Mother of the Bride Gift Ideas

Your mom has probably done more for this wedding than anyone will see: the phone calls, the fittings, the seating chart redone at midnight. A mother of the bride gift should thank her for the planning and for the years before it. These ideas run from something she can wear on the day to a spa morning once it is all over. Our top pick is a song about the two of you, played while she helps you into your dress.

Listen to a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 mother of the bride gift ideas

1. A song about you and your mom ($39.90). Share the kitchen-table talks, the thing she always said at the door and the things she went without so you could have more, and Songbond turns it into an original song. Play it for her in the bridal suite before the photographer arrives.
2. A photo charm for her corsage. A tiny locket with a picture of your grandmother, or of you as a baby, pinned where she can touch it all day. Usually $25 to $60.
3. A bangle engraved on the inside. Thin gold or silver, with the date and a few words only she will read. Plain enough to wear long after the wedding. Usually $50 to $200.
4. Breakfast at her door the morning after. She will wake up tired, with a house full of vases and leftover cake. Have a proper breakfast delivered with a note. Usually $30 to $80.
5. Your baby shoes in a shadow box. Frame your first shoes or your hospital bracelet beside a copy of your wedding invitation. Two ends of the same story. Usually $50 to $120.
6. Her mother's recipe on a tea towel. Take a recipe card in your grandmother's handwriting and have it printed on linen. She will not use it to dry dishes. Usually $30 to $70.
7. A spa morning for the week after. When the adrenaline wears off she will be worn out for days. Book a massage, or better, go together once you are back from the honeymoon. Usually $100 to $250.
8. A small album just for her. Once the photographer delivers, order a slim album of the pictures she is in, not the ones you are in. Usually $80 to $250.
9. The perfume she never buys herself. The one she tests in the store and puts back. Usually $60 to $150.
10. A full minute in your speech. If you are giving one, give her a real minute of it with a specific story, not a quick thank-you. Free, and said in front of everyone she loves.
11. A rose bush that matches your bouquet. Ask your florist which variety you are carrying and plant the same one in her garden, so it blooms around every anniversary. Usually $25 to $60.
12. A piece of her wedding dress in yours. Ask a seamstress to sew a strip of lace or fabric from her dress inside your hem or around your bouquet stems. Tell her on the morning. Usually $40 to $100 for the sewing.

How to choose for your mom

Think about the kind of mother of the bride she has been. If she ran the planning, thank her for the work with something that lets her rest. If she hung back and let you lead, a keepsake that shows you noticed means more. For a mom who is hard to shop for, the personal ideas always beat the expensive ones.

• If she did all the planning: the spa morning, the breakfast or the album.
• If she is sentimental: the lace in your dress, the shadow box or the song.
• If she loves to dress up: the bangle, the corsage charm or the perfume.

Plan a mother-daughter moment

Most weddings set aside a dance for the bride and her father and nothing for her mother. You can change that. Plan ten minutes alone with her in the bridal suite once your hair and makeup are done, before anyone else comes in. Give her the gift then. Some brides also ask their mother to do up the last button or fasten the necklace. That small job, done by her hands, often turns out to be her favorite photo of the day.

Make a song for your mom

Create a mother of the bride song. Tell us about her and it is ready within 24 hours. Short on time? Express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: tribute songs for mom and a song instead of a wedding speech.