DIY Mothers of the Bride & Groom Gifts: Digital Photo Albums

The bride and groom will receive many wedding gifts from family and friends but it's a tradition for the bride and groom to give gifts to their wedding party as well. Gifts for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom may be the most important. It's your special day but remember the saying that "if mama isn't happy, nobody's happy." Of course here in the south we substitute "ain't" for isn't but these words of wisdom seem to ring true in every family and in every part of the country.

So what is the perfect DIY gift for mothers from the happy couple?

Consider a digital photo frame loaded with photos of each of you and your family. As you look toward your new life together, moms are often looking back and remembering all the milestones of your life. A digital photo album is a very thoughtful gift for mothers. While it's not a traditional handmade craft, this DIY gift is very personal will be a labor of love.

Digital Photo Frame Options:

Digital photo frames come with 7", 8", 10" or 15" LED screens with a variety of frame selections to match anyone's taste.

Pandigital, Sony, Kodak, Westinghouse, Phillips, HP and ViewSonic make popular digital photo frames.

You can find digital photo frames at both retail and online stores including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Ritz Camera, Target, Staples, Michael's craft stores, Amazon.com, Newegg.com and even eBay.

Prices range from $30.00 to $160.00 depending on size and other features. Keep in mind that many digital photo frames have features that you may be interested in like adding music to your slideshow or others you may not be interested in like Wi-Fi, web browsers or Internet radio.

Save money by skipping features that you don't need on your mother of the bride digital photo album but don't skimp on resolution. PCMag.com says:

"Rock-bottom prices on some frames may render them mighty attractive, but beware of subpar images. Only consider frames with a resolution of 640 by 480 or higher, or you'll get boxy, pixelated images-no bargain."

You can read PCmag.com's full article here on How to Buy a Digital Photo Frame.

While the price of digital photo frames can really be a bargain for a unique mother of the groom or mother of the bride gift, this project will take some time.

Cost:

$30.00 and up

Skills needed:

Loading photos onto a digital photo frame is easy even for beginners by following the instructions that will accompany your digital frame. Many bride and groom's childhood photos will likely be printed and you'll need to have access to a scanner to add those.

Time involved:

Time for collecting the photos will vary and the actual scanning and uploading will depend greatly on your scanner's speed as well as your computer's speed if you are downloading photos from your computer. Plan on several hours of fun looking at your childhood photos before all the focus turns to your wedding photos.

Step by step:

Purchase digital photo frames.

Collect childhood photos and family photos for the bride and groom including printed photos and digital photos.

You may also want to scan and include keepsakes that would be special to mom like birth certificates, baptism certificates, graduation certificates or other awards or mementos that will craft this digital slide show into more than just a photo album for mom.

The great news is that the bride and groom can present this gift to the mothers at the rehearsal dinner and play the slide show as part of the festivities and even during the wedding reception. If a picture says a thousand words then a digital photo album for the mothers of the bride and groom says a million words of thanks to moms.

Sources:
personal experience
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2300977,00.asp