Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

The selection of your wedding party comprises a very personal and significant part of the wedding planning process. Your wedding party should consist of family and friends who are closest to you... the people you know you can always depend on.

Being a member of a wedding party is truly an honor, but it also comes with some responsibility and requires a bit of sacrifice (attending all of those fittings, tastings, showers, & dinners, buying that dreaded bridesmaids dress, addressing shower & wedding invites, planning and possibly hosting the bachelor/bachelorette parties, writing the perfect congratulatory toast... need I say more?!). For these reasons, I believe it's essential that the bride & groom put extra thought and effort into asking those special ones to be a member of their wedding party.

Someone on Twitter recently asked me for ways to ask their bridesmaids... Overall, I believe the golden rule here is to make these women feel valued and appreciated (and if you've read any of my blogs before, you know I'd encourage you to do it in a one-of-a-kind & unique way). Here's how I asked my bridesmaids:

I custom made each card with card-stock and art supplies that you could find almost anywhere. First, I found pictures of bridesmaid dresses consistent with my wedding color scheme and carefully cut them out. Next, I found close-up photos of each bridesmaid, cropped and resized them, and carefully pasted them on top of the dress (to look as realistic as possible). I did the same thing with a picture of a wedding dress and a close-up of my face, and then pasted both cut-outs side-by-side on each card. I stenciled "Will You..." on the front, and "... be my bridesmaid?" on the inside.

I wrote a personalized note in each one that described their importance to me and how much it would mean to have them standing at the altar next October. Not only did the cards turn out pretty cute, but more importantly, they gave me an opportunity to tell these ladies just how special they are to me.

If you're not the super-sentimental type (like I am!), think of a more humorous way to ask them to be a part of your wedding party. It doesn't need to be sappy, it just needs to be thoughtful. For more ideas on how to ask a family member or friend to be a bridesmaid, check out http://weddings.about.com/od/theweddingparty/a/askbridesmaids.htm. Regardless of how you do it, make sure you tell them how much you appreciate them!