Weddingbee

Let’s go back a year or so ago….

After deciding upon the girls that would be standing by my side, I was too impatient to send them a card, or a gift, or to announce it at dinner. I called each and every one of them immediately and asked them, “will you be my bridesmaid?” I was, of course, ecstatic when they all happily said yes. However, I soon realized that I had missed out on an opportunity to craft!

I decided to set up a Bridesmaid Luncheon for a future weekend and got to crafting! Not only would we be trying out some bridesmaid dresses at the local David’s Bridal (this was Pre-Choose-Your-Own-Black-Dress), but we would also be having lunch where I would surprise them with some small tokens of my affection. First, I had to choose a photo of each ’Maid with myself.

My Maid-of-Honor
I chose to use the most recent photo of us at our Engagement Party, as I have hundreds of photos of MOH and I, since we’ve been friends since 7th grade. She’s my oldest, longest friend - yet ironically we had a 3 year split where we didn’t talk to each other. I blame it on our self-centered youth and the crappy guy I was dating at the time. Long story short, MOH called me up one day to have drinks (she likes to say she was the least bitter) and it was like our friendship never skipped a beat. This is a true testament to our friendship - it is most definitely a lifelong relationship, as she is like a sister to me. She even lived with my mom and I for about 6 months during our first years of college.

Flirty Bridesmaid
I’ve known Flirty for over 7 years now, but it feels like we’ve been friends for a lifetime (we’re sisterly close as well). We worked together for a couple of years during which we realized that our friendship extended well beyond Happy Hour. A Chico State grad, she is fond of some things that are very close to my heart as well: socializing and Taco Bell. We spent the earlier part of our twenties partying WAY too hard together. We like to think that socializing and Taco Bell go hand-in-hand: first socialize, then consume Taco Bell to recover from socializing. She is also one of my favorite friends to go to when I need advice - she has her head on straight and always knows exactly what to tell me, when I need to hear it.

Crafty Bridesmaid
I met Crafty through the same guy I was dating when MOH and I had our split. Now, I seriously can’t imagine life without Crafty around. Seriously, together we’ve become hardcore crafters and can talk skein and sewing for hours. She’s my favorite hobbyist - she’s so, so talented and has gotten me from “anxious about sewing my own table runners” to “feeling confident about taking on the knot bags.” Love her.

Blonde Bridesmaid - or Kick Ass Cake Baking Bridesmaid
I met Blondie when I re-united with MOH a few years ago. For a while there, we were an inseperable trio. We went out every weekend together and spent practically every weekday together. Blondie has our same sick sense of humor and has a really genuine heart - which she pours into baking our group of friends delicious (and sometimes crude) baked goods.

Once I had chosen the photos, I picked up some cheap frames and created my Thank You for Accepting gifts. I chose two different patterns - a black and white stripe and a black and white polka dot, for the matting and added some moss green in there for good measure. A small green plaque was added at the bottom with a designated title for each of the photos. I managed to get a couple of them to take a photo of their frame - at this stage in the game I was unaware of my obsession with documenting every thing wedding related.

“The Patron Saints of Bumps and Bruises”
A tribute to our socializing years and the battle scars obtained within.

“Craft Vixens”
While the title is pretty obvious, I must note that this photo is a favorite of mine, depicting one of the many nights we spent out listening to Drum and Bass together.

After trying on many a dud dress at David’s Bridal, we headed to Il Fornaio to eat a tasty lunch, where I handed them these frames tucked into some damask bags accented with a tag embossed with their initial (which you can see in the lower right of Crafty’s frame). The girls loved them - and it always makes me smile when I see them displayed at their home when I come to visit.Did you ask your girls to be bridesmaids (or thank them after) in a special way?

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