "New Jersey Bride" magazine in 1988 and then founded the regional bridal magazine, "Philadelphia Bride," in 1992. Smolen is the author of The Brides Year Ahead, The Ultimate Month-by-Month Wedding Planner and The Everything Wedding Organizer, and The Mother of the Bride.

Carol Ross's photographs have been published in her most recent book, The Bride's Year Ahead, published by Ronnie Sellers Productions, and are featured in The Mother of the Bride. Ross has also been published by Simon & Schuster and her work appears in Feels Like Home (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). During her eight years as a wedding photographer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ross has photographed more than one hundred weddings.