One area of wedding planning that often gets overlooked is the gift giving aspect to the people who give their time and money to make your day special. Often it is added on to the end of the wedding "to-do” list and not given much thought. The worst gift to give someone is something they can only use in your wedding i.e. jewelry to match their gown, this is only appropriate if the gift is not given unaccompanied. The gift should be thoughtful, personal and, appropriate. Bridesmaids want to feel appreciated!
As a bride you should first consider the theme of your gifts, this will help build a platform. Maybe there is something specific that you want to share with all of them i.e. monogrammed bags. Once you decide on the main item it is easy to continue from there. The next question you should ask yourself is "What is she interested in?" You can begin to look at items early and price them so that you can adequately budget them in. Once you build your platform and identify a personal gift you are on your way to giving the perfect bridesmaid gift. Listed below are two examples of items given to bridesmaids.
Example One
Platform Gifts
Monogrammed Bag
Water
Candy
A beauty book
Jewelry for wedding day
Personalized Gifts
Hand written thank you note
A statue of a mother and child
Example Two
Platform Gifts
Basket
Candles
Personalized Stationary
Pens/Pencils
Water
Peanuts
Personalized Gifts
Hand written thank you note
Engraved Picture Frame with the word MOM
In example one, the platform gifts were given to all of the bridesmaids. The gifts were fairly inexpensive with the exception of the bag. The bulk of the money was spent on the ceramic mother and child statue. The bridesmaid was a single mother, who did everything for her child, In the note the bride thanked the woman for being a part of her day, she shared with her how she saw a change in her when she became a mother. The note went into great detail and needless to say she was very appreciative. Example two followed the same format the engraved picture frame was chosen because the bridesmaid had just lost her mother and she was looking for a frame to display a picture. The thank you card not only expressed gratitude but condolences.
These are only examples but the best advice is to be thoughtful with your gift and consider the bridesmaid not the bride.
