Thanking the bridal party

‘Thank you’ gifts provide guests with a life-long reminder of the valuable contribution they’ve made to your wedding. In fact, showing gratitude to others increases the likelihood that you will remember the event vividly too. Thanking your guests affirms the joy and happiness they have provided – so you’re more likely to recall these happy memories at a later date. 

Whether big or small, tokens of appreciation are important because they’ll inspire both you and your bridal party to reminisce about your wedding day for many years to come.

 
Unique ‘thank you’ ideas

Although the practice of gift-giving is steeped in tradition, there’s scope to be creative and surprise your bridal party with something really unique. A carefully considered act of gratitude or a handmade keepsake is sure to make the biggest impact.

Experiences

Seen as they’ve helped make your wedding experience exceptional – you could thank members of the bridal party by treating them to a wonderful experience of their own. Female members of the bridal party are often treated to a relaxing spa day, whilst male members are sent on an adrenaline-inducing adventure. Surprising your bridal party with a novel ‘learning’ experience – such as taxidermy or bee-keeping - could be an inspiring alternative.

In addition, if any of your bridal party are parents of young children, you could thank them for their tireless support by offering some well-deserved babysitting duties. 

A public ‘thankyou’

Speeches aside – there are additional ways you can publicly thank your bridal party. Arranging for a bouquet of flowers or craft beer hamper to be delivered directly to their workplace a couple of weeks after the wedding is a small, public gesture that’s bound to make them feel special.

Letters & videos

Generally, it’s considered good etiquette to send ‘thank you’ cards to all guests that were in attendance. Increasingly, couples are choosing electronic cards or digital media posts to thank their guests.

Posting handwritten letters to the wedding party is a charming way to show gratitude. Alternatively, hiring a wedding videographer to shoot your wedding will mean you’ll have a high-quality wedding video to share with every member of the bridal party. Cinematic videography captures your complete wedding ‘story’ so includes lots of footage of bridal party involvement -  making it the ideal ‘thank you’ gift for those who played supporting roles in the wedding.

Cinematic wedding videos can be gifted electronically, on DVD or by inviting the bridal party to a screening.  To get a feel for how your wedding ‘story’ could look, view some examples of Full Focus wedding videography.

Charity

If a member of your bridal party has a strong social conscience, or they have raised money for a particular charity in the past, a donation made in their honour could be a really meaningful ‘thank you’ gift – because it’ll demonstrate you understand what is really important to them.

Handmade or engraved gifts

Handmade ‘thank you’ gifts show your bridal party they’re worth the time and effort required to create something beautiful. Handmade bridesmaids’ necklaces personalised with birthstones are bespoke gifts to be treasured. Alternatively, blending a perfume with your guests’ favourite scents means they will be reminded of the special day every time they smell their perfume.

Traditionally, members of the bridal party are given engraved items such as tankards, hip flasks or jewellery. However, it’s also possible to source more unique items for engravement, such as sterling silver bookmarks, golf tees and luxury embroidered gloves or slippers.

Whilst ‘thanking’ the bridal party is a traditional thing to do, there’s no reason why you can’t put a modern spin on this custom. The best ‘thank you’ gifts are the ones tailored to your guests’ unique personalities and tastes. No matter how much you spend, your act of gratitude will celebrate their valuable input and help to keep joyful wedding memories alive.

To capture your unique thank you gifts forever, feel free to contact us here to discuss how we can tailor our service to cover your big day.