Today is all about the ladies- along with showing a sneak peak into how I “popped the question” to my MOH + Bridesmaids I am sharing some advice for future brides on the whole process. Although picking and asking your gals to stand by your side while you marry the man of your dreams is exciting it can be stressful and scary! Am I asking to many girls? Am I asking too little? Will they get along? Biggest fear: What if they say no?! SO, as this wedding journey continues for Eddie and I, I figured I would share a little bit of advice I have learned along the way.

When Asking….

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE: I know how overwhelming it can be to hop onto Pinterest and search “how to ask your bridesmaids”- your feed floods with numerous creative ideas that leave you feeling in a daze of ring pops and over the top glittery boxes. Trust me, I was there! I tackled asking my bridesmaids in the only way I know how, by keeping it simple. I included a hand-written note to each girl, a bottle of wine, and candy (because who doesn’t love wine and candy?!). I also made it extra special by mailing my girls their packages. You dont have to go over the top but by making the words you write be meaningful and by sending it as a surprise your girls will feel extra special and it will get them extra excited about your wedding day!
2. OBLIGATIONS: This one is a biggie! When you ask your gals to stand by you, you may feel overwhelmed with the idea of who you want to be by your side and who you feel like you should have by your side. My biggest advice is to always, ALWAYS ask the girls who are your biggest supporters and love you unconditionally. I’ve seen too many brides end up regretting who they have in their bridal party simply because they felt like they needed to include certain people rather than the people they really wanted. Just remember, its you & your fiancé’s big day and its always important to remember it should be about what you two want to stand by you in the end!
3. KEEP IT SMALL: Having a large bridal party is great but its also a lot of different personalities and it can get extra expensive! So, I suggest keeping it small. We decided to have 5 on each side (4 Bridesmaids + MOH), since we are having a “destination wedding” in the sense that everyone is coming from Maryland to SC we wanted to keep our bridal party on the smaller side and keep it more intimate. Its totally up to you, but you know the saying “Less is always more!”

Last week, I spent Wednesday morning writing out my “Will you be my bridesmaid?” cards. It was so unbelievably surreal. Even though I kind of jumped the gun and already told all the girls I would love to have as my bridesmaids I still wanted to make sure I sent them a little something just to let them each know how special they are to me. Like I said before, I included a miniature bottle of wine (Payton my MOH, received a bottle of sparkling lemonade since she’s underage) and pink colored candies. I also ordered gold-pressed cards off Etsy to ask each girl- I wanted to include a little sneak peak into our wedding colors so it was important to include gold somewhere! (See the iPhone pictures below) Every girl received their package last week and they all said YES! Payton, Britty, Lindsay, Lauren & Meghan– I cannot wait to share this journey with you all. I am so honored to have you stand by my side as I marry Eddie. I love you all unconditionally and I am so excited to have such an amazing group of women be there for me through this exciting experience!