Bridal Party Gifts
By: Crystal and Jason Melendez
Giving
Give a token of appreciation to those who have been there for you during the wedding planning journey. Big or small, it’s your choice. If you’re hard pressed and on a tight budget, don’t underestimate the power of a thoughtful card or handmade gift. It’s traditional to give something to thank your bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring-bearer and flower girl, but some couples also provide gifts to their parents, ceremony readers, or anyone else who helps make their wedding day happen. And don’t forget something special for each other!
Gifts for Your Attendants
They’ve stood by your side, given you support, run errands and organized your pre-wedding parties. Show them each some love—and thanks with a gift, whether it’s along the traditional lines of something they’ll wear on your wedding day (jewelry, cufflinks, and so forth) or something unique and different. Pass out gifts at the rehearsal dinner, bridesmaids’ luncheon, or any other attendant get-together.
Who to Thank?
Think about all those who helped pull off your day. Did someone host a pre-wedding luncheon? Perhaps a relative has agreed to house out of town guests. Did you get a friend or sister to help with those time consuming invitations or
ceremony programs? Chances are your loved ones have done a lot to make your day a success, and all of them are great candidates for a thank you gift.
Depending on your budget, that gift may be a wrapped item, a centerpiece from your reception (you can even have the DJ pause the music for you to present them with a message of thanks), a card, or even dinner at your place after the
wedding to check out your pictures and video. A great use for your new dinnerware! The important thing is to let them know how much their help and support means to you.
To Personalize or Not to Personalize
When considering what to get your troops, you need to decide if you’ll be giving the same gift for everyone or personalizing it further by matching each attendant with something that’s especially up their alley. While personalizing
your gifts can add an extra thoughtful touch, it’s usually easiest with a smaller wedding party. Instead of identical cufflinks for the guys, you might give suitcase cufflinks for that friend who loves to travel, for example, dollar
signs to the accountant, and scuba masks for the diving buff. Or go totally different: an MP3 player for the music-loving technophile, restaurant gift certificate for the foodie, and stylish photo frames for the shutterbug. Often,
bride and grooms spend a little more on the best man and maid of honor.
If your time is short or you’re hesitant about one person’s gift being perceived as “better” than another’s, it’s perfectly acceptable to go the identical route. And with very large wedding parties, this is often the most practical way to go.
Choose something you know everyone will love—one for the guys and one for the girls—and buy the gifts in bulk. You can still get something a bit different for the honor attendants to let them know that the extra help they’re putting in is
appreciated.
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Some Bridal Party Gift Ideas
Traditional
- engraved jewelry boxes, toasting glasses
- flasks, lighters or cigar holders
- wedding day jewelry
- wallets
- money clips
- cufflinks
Budget
- Goodie bag with scented candles, bubble bath, and other relaxing bath treatments
- magazine subscriptions
- Each of their favorite movies on DVD
Beauty and Health
- day spa treatments
- gift certificate for yoga lessons
For more wedding party gift ideas, visit the following links.
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Junior Attendants
Junior bridesmaids or groomsmen, the flower girl, ringbearer, and any other bridal party tot in your entourage will be thrilled to get even a simple gift that shows them the importance of their part in your big day. Whether it’s their first nice jewelry or real cufflinks, a set of bride-and-groom teddy bears, or photo of you with them in an heirloom frame, it will make them feel special.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Crystal and Jason Melendez are the authors of e-Plan Your Wedding:
How to Save Time and Money with Today’s Best Online Resources.
For more information, please visit
http://www.eplanyourwedding.com
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