bridesmaid gifts (that your girls will love)

While always an honor, there’s a lot of work that comes along with being a bridesmaid. Your dress, hair and makeup will be dictated (which is hard for us control freaks), you’ll have to use precious vacation for pre-wedding festivities, and to top it all off, you have to agree to share your BFF for the rest of your life. Our girls are our life support. They were in our life first and they know every quirk and every past mistake, and they’ll be there for the inevitable bumps in the road. Make them feel special, and most of all, let them know that you appreciate all the help they’ve provided over the last few months.

One of my issues with many bridesmaid gift trends is that the gifts seem to serve the bride, more than they thank the bridesmaid. Yes, those robes and totes that say bridesmaid on them are darling, they will look great in pictures, and will be used for one day, or even one week. But once you’re married, she’s no longer a bridesmaid and the item becomes a dust-collector. Give her something she will love and use, something that’s not specifically dated for your wedding, and if it happens to make for a great picture too, all the better!

Packaging is everything! Get them excited from the second they see it! I love the idea of filling cute clutches with gifts and trinkets. (And these clutches could match and look great in photos). You can also slip in a day-of schedule in it, thank you notes, lip gloss, miniature alcohol, and sugar to keep the energy up!