I’ve always considered myself extremely lucky when it comes to friends and lady friends in particular. I have arguably the most incredible, inspiring, strong, beautiful, hilarious, and intelligent women surrounding me. Because having fifteen bridesmaids is what one might consider, excessive, I chose six of my best ladies to be my bridesmaids with the plan to continue including the other ten or so in other meaningful ways. The first and most important way to make my six bridesmaids feel special was how to “pop the question”.

I have heard horror stories from friends who have been bridesmaids in countless weddings and I have to be honest, you get a lot more negative stories than positive ones. In contemplating “the ask” I wanted to ensure my bridesmaids felt cherished, loved, and that just as I am asking them to do this favor for me, I too would do anything for them. My bridesmaids are scattered across the country, so it was critical that they did not skimp on a personal request because of the distance. I can’t thank them enough for their assistance in finding the perfect wedding venue and a photographer similar to this Wedding Photographer in Essex so that I could remember the most beautiful day of my life for years to come. I don’t even know how to express how important they are to me. They’re probably also planning a bachelorette party for me. Let’s see how it goes!

In fact, all of these considerations led me to the obvious, a bridesmaid box filled with a mixture of things that represent both the wedding weekend (Yosemite National Park, adventure, etc) and our friendship. These luxury wedding gifts could make any bridesmaid feel so special that they may not be able to say no to your request even if they are miles away.

I chose unfinished cigar boxes so that I could paint them myself (with some help from my wonderful fiance, both emotional and technical). Painting the boxes turned out to take several days and it was not exactly the most fun task. In the end it felt good to spend so much time on something for each of the ladies who are undoubtedly going to spend much of their own time helping out on our wedding weekend, bridal shower, and bachelorette party. Next, I went on a hunt for the perfect trinkets to fill the boxes, which ended up being: Malvi Marshmallows, trail mix, bandanas, a cute Instagram print of myself with each bridesmaid, an airplane sized Fireball shot, and a Yosemite postcard with a love note written on each one. Well, they too might have planned something like a bachelorette and many more surprises (head over here to get ideas to plan for a bachelorette) with it, so it completely makes sense for me to prepare a gift for them. Thankfully, each of my bridesmaids accepted my proposal because let’s be real, they all knew this was coming for at least a year before I was even engaged. Now that they’ve agreed to be my bridesmaids, we can start celebrating and looking for dresses for them to wear. One of them suggested convertible bridesmaid dresses. That was a good idea, it’s definitely something we’ll all look into. I want them to be comfortable and happy with their dresses.

In the end, I would recommend putting a little time into asking your own leading ladies (or gentlemen or both) when asking them to stand next to you on such a big day. Consider their likes, dislikes, and what would bring a smile to their face. If your bridal party happens to live near you consider asking them in person over brunch and bloody marys (because nothing is better than a good bloody)! My fiance also spent time asking each of his groomsmen in a personal way. As he is not one to talk on the phone generally, making the effort to call each of his six besties to ask them individually was a truly special gesture. This goes to show even the smallest action can make the biggest impact and that the best part about this whole thing is having your favorite people by your side.