Cheryl Barker's Blog, page 18

Wedding Photos with Bride and Groom in Background

Looking for great wedding photo ideas, Mother of the Bride? See if the photographer could capture a few with the bride and groom in bokeh effect (an out of focus blur effect), using them as the background of a shot of something or someone else in the wedding.

The happy-couple-as-background bokeh shot above is actually a shot of the chair décor, but notice how having the bride and groom in a soft blur as a backdrop not only makes the shot artsy but extra special as well. The above shot’s style is...

Wedding Cake Pops—Pretty and Fun Too!

Mother of the Bride, if your daughter would like to add a dash of fun to her wedding reception, why not include wedding cake pops in the celebration? The very thought of cake pops puts smiles on faces and declarations of “Yum!” on lips. After all, everyone loves a cake pop, right?

Wedding cake pops can also serve several different purposes. You can wrap them in cellophane and tie a bow around them (personalized with the bride’s and groom’s names, of course) and offer them as favors. Or you can d...

Enduring Secret Pain

We’ve all done it—masked our pain with a smile. We force a lilt to our voices or answer a “how are you doing” with a fake “fine”. We suffer a private, secret pain that we’re unable or unwilling to share with anyone outside our closest circle of family or friends—and sometimes not even them— for any number of reasons.

Our hearts are breaking, but we have to carry on a life-as-usual façade to keep questions at bay and protect our own or someone else’s privacy. The time may come to share the strugg...

A Whisper from God: Love Anyway

Every now and then I share some of my poetry with you, and the theme of my latest looks at loving when it’s difficult. It’s not always easy to love, is it? I hope this poem encourages you to go ahead and love even when it’s hard. May God strengthen us all for such times for they will surely come. Let’s keep looking to him, friends. He will enable us. He will help.

Love Anyway

Once again I find myself
Coming to God in confession,
Sorry for words I shouldn’t have said,
Thoughts that shouldn’t be ...

Wedding Day Photo: Groom Admires His Bride

Mother of the Bride, here’s a wedding day photo idea that shines with love—the groom admiring his bride from afar. This is a perfect example of when one simple photo speaks volumes. When one second in time holds the promise of an entire future.

Want to immortalize all that love your daughter’s beloved has for her? Show your daughter this photo and suggest a similar one for her dream-come-true day. I think she’ll give an enthusiastic thumbs up to add it to the list of photos you’ll ask the photog...

Holding Still for God

It was a God-given moment. Several years ago on a winter morning, I decided to brave the cold and take care of an outdoor chore so Don wouldn’t have to do it at the end of a long workday. As I stepped out on our back porch, a surprise awaited me.

A beautiful mockingbird perched on our nearby evergreen. I expected him to whoosh away as soon as he caught sight of me or heard the cat-like squall of the screen door. But he stayed, holding still, allowing me to marvel in his beauty from just a few fe...

Fall Bridal Bouquet Idea

Mother of the Bride, does your daughter need a fall bridal bouquet idea pronto? Time is definitely running out to select flowers for a fall wedding, but maybe this idea will appeal to your bride-to-be daughter as soon as she sees it.

Why not add a few orange lilies and gold chrysanthemums, zinnias, or marigolds to some gorgeous orange, red, and yellow roses? These colors will coordinate with so many different fall colors your daughter may have chosen for her wedding, and the effect will be stunn...

Sow in Tears, Reap with Joy

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Psalm 126:5-6 NIV

What does it mean to sow in tears? I’m sure there’s more than one way to interpret these verses, but one thing I think of as I read them is prayer.

We sow seed as we pray for those who have never come to faith in Christ. We sow as we pray for those who have drifted away from God and as we pray for the needs of our churc...

Fall Wedding Idea: Caramel Apple Favors!

Mother of the Bride, are you and your daughter still looking for a favor idea for her upcoming fall wedding? If so, you came to the right place today—and just in time, too, since there’s no time to spare at this point, right?

Caramel apples can provide the perfect fun and yummy treat for your guests to take home—or eat right there at the party if they’re so inclined. As long as they’re wrapped in cellophane (as pictured above), they’ll stay mess-free until your happy apple-eaters decide to dig i...

Wedding Savings Tip: Ask for Price Breaks

Mother of the Bride, did you know that savvy MOBs ask for price breaks?

You may be familiar with the verse of scripture that says “. . . ye have not because ye ask not.” (James 4:2 KJV) Yes, this verse is about asking things of God, but I think the principle holds true in other situations as well—wedding planning included. If we don’t ask for price breaks, we may not get them.

Every little bit saved helps when putting on the event of a lifetime so be bold when asking for discounts, MOB. Mention ...