The art of giving
By Lindsay Williams
As weddings move away from strict traditions and formalities, so do the sorts of gifts brides and grooms are giving their bridal parties. Engraved trinket boxes and matching earrings are being replaced with massages, embroidered bathrobes and personalised hampers.
Regardless of the size or style of your wedding, there will be a handful of special people that work nearly as hard as you to make your day a success. Bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents and grandparents often put in considerable effort organising everything from the buck's and hen's nights to the wedding cars and even the emergency bit of tape that keeps your gown together down the aisle. They listen to your whinging, weather your tantrums and are on hand to calm any last minute nerves that attack before the ceremony. Therefore, it only seems fair that for all this hard work and stress, your attendants receive a small gift of thanks.
These days it is important to choose gifts that suit the individual personalities within your bridal party and reflect the nature of your relationship with each person. Bride has come up with some great gift ideas for your attendants.
Bundles of joy
Hampers and gift boxes filled with an assortment of goodies are a fun way of tailoring gifts to suit a range of tastes. One idea is to pick a theme such as beauty, naughty, sports or food and wine and work in personal touches such as jokes or photographs. In a beauty hamper for your bridesmaids you could include their favourite lip gloss, moisturiser, a voucher for a massage and any other little treats you know they will love. If they have a serious sweet tooth, www.lastminute.com.au have cute lolly and chocolate boxes that are also a great idea for flower girls and ring bearers. Be as creative and quirky as you want because it is often the little things that end up meaning the most.
Say it with style
Personalising a piece of clothing or engraving a small keepsake for your attendants is a great idea because they can keep it forever as a reminder of their shared experience. Companies such as Initial Stitch in Gosford, NSW, can embroider names or initials onto caps, towels, aprons, boxer shorts and bathrobes. You can choose the script, colour and size of the lettering depending on what style and look you want. Picture the groomsmen in their personalised bathrobes or boxers sharing a cigar before the ceremony; now that is a great photo opportunity!
If you want to give both your bridesmaids and groomsmen something they can use everyday, money clips, business card holders and key rings are sleek unisex gifts which can be engraved with their initials and perhaps the date of your wedding. Simple and elegant lettering looks best.
Picture perfect
They say a picture paints a thousand words so why not say thank you with a walk down memory lane. Making a photo collage or small storyboard for your attendants is a sweet way of representing the best bits of your friendship or relationship. Scrapbooks and albums are a popular gift idea for parents because you can write messages and poems next to special photos that span a lifetime. A simple framed photo of you and your groom or the bridal party with a personalised message on the back is also a lovely idea.
No matter what gifts you end up giving your attendants and parents, it is worth the time and effort to choose something special. For more great ideas go to www.freedom.com.au/giftregistry, www.giftsonline.com.au or www.thebasketcase.com.au.