Weddingbee Blog

“Oh, thank you! Just what I always wanted! This jewelry box that will only hold two pairs of earrings will go really well with the other 6 I’ve collected from graduations, sweet 16s and Christmases!”

None of the Lambaids would ever say that in real life, but I knew that if I got a jewelry box with my initials on it, that’s what I would think in my own head. I love the 6 I already have, but I just feel that my collection is complete now. In light of this, I had a hard time figuring out what I thought the Lambaids would all appreciate. I had thought of personalizing each gift and began to ask them what they wanted. I’m practical like that. My family asks what I want for Christmas, they get what I asked for, and though there are few surprises on Christmas morning, everyone seems happy that they didn’t waste a million hours shopping and we all got something we liked. The Lambaids’ consensus was that they wanted something sentimental and would leave it up to me.

I really wanted to treat the girls to something nice, sentimental, that would appeal to all of them, that had a tinge of vintage appeal, and that was within my budget. I’m not going to lie, this was a tough tasking for me.

Working on the assumption that if I should choose something that I would love to have for myself, I narrowed it down to a few options.

Silk screened scarves in classic b+w (matched our wedding colors, but were neutral) from Cyberoptix Tie Lab:

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Delicate, silver leaf pendants from Riki Craft:

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Personalized silver business card cases:

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My issue with the scarves was that they may not have fit with everyone’s personal style. I had the same issue with the pendants. The card cases seemed to strike a balance between useful and sentimental. I bought myself one years ago at a boutique in Dupont Circle and am complimented whenever I take it out. The pricing would also allow me to add a few fun items into the mix as well. I bit the bullet and ordered the card cases.

I knew I wanted to incorporate this lovely wrapping design from Martha Stewart,

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So I printed the gray version onto fabric paper. I attempted to follow the rest of the instructions, but couldn’t find scalloping scissors in the time frame that I needed them to be special ordered, so I had to use pinking shears. Also, since I printed onto fabric paper, the resulting clutch was very limp. If I were making it into a real clutch rather than just fancy wrapping, I would have followed her instructions or I would have added some interfacing and lining to make it more substantial.

I added pearl letter ornaments from Michaels to the front of each package. I hope that they looked coordinated with the wedding, but not too matchy.

Then I stuffed the little packages with goodies for the weekend.

I added gum, Advil, Shout wipes, mini toothbrushes with built in toothpaste, and Stila lip gloss.

My favorite part was taking the time to write each girl a meaningful letter. I love handwritten notes and strive to keep the art alive. Even if they didn’t really like the gifts, I hoped that the note would touch them.

My only regret is that in the midst of getting our makeup and hair done, I handed out their belated Christmas presents, but completely forgot to give them their wedding gifts! I was able to hand some of them off the following day, but had to mail two of them. If I could have a do over for the day, I would have set aside a specific time to do this, rather than wait for what felt like a good time.

Lesson Learned 257: Set aside a specific time to hand out gifts (maybe even the day before the wedding) to ensure that the exchange is a priority.

P.S. - I kept one of those Stila lip glosses for myself and LOVE it!

Did you decide to give bridal gifts that you loved/owned yourself?