When you ask a loved one to be a bridesmaid, you’re not simply asking her to stand up with you at the altar on one of the happiest days of your life. You’re also asking her to spend quite a bit of money. When Buzzfeed asked bridesmaids how much they spent, they got a low of $60 and a high of $3,000. The price is likely to be higher if you have members of your bridal party flying in from out of town. It’s easy to get distracted by all the details that come with wedding planning, but you can’t get so distracted that you forget how much your bridesmaids are sacrificing to be a part of your wedding. Here are some ways to thank your bridesmaids for all they’ve done. 
Buy Their Dresses
As the bride, it’s your right to drop a couple of thousand dollars on your wedding dress if you feel moved to do so. But it’s not your right to expect bridesmaids to pay that much for a bridesmaid dress. For one thing, most people don’t have the same emotional attachment to a bridesmaid dress that they do a wedding dress. A wedding gown is something you wear to celebrate your love, but a bridesmaid dress is something you wear to celebrate someone else’s love. Most brides exercise a fair amount of control over what bridesmaids are wearing anyway. If you want to ask your bridesmaids to wear a yellow dress because you think it symbolizes optimism and hope, then it would be nice if you offered to pay for at least part of that dress. If you can’t do that, then try your best to pick out a design that’s inexpensive. You should also feel free to talk to your bridesmaids about their respective budgets, but do it one-on-one instead of in a group setting. No one wants to be known as the poorest bridesmaid in a wedding.
Treat Them to a Weekend Getaway
No rule says that you and your female friends have to go to a seedy strip club for your bachelorette party. In fact, if your friends hire a stripper when you don’t want them to, that’s a breach of etiquette. Another breach of etiquette is asking everyone to blow a lot of cash on a fancy bachelorette party that’s being held in a far-away locale. Instead of doing that, considering covering their travel expenses yourself.
Obviously, not every bride can afford to do this, but if you have a little room in the budget, it’s so worth spending it on a weekend trip for you and your best friends. Hawaii is a great destination for bridal parties on the West Coast, because you can go from boarding a plane to taking surf lessons in Waikiki in a matter of hours. If you do this, try to plan the trip for a month or two before the wedding, because things can get especially hectic as you begin the final countdown to getting hitched.
Combine a Letter with a Gift
A letter is the most personalized thing you can give a bridesmaid. It should be handwritten or typed, though, since a grateful text message simply isn’t going to have the same impact. Give yourself plenty of time to compose something truly meaningful. That means you should not start writing these letters the night before the wedding. Aim for at least a few sentences on what your friendship with each bridesmaid means to you, and make sure to get as specific as possible. Try to include some inside jokes, too.
Once the letter is done, find a small gift for each of them, ideally one that can be slipped right into the envelope. You might get each of them a necklace with their birthstone, for instance. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should feel unique and personal.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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