“The bride, the groom
The joy, the tears
Will all come so soon
Professing true love
To my husband-to-be
With family and friends
All watching me
I hope the sun will
Be shining down
Keep your fingers crossed
That I’ll fit in my gown…
But there’s just one more thing
That there needs to be…
And that’s to have you
Standing with me!
Will you be my bridesmaid?”
You’ve chosen them because they are special and they mean something to you. They will stand beside you on your special day, hopefully in beautiful dresses and not some gaudy pink taffeta ones, as you take your vows and become Mr. Right’s “Mrs. Right.”
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The tradition of giving your bridesmaids a gift that shows your appreciation for them is a lovely one, but I know, first hand, that giving a gift that will be used for the wedding isn’t that awesome. More than likely they will use it once and never touch it again. That’s why I’m all for giving unique gifts to [your] best girls. Gone are the days of giving them garters and costume jewelry that matches the dress. And, if you are thinking about giving the run-of-the-mill bridesmaid gift? Think again!
Here are some unique gift ideas to present to your BFFs (the ones that you put in a flattering dress that is perfect for every girl of every size in your wedding party) that will get you through your special day even if you are a total bridezilla (or not).
All Jewelery Isn’t Created Equal
Instead of getting each girl the same necklace from the kiosk at your local mall, how about looking on Etsy at some hand made jewelery that fits the individual style of your girls? Maybe one is in love with birds, and another absolutely hates them and questions their very existence and even has a blog dedicated to her hatred of birds? Maybe one girl is a fanatic about turquoise, while another one has a fetish for multi-strand beads? Whatever their style and taste, you are bound to find something there. I mean, really, there are 820,679 items in the jewelry category alone!
Get Personalized
The internet is your oyster in the way of personalized gifts. There are flip flops, totes, stainless steel water bottles, make-up bags, customized pictures frames, and so much more. And, sure there are things like fake silver jewelery boxes that will tarnish 4.7 days after your wedding and el-cheapo flasks, but, really, do you want to go that route? Spend a couple extra dollars. Your friends are worth it!
Baskets a Plenty
Gift baskets aren’t just for your grandparents anymore. Not when you can customize them so perfectly to suit the personality of all your bridesmaids. Perhaps one girl is a chocoholic while another is crazy for coffee. You love them, you know them, so why don’t you take that into account and create a perfect, special basket of love!
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Some ideas from some of my girlfriends from Facebook and Twitter:
What gift did you give to your bridesmaids to show them how special they are?
What gift has a girlfriend given you, when you stood up in her wedding party, that stood out as your favorite?
Do you have any other ideas to be unique when it comes to bridesmaid gifts? Let’s dish!
I love the idea of pocket knives, my husband always complains if I use his and don’t clean it! I gave my bridesmaids jewelry, boring. Most recently everyone in my good friends wedding party got Toms shoes to wear at the wedding and take home, it supports a good cause and I was super comfy for hours!
See, I love-love-love the Toms idea!!! Great one!!
I know, isn’t that the best?! And, if the groomsmen got pocket knives, too! Oh My Gosh… perfect!!
The day before my wedding we had a luncheon at a tea room in Savannah. I gave each of my bridemsaids a beautiful teapot, tea strainer & loose leaf tea. I wrote them all a letter about our friendship over the years, and said that in the minutes it takes to brew tea, I hope that used that quiet time for reflection on our friendship and knew how much they meant to me.
Awwwwwwwwwwwww… So perfect!
D wins.
I got sunglasses for each of my bridesmaids. Every pair is different and I chose styles that I thought would suit each bridesmaid’s style and face shape. It’s something they’ll all wear for a long time and I plan on having the photographer take some pictures of us in our sunglasses.
As a photographer, I would be all over that idea!!
That is awesome! I LOVE sunglasses. Every wedding I’ve been in, it’s been jewelry. And sadly, not even jewelry I would ever wear again.
I got all of my bridesmaids canvas totes from L.L. Bean with their initials on it and a bunch of beach accessories to go in them (towel, tropical lotions, etc.). I also gave them a pair of flip flops that matched their dresses so they could change out of their heels at the reception. Also, my wedding was ocean themed (hence, the beach bag lol) so they each got a different pair of silver seashell earrings. I’ve seen them all use their totes many times since I got married (4 years ago) so I’m glad to see they got use out of them!
I hand made jelwery for each of the bridesmaids (necklace and earrings). For the maid of honor I made a bracelet as well. I hoped they were something they would were again being that they were black and sterling silver beads.
*Shamefully raises her hand as a bride who gave all of her bridesmaids the same necklace from the kiosk at the mall.*
Hindsight is 20/20, right. We should just get remarried and have another wedding. You’d be one of my bridesmaids, fo’shizzle.
I SO want to have another wedding.
No, wait. I just want the attention and gifts.
And you’d TOTALLY be one of my unbridesmaids, too!
Can I be your photographer, too!?
Uh, YES. DUH.
But I’m not paying you, and I want all rights to the photos.
I’m a practical girl, there’s no denying it. I was in my best friend’s wedding a few years ago as MOH, and she bought everyone fancy pants coffee table books. They were gorgeous, and hand picked for everyone based on personality, style, etc. Great choice, really! I, however, received a heart rate monitor. BEST. GIFT. EVER! I had been wanting one, and she knew that. She also knew that I likely wouldn’t want a book, so I appreciated her ability to think outside the box for my gift.
Like your other friend, one of the gifts I gave my bridesmaids was a pashmina. And I’m really glad I did as we had an outdoor wedding, they were wearing strapless dresses, and a cold front blew in during the ceremony
I was in a friend’s wedding and she gave us all jewelry that she had gotten while dating… it’s not like it sounds though. She gave a speech about how she had loved the man who gave it to her, but for some reason it didn’t work out and she was meant to be with the man she was marrying. But she didn’t want the love to stop at a jewelry box on her dresser. I got diamond earrings, and the other bridesmaid (there were only two of us) got pearls.
I’m getting married next summer and my maid of honor (my younger sister) is getting a jump for horseback riding and I haven’t decided what my BFF is getting yet. Thinking about going the beach bag route with her. Or possibly jewelry, but something I know she would like.
I gave my bridesmaid an assortment of really nice chocolates and a $50 gift card (Amazon for my MOH, Sephora for another and plain Visa for the 3rd). They all said they loved them. I tried the chocolates before I bought a bunch of them, they were delicious!
My MOH & personal attendants got sterling silver necklaces. Not particularly exciting, but basic enough that I’ve seen them all wear them again.
For the men, my husband wanted to give them something fun. So he got them “The Game of Life” because he thought it was cute–us starting a new life together so they got a “new life” as well. Then we also gave every member of the wedding party the card version of the “Worst Case Scenario” game. THAT started a few fun conversations!
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!
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