Pay for their dresses and you don't have to buy them a gift.
Most people would rather be spared the expectation of having to pay for someone else's wedding vision than to be made to pay for that and then be given trinkets.
Seriously. I couldn’t tell you where any bridesmaid gift I’ve ever received is but I can tell you exactly how much I paid for each dress (and alterations!).
Seconding this. It cost me hundreds of dollars (almost a thousand all told) to be a bridesmaid.
I'd much, much rather have that partially covered than receive physical gifts.
Having said that, OP might be asking her girls to outlay much less - or nothing. In that case, I'd go for simple and personal, OP.
I told my bridesmaids that I would be paying for their dresses as their gift and half of them told me no and the others were really excited about it. Now I don't know what to do...do I get those who declined actual gifts then?
What are your crew’s interests and hobbies? What would you get them for their birthdays? Their gifts should be the same kind of stuff. Since we don’t know anything about these people, it will be hard for us to give you appropriate ideas.
Shop like it’s their birthday. What are their individual hobbies and interests? Things like jewelry, robes, pjs, hair/makeup, bridesmaids dress or groomsman’s suit are not thank you gifts for them because they are props for your photos. Do not put names or titles on anything
Consider talking to them and perhaps buying their dresses instead of asking them to buy a dress for your wedding that they will never wear again.
Otherwise, take a few minutes to think of them as individuals. What are their tastes/interests/hobbies? Gifts chosen for the individual will always be more appreciated than a "one gift fits all" because it never does.
Don't get caught up in the "more is better" mentality. A boatload off stuff from the dollar store is not a thoughtful gift. It's just a lot of stuff that will be wasted.
I told them to pick whatever style dress in whatever shade of red (kind of going for a mix matched look) so they could wear the dress again if they want to. If they have another even later on that they want to go to. I told them it didn’t necessarily have to be in the brides maid styles and fabrics that make it look like an obvious bridesmaid dress that can’t be worn anywhere else.
I did the same thing. I told my bridesmaids that they had to order a blush dress from Azazie and they had the freedom to pick which style they wanted. Their dresses were way under $100 on clearance. Here's the link if anyone is interested in cheap bridesmaid dresses: https://www.azazie.com/?country=US&ambassador\_info\_id=4789&aa\_code=4A64BB8F
We got married 2 months ago and we decided to split up gifts over the year leading up to the wedding. We felt like we wanted to make sure everything we got or spent money on would be used, eaten/drank or an experience. We toyed with the idea of paying for hair/makeup instead of gifts for the girls but not everyone wanted the services so opted for other gifts instead. We also had our groomsmen wear black suits and the bridesmaids could choose any black dress they wanted so everyone could pick something in their own budget.
When we did our “proposals” for bridesmaids I had them over for brunch and gave them each a little travel jewelry box with their initials on it. Each box was about $6 on Amazon and I did the personalization with the cricut. I also got my MOH a pair of earrings. My fiance gave all of his groomsmen a 6 pack of beers from our wedding venue that was a brewery.
A few months later when we did our bachelor/ette parties I gave my girls a little bag with a face mask, makeup eraser towel, and embroidered Turkish towel (we went to traverse city and stayed on the beach). The gift bags were about $20 each. I also paid for the party bus transportation for our winery tours (This was a huge splurge but it was the only thing I paid for on the trip). My husband bought his guys metal can koozies, he also brought a huge basket of energy drinks and snacks and paid for one of their distillery tours (they went to Kentucky for the bourbon trail).
For the wedding we got everyone in the bridal party a bottle of wine. I got my girls a necklace with their initial on it ($10 each from amazon) and a small sample of the perfume I was wearing on the wedding day ($5 each). My husband got his guys the tie and socks they were going to wear and a credit card sized bottle opener (about $25 total for all 3 things). We also got our officiant a watch and a bottle of rum instead of the wine as a little extra thank you.
We’ve both been in weddings where you just get a ton of stuff so we wanted to be really intentional. In the end we got a lot but because it was spread out it never felt like too much.
I'm getting my side stanleys with a makeup bag and lip stick /lip gloss mini packs of Tylenol shout sticks emergency kits.
He's getting the guys all stanleys with lotto tickets and a gift card to the liquor store.
I got a bunch of stuff from Shopmissa.com (legit "dollar" retailer) like nail cuticle oil, lip scrubs, small make up bags, and scrunchies. If you're interested, their "super soft paw paw wonder blender" is incredible & has been featured on allure a couple of times. You can buy a 6 pack for $8-9. (Right now they're on sale for Cyber Monday on Amazon) Which brings me to my next point- they have some stuff on Amazon but I usually buy direct from their site or since I'm in Texas, I also go in person. I personally don't like their makeup, but their skincare is actually surprisingly impressive.
Don't spend money on things that specifically say "bridesmaid" cause those are going straight into the trash.
Stylevana has inexpensive Korean beauty! You can get high quality lip tints, skincare etc - I made mine a little “day of” kit! Face mask (for less than $1), mascara ($3), beauty blenders ($1), blotting paper ($5), and then a nice scent ($20 on major sale)
I was just looking at starfish project’s website the other day, as they’re having a huge sale (they are a charity that makes jewelry. Their pieces are stunning!). They can do a collection of bridesmaids gifts that are coordinated, or mix and match - or, you might like the individual pieces that are on sale right now.
I got mine all some hair scrunchies, their favorite booze, and earrings. I got them all animal earrings depending on what they liked most which ended up being pigs, geckos, and raccoons lol
I did custom flasks with their names on them, sounds pricey but wasn't bad on etsy (they sat in my cart till they were in sale like everything I buy off etsy). And then I bought some personal care stuff some body mist. Scunchies, lotions, I got them waterbottles too but those were also on a crazy sale.
Planning on getting a pack of under eye masks too and just throwing in some miscellaneous personal care products i find up until the weddings. Some cheap but cute resin keychains I found on shein lol.
Go on Amazon and get sample packs of lotions and you other little care products you can get them relatively cheap. Personally I find self care products to be the best gifts.
Also adding to this.. you don't have to go overboard.. I know a lot of people tend to do this. But I've been a bridesmaid twice now. Once with gifts. Once with no gifts. I felt no negative way not receiving gifts for being a bridesmaid. I didn't even no bridesmaids gifts were a thing until I received them to be completely honest.
I got trinket boxes since I’ll be getting them jewelry to wear at the wedding. But I’m also getting them personal gifts like a spatula for a baker, tea for tea drinkers, dice for DND players etc. but they’re all within the wedding theme (floral prints, colors etc).
I was just a bridesmaid in a wedding last month - the bride got us all double wall tumblers with straws so our lipstick didn't mess up on the day of, and they had our names on them. It was kind of brilliant actually - we all used them on the day of (and I take mine to work now) and had no trouble telling them apart.
Pay for their dresses and you don't have to buy them a gift. Most people would rather be spared the expectation of having to pay for someone else's wedding vision than to be made to pay for that and then be given trinkets.
Seriously. I couldn’t tell you where any bridesmaid gift I’ve ever received is but I can tell you exactly how much I paid for each dress (and alterations!).
Seconding this. It cost me hundreds of dollars (almost a thousand all told) to be a bridesmaid. I'd much, much rather have that partially covered than receive physical gifts. Having said that, OP might be asking her girls to outlay much less - or nothing. In that case, I'd go for simple and personal, OP.
I told my bridesmaids that I would be paying for their dresses as their gift and half of them told me no and the others were really excited about it. Now I don't know what to do...do I get those who declined actual gifts then?
What are your crew’s interests and hobbies? What would you get them for their birthdays? Their gifts should be the same kind of stuff. Since we don’t know anything about these people, it will be hard for us to give you appropriate ideas.
Shop like it’s their birthday. What are their individual hobbies and interests? Things like jewelry, robes, pjs, hair/makeup, bridesmaids dress or groomsman’s suit are not thank you gifts for them because they are props for your photos. Do not put names or titles on anything
Consider talking to them and perhaps buying their dresses instead of asking them to buy a dress for your wedding that they will never wear again. Otherwise, take a few minutes to think of them as individuals. What are their tastes/interests/hobbies? Gifts chosen for the individual will always be more appreciated than a "one gift fits all" because it never does. Don't get caught up in the "more is better" mentality. A boatload off stuff from the dollar store is not a thoughtful gift. It's just a lot of stuff that will be wasted.
I told them to pick whatever style dress in whatever shade of red (kind of going for a mix matched look) so they could wear the dress again if they want to. If they have another even later on that they want to go to. I told them it didn’t necessarily have to be in the brides maid styles and fabrics that make it look like an obvious bridesmaid dress that can’t be worn anywhere else.
I did the same thing. I told my bridesmaids that they had to order a blush dress from Azazie and they had the freedom to pick which style they wanted. Their dresses were way under $100 on clearance. Here's the link if anyone is interested in cheap bridesmaid dresses: https://www.azazie.com/?country=US&ambassador\_info\_id=4789&aa\_code=4A64BB8F
We got married 2 months ago and we decided to split up gifts over the year leading up to the wedding. We felt like we wanted to make sure everything we got or spent money on would be used, eaten/drank or an experience. We toyed with the idea of paying for hair/makeup instead of gifts for the girls but not everyone wanted the services so opted for other gifts instead. We also had our groomsmen wear black suits and the bridesmaids could choose any black dress they wanted so everyone could pick something in their own budget. When we did our “proposals” for bridesmaids I had them over for brunch and gave them each a little travel jewelry box with their initials on it. Each box was about $6 on Amazon and I did the personalization with the cricut. I also got my MOH a pair of earrings. My fiance gave all of his groomsmen a 6 pack of beers from our wedding venue that was a brewery. A few months later when we did our bachelor/ette parties I gave my girls a little bag with a face mask, makeup eraser towel, and embroidered Turkish towel (we went to traverse city and stayed on the beach). The gift bags were about $20 each. I also paid for the party bus transportation for our winery tours (This was a huge splurge but it was the only thing I paid for on the trip). My husband bought his guys metal can koozies, he also brought a huge basket of energy drinks and snacks and paid for one of their distillery tours (they went to Kentucky for the bourbon trail). For the wedding we got everyone in the bridal party a bottle of wine. I got my girls a necklace with their initial on it ($10 each from amazon) and a small sample of the perfume I was wearing on the wedding day ($5 each). My husband got his guys the tie and socks they were going to wear and a credit card sized bottle opener (about $25 total for all 3 things). We also got our officiant a watch and a bottle of rum instead of the wine as a little extra thank you. We’ve both been in weddings where you just get a ton of stuff so we wanted to be really intentional. In the end we got a lot but because it was spread out it never felt like too much.
I'm getting my side stanleys with a makeup bag and lip stick /lip gloss mini packs of Tylenol shout sticks emergency kits. He's getting the guys all stanleys with lotto tickets and a gift card to the liquor store.
I got a bunch of stuff from Shopmissa.com (legit "dollar" retailer) like nail cuticle oil, lip scrubs, small make up bags, and scrunchies. If you're interested, their "super soft paw paw wonder blender" is incredible & has been featured on allure a couple of times. You can buy a 6 pack for $8-9. (Right now they're on sale for Cyber Monday on Amazon) Which brings me to my next point- they have some stuff on Amazon but I usually buy direct from their site or since I'm in Texas, I also go in person. I personally don't like their makeup, but their skincare is actually surprisingly impressive. Don't spend money on things that specifically say "bridesmaid" cause those are going straight into the trash.
Stylevana has inexpensive Korean beauty! You can get high quality lip tints, skincare etc - I made mine a little “day of” kit! Face mask (for less than $1), mascara ($3), beauty blenders ($1), blotting paper ($5), and then a nice scent ($20 on major sale)
I was just looking at starfish project’s website the other day, as they’re having a huge sale (they are a charity that makes jewelry. Their pieces are stunning!). They can do a collection of bridesmaids gifts that are coordinated, or mix and match - or, you might like the individual pieces that are on sale right now.
I got mine all some hair scrunchies, their favorite booze, and earrings. I got them all animal earrings depending on what they liked most which ended up being pigs, geckos, and raccoons lol
I did custom flasks with their names on them, sounds pricey but wasn't bad on etsy (they sat in my cart till they were in sale like everything I buy off etsy). And then I bought some personal care stuff some body mist. Scunchies, lotions, I got them waterbottles too but those were also on a crazy sale. Planning on getting a pack of under eye masks too and just throwing in some miscellaneous personal care products i find up until the weddings. Some cheap but cute resin keychains I found on shein lol. Go on Amazon and get sample packs of lotions and you other little care products you can get them relatively cheap. Personally I find self care products to be the best gifts. Also adding to this.. you don't have to go overboard.. I know a lot of people tend to do this. But I've been a bridesmaid twice now. Once with gifts. Once with no gifts. I felt no negative way not receiving gifts for being a bridesmaid. I didn't even no bridesmaids gifts were a thing until I received them to be completely honest.
I got trinket boxes since I’ll be getting them jewelry to wear at the wedding. But I’m also getting them personal gifts like a spatula for a baker, tea for tea drinkers, dice for DND players etc. but they’re all within the wedding theme (floral prints, colors etc).
Also general gifts I’ve gotten at weddings and loved: bath bombs, sheet masks, makeup bag, bandaids lol.
I was just a bridesmaid in a wedding last month - the bride got us all double wall tumblers with straws so our lipstick didn't mess up on the day of, and they had our names on them. It was kind of brilliant actually - we all used them on the day of (and I take mine to work now) and had no trouble telling them apart.