Tell Me What to Do
Update: You guys rock! What a great bunch of suggestions! I think I'm going to go with a selection of restaurant and spa certificates, based on everyone's locations since this is a far-flung group; and I don't want them to have to travel back home dragging extra stuff with them. Thank you -- and my bridesmaids will thank you too.
I need some help. I've been wrestling with a case of the wonderings for a while now on what on earth to get my bridesmaids, who are some awesome gals and are deserving of awesome gifts. I'm coming up empty-brained, and of course they deserve way better than that. In all my over-thinkings, I thought about getting each of them a different gift, something that would suit each of them individually, and I've failed. I finally decided I want to get them the same thing, but I'm just so totally at a loss as to what that could be.
So if you'd please, let me know your top 5 favorite gifts. Either that, or just gimme a tip on what would be a super bridesmaids gift. What am I supposed to spend? I haven't a clue. I think that may be the crux of the matter. I don't even know what's an appropriate amount of dough, which means the field is way, wide open. So for their sake, please, please, please ... let me know what you think is the right thing to do.
Also, let me know what are really BAD ideas. What things have you gotten that made you think, "Puh-leez. Why did you buy me this crap?" I'd like to avoid that situation.
I thank you in advance. (And so would my bridesmaids.)
Katie Morton
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i've been a bridesmaid 5 times, going on 6. my favorite gifts that i've received have been an engraved pendant with our initial and a glass topped jewelry box (also with our initial engraved on the glass). It's a nice way to have it personalized for each girl, but give the same gift.
I honestly would have loved it if the bride had just paid for my hair/nails/make-up to be done. Another one I liked was robes for us all to wear while we were getting ready b/c you can totally use that again. The worst was ugly jewelry that I will never, EVER wear again. Ugh.
I agree with the hair/nails/make-up - those costs (on top of buying the dress and shoes) add up fast! Another good gift would be comfortable shoes that the girls can wear later in the night (I got all my girls cute ballet flats).
a friend got robes for her bridesmaids with initials.
Third for the hair/nails/make-up. It has to be done anyway, and you don't need to worry if everyone's style is different (like you would for jewelry). Most people don't need (or want) more stuff.
A bottle of wine and a handpainted wineglass is a sweet and unique bridesmaid present. It can be done fairly cheaply too. You can either buy the wineglasses and paint them yourself or go online and find a neat set and divy them up. Congrats on the engagement and the upcoming wedding. -J
I second a bottle of wine, other liquor or other consumable that you know they would like. Robes sound great too!
One bride took us to a baseball game a couple of weeks after the wedding -- it was a great idea for our particular group. I definitely think consumables are the way to go, rather than "stuff" -- wine, restaurant gift cards, mani/pedi....
I got jewelry and makeup/hair in the past and they were good gifts. I also like the idea of comfortable shoes or a bottle of wine.
The worst gift was a heart shaped plate filled with heart shaped soaps. Yuck!
I agree -- don't buy them the jewelery you want them to wear as a gift. Really, that's a gift for your convenience and not a present for them!
Some ideas: I like the bottle of wine. I got mine purses (NOT ones that matched the bridesmaid dresses) and stuffed them with little things I thought each one would like. A friend of mine got the bridesmaids shawls, which were nice.
My cousin got her bridesmaids cashmere wraps in the color of their bridesmaid dresses (the wedding was in the windy city).
I know a girl who got really nice earrings for her bridesmaids, that she also got one for her.
My all time favorite, a "spa day" for the ladies, maybe after the wedding, to show your appreciation.I know some spas do spa parties.
Bottom line. It depends on your budget. good luck
Oh, and second Sheila's worst gift--I got a set of bath stuff, and I don't even have a bathtub. :)
i'd go and check out www.outblush.com (i do not work for them just love the site) and it has tons of different unique gift items just for woman. might help with you ideas.
I got my girls tote bags with their names embroidered on them and filled with wedding stuff - a robe to get ready in, a card saying I was paying for their hair/makeup, a makeup bag with our pictures on it with a ribbon that said "Thanks for being in my wedding", the jewelry for the day, a nice lace handkerchief (because they were all weepy types), etc. I spoiled them because they spoiled me during the planning and on the day (and way before I ever got married, which is why they were my girls in the first place!) I was able to get the tote bags and handkerchiefs very reasonably on eBay. The makeup bags I got at bagettes.com. I've also known girls to get little clutches or something that would work with the bridesmaid dress or even from Coach or something like that.
My sister and I both gave our bridesmaids the jewelry they were supposed to wear for the wedding. Cheap, yes, but we were having inexpensive cost-saving weddings in the Midwest, which I suspect is very different from East Coast weddings. Even if they'd never wear it again, at least they didn't have to buy jewelry for the wedding, right?
I like the idea of taking care of the costs for some of the "prep work," though that could get costly. Consumables were a great suggestion - wine! Awesome! Then you just have to figure something out for any of your bridesmaids who don't drink, and you could make the wine bottles different for each girl if you know what they like or don't.
I haven't been a bridesmaid very often, but my worst gift was a purse that matched my dress and was handmade by the bride. So I can't throw it away. And it's just awful. I think it was supposed to help us have something that matched our dresses that we could carry with us at the reception, but... um, no. U-g-l-y.
I like the mani/pedi idea. I also got an apron for us to wear post-pictures, pre-ceremony during lunch so we wouldn't screw up our dresses, which was cute.
good choice with the gift certificates. i think monogrammed things can be somewhat tacky and it's nice to be able to do something fun and relaxing that's non-wedding related. makes the bridesmaid know you're thinking of her and not the wedding...which is kind of nice after months of wedding planning and partying.
I have gotten a pearl necklace for one wedding gift and the last wedding I was in I got a "gift bag" the thing that sucked was it was all from the "dollar store" and crap I would never use. So it got tossed wehn I got home the next day. But then again the cheap bride was the one that chose a $400 bridesmaid dress but asked if the Bridesmaid and I could "donate" $150 each to the cost of the wedding because they had spent all their money. I was pissed. I almost told them to take the $400 dress I bought and shove it....But I didnt. and I was still miserable thru the entire wedding reception
The gift certificates are a great idea. I am sure your bridesmaids will be very happy with them!
Try a BeautiControl rep in your area. They can do a custom spa party for you and your bridesmaids as well as do bridesmaids gifts and makeup for the wedding. There's usually no cost for the spa itself and you get up to 12 spa treatments. You can custom design a great little bag of make-up and goodies from their line of over 750 products. (I'm a rep in Florida and I do a LOT of these for brides!)