If you are just joining us for the first time, let me introduce you to Julia, our newest Bride Blogger. Here on DW, we have two brides-to-be who check in with us regularly to give updates on their wedding planning journeys. Sarah Christine will be getting married in October, and Julia is planning a January 2010 wedding.
As we’re always looking for great ideas, we love to hear what our Bride Bloggers are up to.
Here’s Julia…
After the excitement of getting engaged, I felt like I needed to immediately ask my best friends to be in the bridal party. Of course, my friends already knew they would be in the wedding since we’d been talking about it for a few months (under the radar, of course). So, there was really no “hoop-la.”
Once I began digging into the wedding planning I regretted not asking them in a unique and formal way. It’s really the first way to show them how important it is to have them involved in my wedding. I started to scour the internet for ideas. Here are some great ideas I found online:
· Send flower arrangements with a card tucked inside asking them if they’d “like to carry some down the aisle at my wedding?”
· I bought them a book about being a bridesmaid.
· Had a girls’ night out and asked them together.
· Go to http://www.uglydress.com/ and print out pictures of the dresses and paste your friend’s heads on them!
· Send a book or keepsake about friendship, like a book of friendship quotes or poems.
· Cookies: http://store.weddingish.com/wiyoubemybrc.html or http://www.weddingstand.com/edible-will-you-be-my-bridesmaid-cookie-cards-personalized-3833
· My best friend sent me a picture frame that held 4 photos. The first two photos were images of us in college. The third photo contained scrapbook pieces of a bride and bridesmaid, with the caption “picture to come, 8/30/08.” The last frame held a little poem that ended with “Will you be my bridesmaid?”
· Pre-made card: http://www.paperstyle.com/is-bin/Product/39-GC2-1
I decided to use a mix of the ideas above.
BRIDESMAIDS: I collected photos from our years of friendship, uploaded them to Kodak Gallery and made 5”x7” collages. Each collage can be as many photos as you’d like, but I chose 9. Then, I bought plain ivory cards/envelopes from Paper Source and used double-stick tape to adhere the college to the front of the card. I wrote a nice note to each girl inside and mailed them off.
FLOWER GIRLS: I bought books from Amazon about being a flower girl and wrote a sweet note inside from Chris and I. One of the books had a necklace in it, so Chris’s 6-year old niece was thrilled.
Thanks for stopping in, Julia. These are such great DIY ideas for asking your bridal attendants!
Best wishes to you and congratulations to your groom. The suggestions you culled all sound like excellent ideas.
I would note, however, that in an economic climate that is difficult for many people, one may wish to consider the pressure that a friend my feel if asked in a group setting. As high an honor as it is to be asked, it is an honor that some people may not be able to afford.