Bridesmaids can have tough jobs. They counsel the bride. They help with wedding plans. Hand holding and emotional support is another bridesmaid duty. Basically bride-to-be, your bridesmaids are your right hand during this whole wedding process. What better time to express your appreciation than with bridesmaid gifts!

Bridesmaid gifts can be fun, practical, frivolous, useful or all of the above. Remember, your bridesmaids have known you through all the good times as well as the not so good times. When you were crying about breaking up with an old boyfriend, who was there to listen and dry your tears? Who witnessed your humiliation at the hands of a karaoke machine? Who jumped for joy when you announced your engagement? Your choice of bridesmaid gifts can symbolize your history with each other.

Traditionally, bridesmaid gifts were to use for the actual ceremony itself. Little evening purses or jewelry that matched the bridesmaid dresses are often traditional choices in bridesmaid gifts. In this case, you could pick something that would be appropriate for everyone. A necklace and earring set that complements the bridesmaid dresses is a great choice. Bracelets or anklets are another good selection for bridesmaid gifts. A pretty long-flowering scarf in place of a necklace could be an elegant choice as well.

Taking the jewelry concept one step further, consider having the bridesmaid gifts handmade. There is a rising trend in beaded jewelry. You can make the bridesmaid gifts yourself or have someone else do it. Visit a local bead store for ideas and take a swatch of the bridesmaid dress with you. Look at the various beads and see what complements the dress colors.

Select the beads you feel would work the best. You also have to decide on silver or gold clasps. If you think you are handy enough to make the bridesmaid gifts, go for it! Otherwise, you can ask the bead store manager for contacts of people who could craft them for you, at the fraction of the price that you would buy them completely made! Your bridesmaid gifts would be a personal gesture that they would enjoy and wear over and over again.

Some brides chuck the idea of traditional bridesmaid gifts and go for something else. Keepsake photo albums and picture frames are popular, especially if engraved with something personal. Elegant compact mirrors are treasured bridesmaid gifts because they can be carried in their purses and used forever. How about a beautiful quilt or lap throw blanket with a special message embroidered on it? Those particular bridesmaid gifts are definitely unique and special. Plus, your bridesmaids will remember you every time they use those items.

Perhaps the bridesmaid gifts you can give could be a service like a day at the spa. A massage, manicure, pedicure, hair session and make up are a special treat for your friends. And it is another excuse to get together with them before the big day!

There are a multitude of choices in bridesmaid gifts. Just remember, your bridesmaids will be your friends no matter what, through sickness and in health. (That sounds familiar!) With some careful thought and planning, the bridesmaid gifts you decide on will be cherished forever.

About the Author
Dave Poon is the owner of Go Wedding Gifts. We take the headache out of selecting gifts for your wedding party, whether they are Bridesmaids or Groomsmen. Come and see our selection of bridesmaid gifts at http://www.GoWeddingGifts.com.

Article source:
The Basics of Bridesmaid Gifts

You put so much work into your wedding celebration. You want everything to be perfect. It’s only natural. It is, after all, your wedding day. It’s the one day of your life that you have looked forward to for most of your life. And your wedding celebration is the one day that you anticipate looking back on with fondness for the rest of your life.

So why would you want to do anything to ruin it?

You don’t… but many brides do the one thing that could ruin their wedding festivities – and sometimes it does.

What is this one thing that they do to ruin their wedding celebration? Do they rip their thousand dollar wedding gown just before walking down the aisle? Do they stumble and fall into their wedding cake? Do they absentmindedly turn the heat up too much in the church or auditorium where the vows will be exchanged and cause all the flowers to wilt before the ceremony? No, the phenomenon we are talking about is much more insidious than any of those things. It’s something that virtually every one of us are not only capable of doing but inclined to do.

Simply put, they give in to the pressures of their expectations for their wedding celebration and slip into a perfectionist mindset. They worry about every little detail and try to micromanage everything. They worry that Cousin Morgan won’t put enough confetti on the reception tables or that Ashley will put on too much perfume.

Likewise, they worry that the florist with twenty years experience suddenly doesn’t know how to use flowers and an attention to detail to create a warm, inviting space for the wedding celebration. In doing so they limit their ability to relax and enjoy the day for fear that something – anything, might ruin it. And if something does go wrong…

Protect Your Wedding Day

First, realize that something in your wedding celebration will be less than perfect. Your friends that volunteered to provide decoration for your reception are not professionals. They are your friends who are providing you with a service of love. Yes, someone will wear too much makeup or too much perfume. Someone will spill something on their dress. That’s okay. A perfect wedding day is not about perfection. It’s about celebrating with your friends – your very human friends. And it’s those very foibles that create your unique community.

As for your wedding professionals: Relax. If you did your homework and shopped for value, which includes quality and experience as well as price, when you hired your wedding professionals then trust yourself and your judgment. Chances are because of their experience what they do will surpass your expectations.

Ultimately, remember this. Like a Broadway musical director, you have been putting together a large and intricate production. It is a huge task you are undertaking. But the Broadway director is a professional. Most brides, however, are not professional wedding planners. In fact, chances are this is your first time staging a wedding. Cut yourself some slack. Yes, something in your wedding celebration might go wrong but in the end you will be married to your best friend – and that’s what’s important.

About the Author
Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find fun and inventive wedding ideas for indoor or outdoor weddings to your wedding cake http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.

Article source:
The One Thing a Bride can do to Ruin her Wedding Celebration