Preparing for a wedding can be stressful — but fortunately, a close group of friends can ease the weighty responsibilities of wedding planning, assisting you with organizing and alleviating concerns every step of the way.
It’s customary to thank your bridal party during marriage festivities by acknowledging them during speeches and presenting them with a token gift. But there are ways you can thank your bridal party during the planning process and in the run-up to the wedding itself. It’s key to show them how grateful you are for their help, how much you value their friendship and ensure they enjoy the wedding planning process and aren’t burdened by it.
Here are a few ways to express gratitude while making wedding planning fun and without adding too much to your list of ‘to-dos.’
Ask Them How They’d Like to Help
Everyone has their strengths, their weaknesses, the things that they enjoy doing, and the things they’d prefer to avoid. With this in mind, invite your bridal party for brunch or drinks and ask them how they’d like to help.
By divvying responsibilities accordingly and asking your party how they’d most like to be involved, you’re guaranteeing that they’re comfortable in assisting and playing to their strengths. It also ensures that they’re not overburdened or stressed by the experience.
Treat Them to Something Special
Yes, it’s customary to gift your bridal party with a trinket or a memento on the day of the wedding. However, sending them an unexpected treat during the planning experience will be greatly welcomed and make them feel valued. Some ideas include a high-end gift basket from NutcrackerSweet.com that’s full of luxury goodies like decadent chocolate, gourmet cheese or relaxing teas for them to indulge in and enjoy, other ideas include a voucher for a local spa or tour at a local winery.
Give Them Options
You absolutely don’t want your friends to feel uncomfortable in their bridesmaid dresses, so why not let them choose something they’re happy with? You’re generally friends with people because you appreciate them and their individual personalities, after all — so let them shine!
Instead of choosing one style of bridesmaid dress for your entire party, give them multiple options, or give them a paint sample of your wedding colors and let them choose their own dresses. This way, their outfits will be genuinely unique to them while still in keeping with your color theme.
Celebrate Them
While you’re likely to have a bachelorette party that your bridal party will be invited to, why not host an event just for the core bridesmaids? Invite them over, cook them a nice dinner with cocktails (or mocktails), and ease off the wedding talk. It’s all too easy to become consumed with wedding planning (which isn’t a bad thing; this is an exciting time!), but it’s also nice to check in on your friends and their lives to see how they’re doing.
Have Fun!
Wedding planning and bridal showers come with many responsibilities. By being present and appreciating those closest to you, your special day is sure to be one filled with positivity and good memories — for all.
