Wedding Wednesdays Q&A: Asking Your Bridesmaids Gifts

Ready for wedding planning bliss?  Yup, it’s time for our Wedding Wednesdays Q&A and this week we’re talking about bridesmaids gifts:  I’m a newly engaged bride and to get some inspiration I’ve been checking out Pinterest for ideas.  One thing I keep seeing are pictures of gifts brides are giving to their bridesmaids asking them to be a part of the wedding party.  I had no idea that I had to get a gift for my bridesmaids before the wedding.  Is this something I’m supposed to do or is it optional?

Great question!  So, first off, don’t feel bad about not knowing about this.  Asking your bridesmaids with a gift has become a bit of a fad over the last few years.  While it is cute and can be very nice, it is definitely optional.  So, don’t feel obligated to get bridesmaids gifts.  You can certainly ask your bridesmaids to be your bridesmaids the traditional way and I’m sure they will be thrilled.  Ok, so now that you can breathe a sigh of relief (one less thing to do!), I do want to tell you why some brides do it.

If you think about it, the role of the bridesmaid can be difficult especially if the bride is a bit needy or demanding (that’s not you, right?!).  Unfortunately, wedding planning doesn’t always bring out the best in people (hello bridezilla!), so sometimes bridesmaids have a tough job of keeping the bride happy and doing all that is required of them.  But, even if you are a mellow bride and don’t need much from your bridesmaids, they are still putting in a lot of time and money into your wedding.  And they love you, so they want to do it, but it still can be a lot.

Giving them a gift when you ask them to be your bridesmaid is a nice way to start off what can potentially be a challenging time to come.  And keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be a large or expensive gift.  It can be a cupcake or a bottle of wine or a t-shirt or even just a cute card.  The idea is that it’s just a little way to say thank you in advance (with something they like of course) for all that they will be doing.  And if you think about it that way, it’s a sweet thing to do.  So, the decision is totally up to you, but now you have all the info and you can go forth and pop the question to your special besties.

Photo credit: Milou and Olin Photography

Do you need some help with your wedding planning?  Send us your question and we’ll be sure to help you out.