TheKnot.com has a great quiz to determine just the sort of mother you are when it comes to your daughter's wedding. Predictably, there is a "Control Freak" mom who completely takes over, overlooking her daughter's vision in favor of her own. But, there is also the "Laissez Faire" mother, who opts to stay out of all wedding decisions. The danger here is that your daughter may mistake your hands-off approach for indifference. Planning a wedding means a lot stress and emotional upheaval – the last thing you want is for your daughter to feel like you don't care about her big day.

So what's a mother of the bride to do? First of all, calm down. Whatever your mothering style you fall under, deep down your daughter knows you love her and just want everything to be perfect. If you'd rather not provide input on color schemes, why not offer to take some of the trivial tasks off her hands? Managing all of the bridal gifts can be a great way to help out encroaching on her dream wedding

The first step is figuring out the best place to set up a wedding registry. and even this tiny step in the planning process may seem a bit daunting. But if you're searching for free online registry sites for brides, look no further than Bowl of Cherries. You can design a whole website for your daughter's big day and keep an eye on which gifts her guests are contributing to.

Couples showers, or "honey-do" showers, incorporate both bride and groom. Rather than having a gaggling group of girlfriends fawning over the bride, couples showers typically include a guest list of other couples, and instead of typical bridal gifts, registries are filled with items that both newlyweds can use.

At the beginning of May, weddingpaperdivas.com dedicated a whole week to the trend. Starting with a couples shower inspiration board, the bloggers pointed out that "the usual pastels and florals won't really work" for this type of shower. Every element needs to appeal to both sexes – from the color scheme to the party favors. According to the blog, your best bet is to go with "gender neutral" colors like deep blues and greens to appeal to all of the party guests.

The idea may seem a bit radical to some – after all, it's great to indulge in the tradition of a pastel-colored, lady-filled gala of a baby shower. But if you're the type of bride who wants to share every part of the wedding experience with your fiance, why not throw a couples shower instead? Bowl of Cherries offers free wedding registries for brides (and grooms), so you can register for gifts for your couples shower that you and your husband-to-be can enjoy together.

But, going the theme wedding route is a difficult task – never mind making all the arrangements for costumes, elaborate sets and a very special cake – how do you get your friends and family on board? No matter how much they love you, there’s still a chance they’ll need a bit of convincing. The best way you can make sure they’re on board is by letting your friends and family know just why you want to celebrate your union in this particular way.

Are you and your groom-to-be both diehard science fiction fans? Did you go to a midnight showing of “The Blob” on your first date? Let your guests know the back story. Work your theme into your Save the Dates and invitations to build anticipation. Your friends and family members are more likely to go along with a radical idea if they know how much it means to you. And if a particular loved one seems especially enthusiastic, why not let them get involved by sharing sketches, swatches and other theme ideas as you’re figuring them out?

In honor of Mother’s Day, TheKnot.com posted a gallery of unusual wedding dresses that probably wouldn’t go down well with even the most liberal-minded mothers. But, if these brides’ mothers knew why their daughters went to such extremes, they may have been happy to take part in their unconventional ceremonies. A theme wedding may mean that your wedding dress is a bit different from what your mother may have imagined, but hopefully she’ll come around if you’re persistent enough.

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“Having registered for my own wedding gifts recently, I remember the he-wants, she-wants divide,” Alexis, of San Francisco’s jewish magazine Jweekly, recently wrote in the publication’s “our two cents” column. “While I was busy zapping the bar codes of every decorative bowl in my color scheme, my husband was adding a Blu-ray DVD player and toolkit to our list.”

In the end, Alexis says that both she and her husband were able to get use out of each of their desired items. She says that the toolkit and Blu-ray DVD player have both been used frequently by the couple, while her selections helped increase the aesthetic appeal of the home.

Similarly, many of the publication’s other experts agreed, saying that it is important that couples use their registry to balance practical items with those that may represent a big-ticket luxury purchase. Still, with many traditional retail registries, consumers may not be able to confine this wide array of items to one store.

That’s why today’s couples may benefit from using a unique wedding registry, such as the one provided by Bowl of Cherries. At our website, brides and grooms to be can create cash gift registries with private URLs that allow guests to choose which kind of gift they’d like to donate toward.

As a result, if a guest feels inclined to give to one gift rather than the other, they can ensure that this donation remains discrete while satisfying the wishes of the lucky couple.

However, according to a recent article by YumSugar, before listing an item on their housewarming gift or wedding gift registry, couples may want to ask themselves certain questions. One of these is “What type of glasses are best suited for us?”

While a beautiful stemware set may seem tempting – even to casual wine drinkers – those who favor beer for example, may get the most out of this gift by asking for beer glasses, that unlike the pricey stemware, won’t be left collecting dust. By comparison, couples that haven’t explored the full variety of beers, wines and liquors available may want to opt for a more neutral glassware set that can house any beverage. With this flexibility, they can host gatherings without limiting their beverage selection.

The next question couples should look to answer is “Who will be using our glasses?” The source notes that those who entertain guests frequently may be best advised to pick a durable glass that can stand up to not only a wash cycle, but also the dings and dents that come with more informal celebrations.

But, regardless of whether these glasses are for a birthday, wedding or housewarming gift, couples who use Bowl of Cherries’ cash gift registries can ensure that they don’t need to waste extra time sorting through checks and cash donations that can easily be misplaced.

Visit our website today to find out how Bowl of Cherries can make gift giving easier for you and the ones you love before your next special occasion.

And while Max or Cherri may be the best behaved dogs or cats at home, there’s often no way to tell just how an animal will act when surrounded by the frenzy of activity on the big day. Still, while moms may not be able to influence this decision, they can provide some research to help the couple and their pet get through the ceremony.

In a recent article for The Huffington Post, members of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters offered their tips for bringing a pet to a wedding. Topping the list of recommendations, was the organization’s suggestion that couples have realistic expectations for their pet, meaning that their ready to let the ceremony continue even if a few barks or meows disrupt it at points.

In addition, these experts said that couples should look to hire a professional pet sitter, prepare a travel bag for their pet before the event and remember not to let their stress get the better of them. Another aspect of the weddings many moms know is stressful is creating a gift registry list.

However, checking out Bowl of Cherries for their favorite couple may help ease these stresses. With our easy-to-use cash gift registries, guests can get the option to donate toward a specific gift, meaning that the bride and groom are able to enjoy the benefits of discrete monetary gifts without offending guests with more traditional sensibilities.

For example, columnist Jeanne Phillips, the author of the response to this query, indicated that in the specific example noted, the mother could help her daughter avoid some wedding day problems by allowing the traditional wedding seating arrangement of the groom and bride’s family taking separate sides to fall by the wayside.

“Today the wedding ‘rules’ have loosened considerably,” Phillips wrote to the concerned bride. “While the bride’s and groom’s families usually sit on opposite sides in areas marked for them by ribbons, if there is an imbalance in the number of guests such as you have described, an usher can correct it by seating the guests on both sides of the room without regard to who invited them.”

By taking the side of the bride here, the mom may be able to in turn appear sympathetic to the concerns of the bride, while allowing the wedding to become more modern.

Similarly, with Bowl of Cherries, brides and grooms to be can bypass traditional forms of wedding registry etiquette in favor of something fresh and modern. For example, at our website, couples who want to take control of the gift giving surrounding their event can opt for a cash gift registry that allows for greater flexibility in how they ask for and receive gifts.

They are also capable of setting up more than one account with our service, giving guests the option to donate to a housewarming gift registry or a honeymoon gift registry as they see fit.

On May 4, The Huffington Post ran a column by Bernadette Smith, the owner of the event planning firm 14 Stories, in which she detailed her own experiences choosing a Celebrant for her wedding.

According to Smith, her professional officiated the wedding, blessed her baby and performed similar services for some of her closest friends with a high level of excellence.

“She means the world to us and people are still saying how our wedding was the best they’d ever been to – and it all started with what Cindy created for the ceremony,” Smith said in the article.

However, before selecting a professional, experts say that those who are going to tie the knot need to make sure that this official gets along with not only those in the wedding party, but any other officials that will be presiding over part of the event. In addition, this professional should be licensed to marry a couple in their state, be able to speak authoritatively and engagingly and be comfortable asking for input about his or her plans for the ceremony.

But, while choosing the right person for involvement in a wedding is always tricky, accepting the gifts doesn’t have to be. With the easy online cash gift registries offered by Bowl of Cherries, couples can ensure their wedding gifts meet their needs while providing guests with the feel of a private, personalized website.

In a recent article for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, contributor Lauren Cohen spoke to Sharon Naylor, a wedding expert and author of “The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book.”

“One of the biggest themes right now is basing it on the bride’s favorite book,” Naylor told the report. “We’re seeing a lot of “The Great Gatsby.” We’re seeing a lot of “The Notebook.” The romantic books. They’ll take their favorite book and create lots of decor effects from the era of the book.”

Other books that are showing up as themes at showers nationwide include “Alice in Wonderland” or “Twilight,” which allow for elegant linens and hanging floral arrangements, the news source said.

But, while Naylor suggested that brides-to-be choose a theme around their interests, reading might not be everyone’s forte. Other themes that are popular right now include the bride throwing a shower with a feature she wasn’t able to add to her wedding plans. For example, if the wedding ended up taking place indoors, an outdoor shower can provide right contrast.

But, just as many showers are taking place outside, reports say gift registries are increasingly moving online. As such, brides-to-be may want to set up a bridal registry or cash wedding registry with a top name in the business, such as Bowl of Cherries. Here, future wedding guests can experience an ease of use donating to the couple’s new life that they might not experience in other areas, such as finding the shower or wedding location.

When planning a wedding, color is key. After all, every theme needs to be threaded throughout each aspect of the event from the food to the clothes to the invitations. And, according to TheKnot.com, this season the color black is making a comeback, particularly due to the recent retro fashion trends that are reverberating in movies, music and pop culture.

In a recent blog post, contributor Vi-An Nguyen listed some great products that demonstrate how the color black can become the perfect main color or accent to any occasion.

Among the items she listed that could be kicked up a notch with the color black include wedding dresses, laser-cut invitations and scalloped cakes, all of which can be given lacey black accents to catch the eyes of guests. Nguyen also posted pictures of particularly stunning vintage-inspired bridesmaid dresses in black, which of course go perfectly with floral black clutches and bouquets with black accents.

However, brides-to-be who find these color accents appealing may want to consider asking for items in black on their gift registries. Though, as any former bride and current spouse will attest to, just because an item is asked for, it doesn’t mean the guests will follow the guidelines.

On the contrary, new couples could end up with rustic furniture that clashes with black items like throw pillows and lighting that were meant for a modern-looking home. To avoid this, however, the soon-to-be married can discretely ask for funding using the online cash gift registry offered by Bowl of Cherries.

With this resource at their disposal, those who recently tied the knot can ensure that their new home is decorated exactly as they wish, without any unneeded accents that clash with their desired color scheme.