As a young woman running my own business, being a bridesmaid every other month can take its toll. But I love showering my girls with love and gifts leading up to the big day. So I’ve found some quick & simple DIY gifts that fit in to my busy schedule as a blogger + coach.
These next few years are going to bring with them a LOT of weddings for me to enjoy and be a part of. At times, I can be a bit cynical about the idea of marriage. But I do love a good party. And what’s a wedding if not a giant party to celebrate love, life and happiness. That’s an idea I can get behind.
This May I will be joining yet another one of my girlfriends as she takes her walk down the aisle, a privilege I hold in very high regard. I feel so grateful when asked to me a bridesmaid. Knowing that she wants me standing alongside her as she embarks on this enormous journey toward her future. It’s a huge honor. And comes with a lot of pressure.
You see, as much as I relish in the responsibility of being a bridesmaid, I’m not all that great at it. I can be counted on to offer limitless support and encouragement and make sure your dress isn’t stuffed into your panties before you head out there. But when it comes to the cute and crafty pre-wedding ceremonial duties of the bridesmaids, I’m not much help.
Luckily, our bride chose the best maid of honor around. She has handled everything from planning the sure-to-be epic bachelorette weekend in Nasheville, TN to having us all vote on our favorite bridal shower invitation. She’s even come up with the brilliant idea to send little surprise gifts to the bride every month leading up to the wedding. If it weren’t for her, I’m sure we would’ve had to hire Jen Glantz of Bridesmaid For Hire to handle all the dirty work.
So, following the lead of our trusted MOH, seven months before the wedding each of us seven bridesmaids started to send our bride a message in a bottle. The maid of honor took care of everything, sending us each a small glass bottle filled with sand and seashells (the bride loves the beach) and little papers to write love quotes on and stick inside the bottle. It’s sweet, it’s thoughtful and it’s relatively inexpensive.
My month was February, three months until the wedding. I had a hard time choosing a quote until I found one that truly summed up my feelings about getting married. I believe marriage takes more than love. It takes commitment, compromise, support, friendship, a lot of laughing and a little luck. So I sent my bride this quote by Edgar Allen Poe from his poem Annabel Lee.
We loved with a love that was more than love-
I stand behind the idea of showering a soon-to-be bride with love and presents. Getting married is such a special moment in a person’s life and I like to know that I did something to make it even more so.
With a new engagement announcement every other week, I basically have a cross-country wedding tour I’m about to be embarking on. Do you have any ideas of crafty gifts I could give to my brides and grooms? Please feel free to share in the comments below. I need all the help I can get.