Weekends are for Weddings: Bridal Party Gifts

Weekends are for weddings! If you’re like me, with 9 weddings each year, the weekends are, quite literally, for weddings (attending them, that is). Also if you’re like me, the weekend is a time to think about planning your own wedding. Lots of people carve out a certain time each week for to wedding planning (Wedding Wednesday seems to be very popular). It ensures the wedding doesn’t take over their whole lives; however, I find that confining wedding planning to a specific time is too pressure-filled and bicker-prone. I plan my wedding when inspiration strikes. Weekends, in particular, offer the time to let my mind roam and plan my own wedding in a stress-free environment. In this series, I’ll take you through some of my major planning steps – hopefully this will help you plan your own wedding!

I wanted to give my bridesmaids something they would actually use again. Everyone who has been in a wedding now has a floral or silk robe sitting in their closet and doesn’t need another one. This is the problem with being one of the last to get married! I also didn’t want to be that bride who gives jewelry that the bridesmaids can wear on the day of, taking no account of the bridesmaid’s particular taste. That there, my friends, is a gift for the bride, not the bridesmaid.

Hot Tip #1: Same goes for just about anything that says “bridesmaid” on it. Whether it’s a tank top or sippy cup, I agree it will look adorable in one picture…and then never get used again. The whole point is to thank these people for being a part of your special day and having spent so much money to do so. These cutesy things are fine, but they should be a bonus, not their actual gift.

wedding - bridesmaid gifts2 — *Photo by Lindsay Davidman*

For my gals, I decided to give some nice pima cotton pajamas. I know very few girls who actually sleep in the buff, so I knew this gift would actually be used. The ultra soft material also makes them great for lounging all day and are still cute looking if someone happens to stop by and catch you before you had a chance to get dressed. I love these from Lake Pajamas, a company founded by a friend from high school. The patterns are lovely, the material is luxurious, and they offer a discount for brides! I loved them so much that I actually got a pair for myself.

Hot Tip #2: Ask for discounts! You tell a company you’re looking to buy a bunch of their products and that they’ll be photographed, and they may cut you a deal.

It’s all about presentation so I served them up inside a monogrammed LL Bean Boat and Tote. These totes are total classics. Yes, they skew preppy (like me!), but they’re generic enough that [I hope] pretty much anyone will enjoy them.

Hot Tip #3: Take advantage of Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Labor Day sales. It helped me save a bundle. Also, don’t forget about any of your memberships. I have an LL Bean credit card (long story), which entitles me to free shipping and monogramming. That alleviated a big cost burden. I’m guessing most of y’all don’t have an LL Bean card, but the same applies to Amazon Prime members or Pottery Barn cardholders.

To round out the gift I gave them each a pair of small gold post earrings. they were in fun shapes like cacti, stars, arrows, etc (similar here). Since they were clearly just small, fun little nothings, it wasn’t like they felt expected to wear them on the big day. I found them all at Francesca’s, which often has great deals on jewelry. Finally, I included a can of pink Sophia Coppola champs because it’s a celebration, after all.

I couldn’t very well give my Man of Honor girly pajamas so I got him a humidor and cigar torch. I then added an engraved nameplate to give it a personal touch. The idea was that we would bring him back a cigar from our minimoon in Cuba. Though pajamas and robes (like the ones I got the moms) were out, that didn’t mean I couldn’t give Matt something comfy cozy that he could wear during the getting ready portion of the wedding day. I got him these slippers from UGG. While UGG boots may be a passé accessory for sorority girls, the slippers are like walking on a cloud. I hate that I don’t have any pics of his gift!

Hopefully my bridal party enjoyed their gifts – in fact, the goal is that they’re still enjoying them. That’s the goal, right? You want them to show them how important they are to your day by giving them something meaningful. Hopefully it worked!