How I Asked My Bridesmaids

One of the most exciting parts of initiating the wedding planning process was asking my bridesmaids to be in the wedding party. Though I found many fantastic ideas on Pinterest for ways to ask your bridesmaids (see our Pinterest board of ideas here), I wanted to do something special and different for each of my 6 ‘maids. I have always enjoyed writing poetry, so I thought that would be a good place to start. I wrote a poem for each bridesmaid. Every poem was as unique as the person I was writing it for, with its own combination of nostalgia and humor. While each poem turned out as well as I had hoped for the coordinating recipient, one of my favorites was written for my Matron of Honor, Barbara. I knew I would give gifts with the poems, but while writing Barbara’s poem, I decided to include the opening of her gifts as part of the message. Here is the text of her poem:
This poem was written especially for you,
To the dear, thoughtful friend that you are through and through
Unlike proper etiquette, which you always display
You should peak at your gifts, as you’re reading away
1) A photo collage of the fun times we’ve shared
Some of them sober, some slightly impaired
2) The sweetest of rings, which might give you a clue
Of the types of favors I’ll ask you to do
3) Something to wear on the errands we’ll run
Or the times when we’re crafting (oh won’t that be fun!)
All that’s left is one question, which I bet you could guess…
Barbara, will you be my matron of honor? (I hope you say “yes!”)

Though I had an idea of what I wanted to do as gifts, writing Barbara’s poem solidified the list. I decided to create little packages for each ‘maid that included the following:

A Ring Pop (I don’t care how old you are, everyone loves a ring pop)
Tissues (they were cute, and it was helpful for the couple of girls who got teary-eyed reading their poems)
A Photo Collage (Walgreens makes it really easy to put these together if you need it in a short amount of time, whether you bring in a USB or pictures on your iPhone – just make sure you have the connecting USB cable. I also recommend using Snapfish, but you will have to wait longer to receiving your collage).
Bridesmaid Shirt or Cosmetic Bag

I received two cute cosmetic bags that said “Bridesmaid” in rhinestones as a gift right after I got engaged, so I decided to get two more and use these as the gifts for my 4 bridesmaids. After doing some research, I found really cute ones at Hobby Lobby, AND it happened to be during a week where all of their wedding stuff was 50% off!! All four of them were so cute and I had fun matching the different colors to the different bridesmaids (i.e. Steve’s sister loves pink as much as I do, so of course the pink one I received was perfect for her!).
I wanted to get an extra special gift for my Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor. Even though we will get matching shirts for the whole bridal party later on, I decided to give Kate and Barbara something fun to wear for now. The cute tank tops were perfect, especially for when we go dress shopping, to bridal shows, etc. You can find them in the Bride Bikini shop on Etsy. I was a little disappointed that shipping on one shirt was almost $7, especially since it is coming from a zipcode I could drive to in under 30 minutes, but since I loved both versions of the shirt and ordered them together, that brought the average shipping cost down to $4.50 per shirt ($6.95 + $1.95/2). Both Kate and Barbara loved their shirts and they look adorable in them ☺

Bridesmaid Gift Cost Breakdown:

Ring Pops = $3 (2 packs of 4 from Target – yay left overs!)
Stationary/Sleeves/Envelopes for poems = $5 (regularly $10 but 50% off at Hobby Lobby)
Cosmetic Bags (2 for free, 2 purchased) = $8 (regularly $8 each but 50% off at Hobby Lobby)
Maid & Matron Shirts = $42.90 including shipping
Tissues (x6) = $3 (regularly $1 each, but 50% off at Hobby Lobby)
5x7 Photo Collages (x6) = $14.38 ($3.23 including tax; would have been almost $20.00 but I had $5 credit in Walgreens rewards points)
Shipping to Maine & Illinois = Approximately $25
4 gifts bags (in person delivery) = $6 ($1.50 each at target; 2 in White and Pink Chevron and 2 in mint with white polka dots)
Tissue Paper = $3.50 (a mix of white with sparkly polka dots and solid white. Lots of solid white left over).

Total Cost (without shipping fees): $76
Average Cost Per ‘Maid (without shipping fees): $12.67
Avg. Cost of Bridesmaid Gifts: $7.69 (Under $10!!!)
Avg. Cost of MOH Gifts: $27.14

Thrifty Tips:

Shop around for sales on items you will need and buy them in advance if you can (Hobby Lobby had great sales on wedding items - 50% off almost everything wedding!)
Ask your bridesmaids in person if possible (saves on shipping costs)
Purchase gifts in person if possible (saves on shipping costs)
Order items in groups if possible (saves on shipping costs)
Buy supplies that can be used for all gifts or that you can use extras of in the future (tissue paper, ring pops, stationary/envelopes/sleeves)

What Went Well:

All of the bridesmaids said yes (woo hoo!)
Steve and I each got to have one of the extra ring pops (they were delicious)
In addition to all of the other great finds at Hobby Lobby, I found this adorable piece of décor that will not only be great for the reception, but it matches all of our bedroom furniture, so we can hang it up at home before and after

What I Learned:

You can’t rush poetry… or art in general
Hobby Lobby not only has awesome wedding items, but they sometimes make them 50% off (I will be watching out for more of these sales)
Etsy has an amazing selection of bridal party shirts
This exists, and though I chose to write poems, you could use this instead (if it's your kind of humor)

Resources:
Bridesmaid Cosmetic Bags
Invitations to use for poem stationary
Tissues with Monogram of Bridesmaid
Ring Pops for Bridesmaid gifts
Photo Collages made at Walgreens
Shirts for Matron & Maid of Honor
Gift bags: $1.50 each (pink & white chevron and mint with white polka dots) - Target
Tissue Paper: $1.50 for glitter polka dots on white; $1.99 for solid white (used different combinations for each bridesmaid) - Target
Reception Décor/Home Décor until wedding