Wedding Wednesday: Selecting my Bride Tribe

One of the most significant choices you make going into a wedding will be who will be standing with you on your big day. These people are the friends who are close to you, and from my perspective, have helped you and your soon-to-be by building up your relationship. They are honest with you and are by your side for everything else in some way. The bridal party was a creation of the Romans. In Ancient Roman law, at least 10 witnesses had to be present for a martial ceremony. The bridal party had to dress exactly like the bride and groom in order to confuse vengeful spirits who may try to harm the newlyweds.  You can read more about that here.

Since I had already decided on a more intimate option for our ceremony (family only), I was at a crossroads: Do I choose bridesmaids or not? Well, I did. Kinda. Let me explain. Since my bridesmaids will not be donning a more 'traditional' role, they will still be a part of my big day. But, I am not calling them bridesmaids: they are my BRIDE TRIBE. These ladies have been closest to me throughout everything and I honestly could not imagine my wedding day without them. So, they will still help me get ready, and take photos, just like typical bridesmaids, just without the ceremony portion of the day. With my choice of colors for our wedding, I have told them to pick a dress that matches within that range. I want them to wear a dress that suits their body they are comfortable in.

So, to 'propose' to each woman, I created two customized gift boxes catered to each one of their personalities. While they were similar in some items, others I wanted to be a bit different. Each box was $14 from Michael's Craft store. I filled it with pink shred $1.49/each per box from Target. Each notepad was $14 from Zazzle. The each candle was $12 from JayCorner. The Bridesmaid Mug was $10 from Marshalls - similar here. The Bridesmaid stemless wine glass was $10 at Marshalls - similar here. And the sleep masks were $5 on Amazon each. And, the Bridesmaid tags were $3 from Marshalls (a part of a full set) - but these can be made easily or purchased on Etsy!

I hope you have enjoyed this installment of Wedding Wednesday. If you are bridemaid, what was your favorite gift? Or, if you are a bride, what did you give your bridesmaids? I would love to hear about it!