You forgot your vows on your hotel nightstand. The best man just showed up but his pants need to be re-hemmed because he magically grew three inches overnight. One of the flower girls got into the punchbowl… literally. Red splotches all over her dress. And where’s your groom? On top of all this, everyone you’ve ever known — from your preschool bff to Aunt Marge — is vying for your time. It’s easy to get caught up in the frenetic energy and focus on the things that could go wrong on your wedding day. You might even meet your inner *gasp* bridezilla.
But somehow you survive because of that group of go-to girls who stand by your side, in sanity and… in less-than-sanity. Your bridesmaids. Who else but those faithful besties will plan your over-the-top bachelorette, listen earnestly in the peonies vs. country roses debate, hold your gown up in the bathroom for you (assuming you have time to go on your special day)? And they’ll also handle all of those day-of fires. Yes, your bridesmaids are the silent heroes of the wedding journey—but instead of tights and capes, they’re sporting silk dresses they’ll never wear again.
No one deserves more of a thank you than these daring damsels. The key to a good bridesmaid thank-you gift is to show that you care about your supporting girls throughout the wedding process (not just at the end). And, you know, to get them gifts they’ll actually use (and not shove in a box in Mom’s basement). Gifts they’ll, ahem, eat up. Read on for our best bridesmaid gift ideas...
Pre-Wedding Bridesmaid Gifts: Go for Endurance
Last-minute flower arrangements, warming up cold feet, grabbing the dry cleaning, fixing minor dress mishaps, entertaining your overbearing cousin Harold... they’re on it.
Make sure they stay calm, hydrated and well-fed... as long as they can still zip up their dresses. Organic energy bars, nut mixes, and nut butters are high-protein, high-vitamin foods that’ll keep their energy up. Our Raise the Bars gift box is a great shower bridesmaid gift idea that’ll fuel them for the duration and thank them in advance. And don’t forget to make sure your gals can pull the late night hours of the bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner and, of course, the actual wedding. Matcha tea is rich in caffeine but sans jitters. Even better, package these bridesmaids gifts up as a gift box when you first ask them to be in the bridal party. Think of it like a survival kit.
Feed Your Bridesmaids on Wedding Day
You’ve carefully selected every wedding reception dinner menu item from the seared tuna on endive to the macarons that match your flowers. But don’t forget to feed your wedding party throughout the day of prep. Some of those bridesmaids have probably been by your side since the wee hours of the morning, and yes, they are starving.
There’s nothing good about having your crew slip into hanger in the bridal suite. Our strategy? Throw small-batch snacks at the problem. Stock the bridal suite (and the groom’s quarters, too… hey, guys get hungry too) with innovative artisanal popcorn, which will keep the hangries at bay. Popcorn is a cheap snack for your bridal party that’ll go a long way. To make sure no one has a stray kernel stuck in their teeth for the photos and calm everyone’s nerves, pop the bubbly and add a dash of juicy mixers from our Just Add Champagne gift box to their glasses. Just be sure no one spills!
Post-Wedding Bridesmaid Thank-you Gifts
Once the band has played the final verse of “At Last,” we know you’ve moved on in your head to the honeymoon. You don’t want to think about bridesmaid gift boxes now. So plan, people, and have the bridal party gifts waiting for them when they finally stumble home. From sparkling chocolate bark to glittery cotton candy marshmallows, a sweet (but thought-out) confection will do the trick.
If your women are truly wonders, go a little bigger and have a box of gourmet goodies waiting for them. If they’re all too ready to give up the must-fit-the-dress, pre-wedding regimen, a collection of cookies or chocolate-covered goodies will be just what their sugar-deprived mouths need.
And for the one who did more than everyone else? Yes, the one who ran (backwards, and in high heels) to grab your vows from that hotel nightstand, who re-hemmed those pants, who Tide To-Go’ed the flower girl’s dress, and found your groom at the wrong church... all without breaking a sweat. She deserves more than a simple bridesmaid gift box. Restore her sanity with a boxful of wellness. Or send her away with a Getaway in a Glass kit. Not quite as amazing as your Belize mini-moon, but just one sip will have her feeling that warm Caribbean air… no more wedding anxiety here. And no more having to dance with cousin Harold.
Wait, what about you?
It’s totttttalllllly okay to be a little self-centered right now. So we’ll forgive you if you sneak some sweets onto your wedding registry gift list. Enough of these bridesmaid gift ideas. Start dropping hints—or just blatantly put it under your newlyweds gift ideas tab—that you and your soon-to-be-betrothed want a new food subscription when you get back from the post-wedding travel tour.
Coming home to a newlywed gift box of the best indie foods sounds like a smart start to “Happily Ever After.”