A Guide To Amazing Bridesmaid Gifts
By the time you are reading this, your wedding planning is probably already underway. You might have already set a budget, picked a venue, and you might even have picked out the dress of your dreams!
Or, perhaps you haven’t even started wedding planning! Either way, there’s an often-overlooked wedding aspect that many brides do consider last minute: bridesmaid gifts!
Jewelry is often a popular choice as a bridesmaid gift, but how do you narrow your options down? Two great options as gifts are name plate necklaces and custom jewelry pieces.
Why Give Bridesmaid Gifts?
“Life is better with your bridesmaids by your side.” - Anonymous
Traditionally, giving bridesmaid gifts and groomsmen presents is a gesture meant to give back to everyone in your wedding party. These women and men are putting so much time and effort into your wedding, so it's natural to give them something in return!
This isn’t required, ever, but it’s also a gesture of respect for everyone involved in your wedding day.
There are tons of different options for bridesmaid gifts, ranging from candles to bath products to even clutches, but choosing a gift depends on a few factors:
Budget: How much money do you need to factor in for bridesmaid gifts? Should you set a budget and then find the gifts, or vice versa? This will depend on your budgeting preferences and how much other wedding-related items already cost! Most online etiquette websites will say that a reasonable budget is between $75 and $200 for any gifts given to your wedding party.
Venue: If you are buying accessories or jewelry, will the look of each match your unique venue choice?
Theme: Consider if your wedding has or will have a theme. Maybe New York in the ’20s, formal chic, or Southern glam. Any accessories should complement your wedding theme.
Your Accessories: Of course, you don’t want anything bridesmaid gifts to clash with your accessories! If you are wearing gold or silver, it’s always a good idea for your bridesmaids to wear the same.
Their Dresses: Anything you choose should complement the dresses that you picked out!
How To Choose Bridesmaids Gifts
“You wear your jewelry, don’t let it wear you.” - Masaba Gupta
Choosing the right gift is never easy: it can be especially difficult when choosing a gift for a friend or family member on your wedding day!
The best advice about gift giving we can give is to make sure that whatever you choose, it should be thoughtful. Even if you choose to provide the same bridesmaid gifts, try to think about what your friends genuinely like: would they prefer a certain color or style?
And of course, this is your wedding, so anything you choose should complement your vision. See above again for the list of considerations!
To help you with inspiration, here are two popular jewelry options for bridesmaid gifts: a custom name necklace and creating custom pieces using repurposed jewelry.
Consider a Custom Name Necklace
“A happy bridesmaid makes a happy bride.” - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Name plate necklaces are a popular item for women, especially those who have unique names that they would love to showcase. Since many bridesmaid gifts are ones that are wearable, a custom name necklace might be just the gift for your bridesmaids!
There is some additional thought that goes into this gift, mainly because there are so many potential factors. For a custom name necklace, there are fonts, metals, additional gems, chain lengths, whether it’s horizontal or vertical, and more to think about! Although the most common type of name plate necklace is gold with diamond accents, you can personalize these necklaces to your bridesmaid’s unique tastes.
One way to make these name plate necklaces even more custom is to include each bridesmaid’s birthstone. Adding a birthstone to a name plate necklace personalizes an already unique piece further, offering a beautiful complement to a gold or silver necklace. An entire list of birthstones and their meanings comes from the International Gem Society, which lists both classic and modern examples for each birth month.
Create Something New Using Repurposed Jewelry
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” - Amy Poehler
For a unique spin on bridesmaid gifts and to potentially save some money but give something special, consider repurposing old jewelry!
This could be a fun project where you involve your bridesmaid in creating their perfect accessory. Many of us have old rings, bracelets, or necklaces that could use a new life. Perhaps you and your bridesmaids could get together and pool your old jewelry. Then, you all could take a trip to your preferred jeweler to create custom jewelry that suits each person’s unique tastes!
Although custom jewelry could potentially be more expensive than a name plate necklace, the cost could be sustainably lower if you use existing gold, silver, or loose gemstones. You could even combine the two ideas, using repurposed jewelry to create a custom name necklace for each of your bridesmaids!
To make this process easier, either with or without your friends, make sure to create a general outline of what pieces you would want to customize: just necklaces? An earring and necklace set? Just a really lovely bracelet?
By narrowing down your choices, you can begin to make your wedding vision come together with the look that you want!
Don’t Forget the Maid of Honor Gift!
“True friends are like diamonds: bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.” - Nicole Richie
In most weddings, brides and grooms make it a point to give their maid of honor and best man special gifts. This is usually because these two people mean something particularly special to the couple: this could be because of the length of their relationship, support throughout their lives, a family member, etc. The reason is personal, but each couple has a reason that the maid of honor and best man are important.
So don’t forget the maid of honor gift! This doesn’t have to be expensive, but potentially something extra that lets your maid of honor know that they are extra special. You also don’t have to break the bank to give them a special gift: although there isn’t etiquette around what a bride could spend on their maid of honor, anywhere between $75-200 on an additional gift is a decent range.
(If you can only spend $5, that’s completely fine! Just make sure that it’s special!)
Jewelry Consultations
“I don’t design for myself, I design for the person who will be wearing it. I believe your jewelry should reflect who you are, your values, your lifestyle.” - Linda Kha
Caracts and Stones offers multiple ways to create unique bridesmaid gifts that suit everyone perfectly, so each member of your group looks fantastic on your day. We have the expert know-how, engraving tools, and design skills to create beautiful pieces.
Whether it’s a piece from our current selection or a custom jewelry order, it’s best to start with an appointment with us! We will break down everything you need to know about selecting a piece or going with a custom order. Make sure to mention if you are including any repurposed jewelry, so our experts can give you an accurate price range!
