How To Show Your Appreciation: Gift Ideas For Your Bridesmaids

               Your Bridesmaids have all said yes to be a part of your special day.  They have been there by your side every step of the way leading up to your Wedding.  So to return the favor, you want to show them how thankful you are for all of their love, support and guidance they have given you the last few months or so…. But what do you get them?  Are you stumped on what would be the perfect gift?  Well I have listed out a few categories and ideas that I feel your Bridesmaids will absolutely love and even better, they can actually use! 

 

The “Day Of” Gifts

These gifts are for your Bridesmaids to use on the day of your Wedding.  This will not only save them time and money, but it can also help them coordinate with one another. 

·         Matching Nail Polish

·         Jewelry

·         Gift Card to Spa/Hair Dresser that you may be using that day

·         Sewing Kit

·         Fashion Tape

·         Matching Clutches

·         Customized Clothing (Robe, Tank, Sweats) that all say Bridesmaids

·         Mints

·         Advil

·         Makeup/Makeup Bag

Prepare Her for Your Destination Wedding

Are you planning a Destination Wedding?  Well a great idea for a Bridesmaid’s gift is one that would help make traveling a lot easier for them!  Even better… Put it all into a carry-on bag

·         Magazines or Their Favorite Book for the Flight

·         Headset

·         Neck Pillow

·         Tickets to a Show/Sporting Event or a Gift Card to a Restaurant at your Wedding location

·         A List of Restaurants, Things to Do, Places to See

·         A Customized Luggage Tag for their Luggage 

·         Camera

Pamper Her

Every girl appreciates a good pampering.  After all of the stress she has endured during the planning of your wedding, she would really appreciate a relaxing day to her self.  

·         Silk Pajamas/Robe

·         Monogrammed Towels

·         Slippers

·         Gift Certificate to a Local Spa or Boutique

·         Makeup/Makeup Bag

·         Lotions

·         Her Favorite Color Nail Polish

·         Facial Masks

·         Perfume

All of Her Favorite Things

If she is one of your bridesmaids, then I would assume you know her pretty well.  By customizing each gift for your Bridesmaids, it will give it a personal touch that they will truly appreciate.

·       Fitness Lover: Personalized Sweats, Gift Certificate for Personal Training/Class, Yoga Mat, Light Weights, Water Bottle, Hair Bands

·       Loves to Cook: Recipe Book, Personalized Apron, Small Cooking Appliances, Colorful Colander, Cookie Cutters

·       Gardener: Gardening Tools, Small Plant, Gift Certificate to Local Gardening Center, Seeds, Pale

·       Movie Buff: Tickets to a Local Movie Theater, Her Favorite DVD, Popcorn, Candy

Wine & Dine Her

What better way to make your Bridesmaid feel appreciated then to wine & dine her!  Here a few ideas to make her feel special! 

·         Her Favorite Bottle of Bubbly

·         Sample Cheeses

·         Wine Club Membership

·         Gift Certificate to her Favorite Restaurant

·         Wine Bottle Opener

·         Chocolates

·         Gift Certificate to a Winery

·         Customized Wine Glass

After you create your perfect gifts for each of your Bridesmaids, there is one more touch that needs to be added!  I highly recommend writing a personalized letter to each and every one of them, stating how thankful you are to have them in your life and by your side throughout the Wedding process.  This not only shows your appreciation, but it also adds a personal and loving touch! 


BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

A Blend of Your Personal Tastes and Personalities: Creating a Signature Cocktail

Weddings are full of many details that are all chosen from your personal tastes and preferences.  From the dress and the flowers to the food and the venue space, you are in charge of making your dream wedding reflect just who you and your fiancé are.  Well this is just the same when it comes to a trending detail: The Signature Cocktail.  The signature cocktail has been trending for many years, but is becoming even more popular in 2012.  We have a couple tips for you to consider when it comes to choosing your very own signature cocktail.

Appearance

Appearance is everything.  First of all, make sure your very own signature drink matches your wedding color scheme.  You do not want a red cocktail in a venue that is decorated in green fabrics.  You want your cocktail to look fabulous and delicious so everyone will want to try the drink that shows off your personal tastes and personality.  Also, you could add a personal touch such as your favorite flower on top or a small umbrella that could possibly have a logo with your names and wedding date on it.  The skies the limit with personal touches, make it your very own.

Follow Your Theme

Follow, follow, follow your theme of your wedding when choosing your signature cocktail.  For example, if you are having a country wedding, you might want to go with a Long Island, a Twisted Lemonade or a Harvester cocktail.  Making sure all of your details directly link together will really help pull your wedding together in an amazing and beautiful way. 

Consider The Season

During the winter months, do you see yourself or experience yourself drinking a Margarita or a Pina Colada?  Or during the summer months, do you crave to drink a warm Baileys cocktail?  We would like to think your answers would be no.  Making sure your cocktail associates with the season your wedding date is set in is very important.  We have researched and found a great cocktail to consider for your wedding no matter what season it is in.

Spring: Cherry Blossom Tini

Summer: Twisted Lemonade or a Lemon Drop Martini

Autumn: Harvester or a Manhattan

Winter: Pomegranate Champaign Cocktail

Adding a personal signature cocktail to your menu is fun and unique.  It shows your and your fiancés personalities and your taste in a creative way.  Create something delicious that you and your guests can enjoy together, and if it is an exact blend of the two of you, you can go no wrong. 

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

Keeping Decision Makers Happy

Being a bride is a balancing act in many ways. One of the toughest jobs you have is to keep all of the decision makers involved in your wedding happy. You have to establish priorities as a couple, and decide on what means the most to you. Then…

You need to figure out who else will be contributing to your wedding budget, and what spoken or unspoken expectations come with that financial contribution. Even if there are not immediately spoken expectations, they are there. Your father may be making a small contribution and seem laid back (but he assumes you want him to walk you down the aisle), your grandmother may want to pay for your gown (as long as it’s not strapless), mother may tell you that she trusts you to select a menu (as long as it doesn’t include fish), and his mother may make a passing comment that she knows a photographer (but what she is not saying is that she fully expects you to use said photographer).

Photo Credit: S.A Kamath Photography

Here are a few tips to help you navigate these tricky waters:

• Start the conversation early – the earlier you start to talk about each person’s vision for your wedding, the better. This gives you the most amount of time to find common ground.
• It is your day, be careful how often you assert that – everyone wants you to be happy with your wedding day. The memories will be most vivid for the two of you. BUT, you will surely earn the title of Bridezilla if you overuse that statement.
• Be prepared to make concessions – as you and your fiancé decide what is most important to you, also start to think about areas that you are willing to bend to keep people happy.
• Listen to others’ wishes – while you may be exhausted of listening to others opinions, you never know when someone will offer up a suggestion that you truly are excited about.

Photo Credit: CBArt Photography

The old cliché is true, you can’t keep all of the people happy, all of the time. It is definitely in your best interest to figure out which people are most important for you to compromise with. Just don't forget, it's your big day. Stay strong, and do what makes you happy, your family will see it too. 

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),

Olivia

Budgeting for a Baraat

Baraat has become one of the essential wedding rituals for South Asian Weddings. It’s very festive with great music, and most of all a horse and/or elephant are involved. As with every aspect of a wedding, there is a cost to holding this event. It is important to include the Baraat in your overall wedding budget.

To further enhance your knowledge with this cultural ritual, Baraat is a
bridegroom’s wedding procession in North India and Pakistan. In North Indian communities, it is customary for the bridegroom to travel to the wedding venue on a horse or horse carriage, accompanied by his family members.


The Baraat can become a large procession, with its own dhol player (drummer) with a mobile music cart for the songs. Most Baraat’s do not, or shall I say should not, exceed a one hour period.The groom and his horse are dressed nicely for the wedding occasion, and do not usually take part in the dancing and singing; that is left to the family & friends (often called the baraaties) accompanying the procession. In some families, the groom may or may not carry a sword. Everybody dances to the tunes of the song and music played by the dhol player accompanying them. The family and friends in the procession are rejoicing because an eligible bachelor in their family will finally start his new life, along with his life partner. Amongst all the celebration, the Baraat eventually reaches the marriage spot, where the family members of the bride, await them.


Photo provided by R.E.M. Photography

Now you must be thinking, “Renting a horse and dhol player, wow, this can get expensive.” Yes, holding a Baraat is not inexpensive, but if you budget the wedding right you can fit this into your wedding activities. The horse rental cost is approximate $375 and if you wish to rent a horse carriage then the price can be as high as $575. This includes the white horse in festive wear. Dhol players usually charge $300 for the hour long service. You will want to verify with the hotel, or venue of your ceremony, that you can have space for the Baraat, and let them know it will be a noisy affair. You will also want to look into any possible restrictions on having a horse or elephant at the property.

As mentioned earlier, Baraat is a very fun and festive moment for the Groom’s Family. Whether you are from North India, South India, or Pakistan, I have seen many families hosting a Baraat for their son, to enhance the wedding activities a notch.