The Wedding Party: Gifting the Girls

I'm sorry that this post is a day later than it was supposed to be, but thanks to a break in the weather yesterday, I was able to go pick up my dress in Cincinnati. I am SO excited and love it even more than I remember! It definitely feels "real" now that I physically have the dress in my posession... well, in my coat closet:)

Back to gifts. Today will be devoted to gifting the girls in your wedding party. My overall advice would again be to make it as personal to each individual girl as possible. I will get more into that later, but my first recommendation are the tried and true Stephen Bonanno Sandals:

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The great thing about buying Bonanno's? Well, other than the fact that you can customize the colors and they look great with everything.. if you purchase 6 pairs of Palm Beach sandals at regular price ($95 each), then you get a pair of Emma Sandals with your new initials at half price! If that isn't a great incentive, then I don't know what is! Bonannos really are a great option, because they will be enjoyed by your girls for years to come!

Next on my list is a gift for girls who love to accessorize, and really, what girl doesn't?! Monogrammed jewelry has always been a popular gift for wedding parties, but these items are not the monogrammed sterling or gold items that we are used to. I am loving these modern Monogrammed Wooden Pendants & Earrings from Morgan & Company:

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I love, love, love the modern look of these pieces. Monogrammed sterling silver pieces are definitely beautiful, but they are also really common, and obviously you don't want to give something that your girls already have! These are also VERY affordable, at $15 for the pendant and $20 for the earrings; and monogramming is just $6 per piece. So you could get a pendant & earring set monogrammed for just $47 per girl!

Another great idea is a theme gift. One idea is a spa theme, because what girl wouldn't love a day of pampering?! You could arrange a spa treatment for the girls, and give them a little gift to go along with the day, that they could use again and again. Here is a great spa wrap from Monogram Chick:

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And slippers from The Pink Monogram:

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Giving a spa gift gives them a day of pampering, with these cute accessories to remember that day for years to come!

My final idea for the ladies is an example of how I would "make it personal" for my Matron of Honor, and since she doesn't read my blog, these may actually be some of her gifts:)

Since presentation is everything, you could start off with a cute monogrammed tote, like this one from Monogram Chick:

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Then, you can fill it with things that are personal to you. For example, in college, we had our Thursday night ritual of watching The O.C. and eating Mad Mushroom Cheesesticks (seriously, if you come within 100 miles of Lexington, you must order them) to start off our night. So, I would throw in a couple of these:

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Along with a set of these:

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...because our Thursday nights were never complete without a drinking game.. or 20! And finally, to make it even more personal, I would throw in one of these Monogram Chick Recipe Card Boxes:

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And I would fill it with food and drink recipes from our college days when we lived together, and beyond. It could even be funny things like a grilled cheese recipe, because I actually did have to teach her how to make one. You could also alternate recipe cards with photos of the two of you, as an added touch. Even if you choose not to fill it, the recipe box is still a great gift. I had this one on my Christmas list... but my procrastinating fiancee didn't get his order in in time! This entire gift would only cost you around $100 but would be SO special and memorable!

So, those are my ideas for bridesmaid gift ideas. I hope that my personalization example gives you a good idea of how my mind works when it comes to gift giving! The bottom line to me is just to make each recipient feel like you put a lot of thought into giving them something special, not just a lot of money. Good luck with your gifting!