Selecting the special people for your bridal party takes time and attention. These are the friends and family that have stood by you and your relationship, the people who have been there through thick and thin. Taking care to select the best bridal party gifts requires the same care and concern. But fear not! It can also be easy, fun and cost-effective!
Here are some ideas and tips that are sure to help you and your beloved find the best gifts to say, ‘Thank you for being my friend!’:
The Girls
Most brides have a bridal party that consists of a maid (or matron) of honor, bridesmaids, perhaps junior bridesmaids and possibly flower girls. Each of these lovely ladies plays a special role in the wedding, and most certainly your life as well. Here are some gift ideas for each girl:
1. Maid (Matron) of Honor / Bridesmaids: Jewelry. Simple, sweet and sophisticated. Also, versatile as you can have them wear the jewlery at the wedding! You should always consider getting the maid of honor something different, special, just like her. There is a reason you picked her to stand right next to you on your most important day. Consider getting an item from a large department store and be sure to use a coupon! Check out Kohl’s, Macy’s or JC Penney for some great jewelry ideas. If you buy them in advance, say in time for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, you can often get a great bargain because this is when jewelry is on sale. Be sure to let them know your are buying MORE THAN ONE and see what kind of discount they will give you! Another great place for jewelry is Overstock.com and their shipping is only $2.95.
2. Flower Girls: So sweet, innocent. That’s exactly the type of gift you should choose for these little gals. One amazing idea is a jewelry box that has a ballerina inside and plays sweet lullabies. Search online for the best deal. One great find was at www.theknot.com. This is a great site for many other wedding-related items, but proved to have a very beautiful, cost-effective jewelry box. What’s great is that no matter what age the flower girl is, she’ll love it! And, a bonus is that she’ll probably keep it for a long time to come. You can even go so far as to include a piece of jewelry in the box as a hidden surprise. That, of course, depends on your budget. Either way, the jewelry box is sure to be a hit!
The Boys
Most grooms select a special friend or brother to stand beside them as the best man. Following them are the groomsmen and sometimes a ring bearer. Here are some ideas for those men you have asked to be a part of your bridal party:
1. Best Man/Groomsmen: Let’s hear it for the boys! These guys helped throw the best bachelor party you’ve ever been to, and it was for YOU! They’ve acted as your wingman since way back when, and have always had your back (for more years than you care to share right now.) This is where the creativity comes in. Do you want to repay them with some clichéd gift? Say the good old flask or shot glass? How about picking something out that they can actually USE on a daily basis to forever be reminded of their greatest friend in the entire world. What about a sterling silver key chain that, oh yeah, doubles as a 1G zip drive! That’s right, a zip drive! Whether your friend is on the geek squad or mows lawns for a living, a zip drive is a must-have nowadays. Get this, you can find this item at many different places, but Things Remembered has the best price around and you can even engrave the outside for somewhere around $5 per item. Now that is different, useful and cost effective. If you find a Things Remembered coupon you can even get it for 20% off your order. Sometimes the coupons are in the wedding magazines or probably floating around online.
2. Ring Bearer: He’s so cute and trustworthy. Yes, he’s the little man you gave your wedding bands to hold so he must be special! A great way to say thanks is by adorning him with a cool piggy bank, minus the piggy. Seriously, though, there are some really fun banks out there in the shape of a train, racecar and more! They come in different types of finishes including silver, gold and pewter. You can even stick in a penny or $50 depending yet again on your budget. Do a search online to find the best price, but make sure you can engrave his little name to make it even more special!
Don’t forget when you are busy buying your bridal party their special gifts to pick something up for your parents and also for each other! That’s right; it is customary for the groom to buy a gift for his bride and vice versa. A good gift for the wife-to-be (and a safe bet) is, you guessed it, jewelry! But make it special, say splurge a little with a Tiffany’s or Swarovski item as these have staying power and will really impact her. If it’s too expensive, consider eBay for some good deals, but make sure they can back up the authenticity. A great gift for your hubby-to-be is a set of cufflinks either gold or silver with his favorite sports team on them. There is an amazing site called, www.cufflinks.com where you can find tons of awesome, cuff links from the Mets to the Marlins.
Good luck searching for those special gifts for your bridal party. Just make sure you remember that the meaning behind the gift is just as important as the gift itself. Anything you give, as long as it’s from the heart is sure to mean the world to your friends and family.
