Bridesmaids Will Love This

We stumbled upon this great bridesmaids gift recently at The Pleasure of Your Company in Green Spring Station. These adorable trinket trays are $38.00 each, which includes personalization.

Stash these cute trays near the door to hold keys, cellphone and mail or on a vanity to hold cosmetics. You can choose a background to match the wedding colors or personalize the pattern to each bridesmaid's home.

Another idea: use the tray as the base of the bridesmaid's gift  and add a little bottle of champagne and a box holding the earrings or other piece of jewelry that you are giving to the girls to wear at the wedding. Wrap in cellophane and add a beautiful, big bow.
 

Fun Travel Accessories

Dormify, has recently come out with a fun line of vintage-inspired packing accessories, perfect for any traveler.  From lingerie bags, to cosmetic carrying cases the brand sells a wide selection of affordable products.  Not only are the products practical but would also make outstanding gifts for members of the wedding party.  The luggage tags posted above can be found on the companies website.

Thinking of J Crew for Bridesmaids?

Until midnight on Sunday 11/28, J Crew is offering a 25% discount on all orders over $ 150. It's a great time to order the bridesmaid dresses you've been wanting. Use the code TURKEY at checkout. Discount is available in the stores and on line, but not at the J Crew factory outlet stores.

Love Love

This bridesmaid dress is simple, fresh and so, so cute. Designer is Lela Rose for Dessy and is priced around $ 100. Available at Betsy Robinson's Bridal Collection.

Cute Shoes!

All of your bridesmaids are very different people - that's why you love them.  If you're set on the idea of having them in the same dress - why not give let their personalities shine on their feet!

This image from Mrs. Coconut on WeddingBee  

And how cute are her yellow shoes!

Psst... Your Slip is Showing

Add a slip of fun to that little black dress.

Your Slip is Showing has a full collection of slips with a little something extra at the bottom.  Feathers, lace, and sparkle to add to your favorite skirt or dress.

You can buy two or three!

Fashion for the Rain and Snow

We've encountered more than our fair share of rainy wedding days this season.  Now that winter is approaching a new form of precipitation is upon us - snow.  Whether it is rain or snow - it's important to be prepared.

These rain boots are the best way to get some great outdoor shots without ruining your cute shoes.  Plus - your photographer will love them!  A pair for you and a pair for each bridesmaid too.

all boots from Nordstroms

youropenair.com

Tu Vida for Jewelry

We had a wonderful meeting yesterday with Kate and Melissa from Tu Vida - a custom jewelry shop in Federal Hill.

We pulled these images from their website TuVidaOnline.com and there are some items featured on their Etsy site (you know we love some etsy!).

The best thing about Tu Vida is their ability to do custom pieces for your entire bridal party.  You can make them all match or have the pieces suit each person.  They can even do coordinating pieces for your flower girl, readers, and Moms.  They can create a piece using a piece of heirloom jewelry or something new and modern.  They even custom package - so that will save you wrapping gifts at the last minute.

Stop by their shop - 300 East Fort Avenue in Baltimore.

That's Why I...

Bluefly.  Did you know Blufly.com has a new Wedding section - with a sole purpose to help you get dressed up as a bridal party member or a wedding guest?

 

You know Blufly.com - they're the folks that have the accessory wall on Project Runway.

Label It

This cute idea comes directly from the master of ideas - Martha Stewart.

We all love the idea of giving bridesmaids and groomsmen something they can use for the wedding, but also use in the future.  Each time they reach for that special item they will think of you and the fond memories of your wedding day.

What better way to personalize those items than by sewing an adorable tag into it?  You've seen these tags on handmade items and they're very easy to come by (and inexpensive!!)

image from marthastewart.com

It All Adds Up

US News and World Report published an article earlier this week about the rising costs of attending and participating in a wedding.

"Complaining about the high cost of weddings used to be the father of the bride's job. Now, as nuptials have been transformed from simple family affairs to weekend-long marathons, the invited guests are increasingly feeling pressure to strain their own bank accounts.

Destination weddings, where couples commit to each other far from home, have grown fourfold over the past decade and now make up 16 percent of weddings, according to Condé Nast's Brides.com. The cost of gifts has also ballooned as weddings have become more elaborate and guests feel compelled to spend as extravagantly as their hosts.

But the heftiest burden of all falls on bridesmaids. They play a role that, for all the honor of its implied intimacy to the bride, comes with a price to match. Bridesmaids are often expected to buy a dress, matching shoes, and jewelry, not to mention professionally applied makeup and nail polish on the day itself. And well in advance of the "I do's," they usually serve as host for a bridal shower, bachelorette party, or both. TheKnot.com estimates that, excluding travel, the average cost for each bridesmaid adds up to around $700.

Part of the reason for the growing pressure on wedding guests is that when couples and their families spend thousands to make a day perfect, they want to make sure everyone else is in tip-top shape, as well. "Your bridesmaids are like your backup dancers," says Rebecca Mead, author of One Perfect Day. Adds Katherine Jellison, author of It's Our Day and a professor of history at Ohio University: "It's all part of a larger phenomenon that we have convinced ourselves of—that if we don't spend a lot of money on something, it's meaningless."

To save their own budgets, wedding guests—and participants—may need to scale down their efforts. That may mean declining invitations from anyone other than best friends or relatives. Guests often put pres-sure on themselves to buy the Waterford crystal set or china pattern on the couple's registry, when the bride and groom are expecting their friends to choose the $40 set of martini glasses. They may also need to assign themselves new roles. "If you feel you can't afford to be in the bridal party, be upfront about it right away," suggestsWeddingChannel.com senior editor Christa Vagnozzi.

As for the bride and groom, they can often organize group discounts for hotel rooms and local activities and even hire a stylist for a few hours so each member of the bridal party doesn't need to pay for her own hair and nails, says Michelle Preli, editor-in-chief of Brides.com.

Perhaps one of the biggest favors a bride can do for her attendants is to be realistic. Telling guests that a destination wedding is affordable because it doubles as their annual vacation has become the new bridal fib, replacing the one about bridesmaids being able to rewear their dresses, as Katherine Heigl's character is repeatedly told in the movie 27 Dresses.

So why don't bridesmaids unite and cast off their (matching) chains? "They submit," Mead says, "because they're happy for their friend. And statistically, bridesmaids are going to be brides themselves in a few years," and they'll want the favor returned."

-Kimberly Palmer

image from 27 Dresses

Bridesmaids Revisited

The Dessy Group - you know the bridesmaid and wedding dress people - have teamed up with the Vancouver Film School to create this fabulous Guide about Bridesmaids.

Turn on the volume or pop on your headphones.  It's cute.

Dessy.com: Bridesmaid Dresses | Wedding Dresses | Flower Girl Dresses

Get your Custom Kicks

We have already told you about the Custom Converse Sneakers for the Groomsmen - so how about some custom shoes for your girls?

Enter:  Custom Keds.

You can customize the shoes with color, pattern, and style.

Custom for your for about $60 a pair.

"When You Care Enough To Hit Send"

We just stumbled across the most hilarious wedding e-cards and just had to share.

Here are a few of our favorites.  Have fun sending them to your wedding party and favorite brides-to-be.

SomeECards.com

www.someecards.com

Hand Bag It

A great handbag just makes your day better.  A new handbag can make your whole week better.

So treat yourself to Cahoots.

Fantastic styles with the perfect print.  $120

And wait, it gets better.

They have clutches, diaper bags and - get this - bridal bags.

$80 with that delicious blue lining

$80 for psychedelic love.

www.cahootshandbags.com

Tips for your Maid of Honor

Being a Maid/Matron of Honor is such a special role in the wedding of a friend or family member.  We know you want to help the bride through her special day and here are some special items to have on hand.

Many MOH's put together a bag of tricks for the wedding day.  There are some obvious items to include (hair spray, safety pins, bobby pins), but here are some items that will make you a lifesaver.

*Double stick tape:  to stick what needs to be stuck

*Crochet Hook:  to work on those tiny buttons

*Little First Aid Kit:  band-aids are always hard to find when you need one

*Scissors:  try finding a pair in a hotel room

*Straws:  to sip champagne without messing up her lipstick

*Diaper Pins:  the best way to fix a broken bustle

And last, but not least, your brightest smile, an armload of patience, and buckets of good cheer.

image from verabradley.com

Everything you could ever think of - and more!

Minumus is a great website to find travel sizes of every product you can imagine.  The folks over at Minumus have taken things one step further and created the ultimate bridal bag - chock full of tiny sizes of products you may need while getting ready and making it through your wedding day.

The fantastically pink bag is included with 39 total products for only $45.16.  Ground shipping only - so order early!

Be the Best Bridesmaid You Can Be

Your best friend/sister/cousin calls!  She's engaged!  She wants you to be in the wedding.

Of course, you're thrilled.  You love her.  You love him.  They're perfect together.  But, seriously, you have a life.  Their wedding isn't your top priority and that's okay.  We all can't be like that girl in "27 Dresses".

So, now that that has been established.  Here are your responsibilities.

*Put on your brightest smile and nod along as the bride-to-be shares her ideas, issues, confusion, joys, and dilemmas.

*Order your dress in a timely manner and pay for it promptly.  Inquire about shoes and jewelry and shop accordingly.  Have the dress altered well ahead of the wedding day.

*Ask the bride about hair and makeup and find out if you need to include that cost in your budget.

*Find out who is planning to throw the bride a shower and offer to help.  If no one is planning a shower yet, then work with the other bridesmaids to pull one together.

*Find out about the bachelorette party and offer to help.

*Buy some wonderfully personal gifts for the bride and her hubby-to-be for the shower and wedding.

*Arrange for your lodging for the wedding weekend.

*Arrive in town for the wedding when you are asked.  Be sure to be there in time for the rehearsal.

*Be attentive at the rehearsal.

*Have a great time at the rehearsal dinner and take tons of pictures.  Then, get to bed early so you'll be bright eyed for the wedding day.

*On the wedding day be cheerful and helpful.  Offer to help the bride if she needs it.

*Smile in pictures and make sure you're where you are needed for the photographer.

*Kick up your heels on the dance floor and have a great time.  Take tons of pictures.

image from mywedding.com

This Ones for Your Girls

It can be difficult to find something fabulous to give your girls either as your wedding thank you gift or bridesmaids get-away treat.

The designers on Etsy are sure to wow your girls with their unique styles and fabrics.

From Charm Design for $29.50

The designer also has other great styles and patterns - check out her store.

From StitchesAreForever for $46.00

From LouLouBell for $16.00

Expecting Bridesmaids?

This past Saturday 3 of Anna's 6 bridesmaids were expecting.  It's rare that we even have 1 expecting bridesmaid in a wedding party!

Anna did a few things to help keep her mama's-to-be happy and comfortable.

*She chose a style of dress that worked with their growing bellies.  For her Matron of Honor, they chose a maternity-style gown that worked perfectly with the other dresses.

*She gave her girls the option of choosing their own shoes.  This was a key factor in their comfort.

*She gave them a few minutes at the church before the ceremony to put their feet up and catch their breath.

*She assigned another bridesmaid who wasn't expecting to pay attention to her train and rearrange it when she walked around during the ceremony.

*She and Alan created a non-alcoholic signature drink for the reception so they could have a festive beverage.

Most of all Anna and Alan were just thrilled these ladies could be there on their special day.  When you have an mom-to-be in your wedding party be aware of their needs and try to make the process as easy as possible.