Bestowing the bridesmaids...with gifts!

For our wedding week festivities, my bridesmaids arrived a few days early to start the party! Because our pre-wedding plans involved some sun and fun, I wanted my bridesmaid gifts to serve a practical purpose! Yes...I said practical. I wish I could say that I am a creative gift giver, but alas I am not! I happen to be the person who gifts practical items. I know that many brides before me have gifted their bridesmaids with adorable monogrammed tote bags, jewelry, and the like, However, two of the ladies are getting married in the next year (so their monograms would be out of date soon), and my taste in jewelry sometimes differs greatly from that of my maids. Alas...I hit the drawing board.

Inspiration hit me in the store one day when I saw a display of some adorable beach bags for sale! They were lightweight, large, and have a zipper closure (3 very important beach bag attributes, in this Florida girl's opinion...). I was sold...and thus my gift bag was started!

What is a beach bag without a towel? My next addition to the gift was a brightly colored beach towel for each maid, along with an aluminum water bottle.

Next up was a small goodie bag that I put together. It included their favorite candy, a pretty pink nail polish, a nail file, two note pads, and a Burt's Bees chapstick!

And...I didn't want my maids to get bored at the beach...so I included a puzzle book (sudoku, crosswords, word finds, etc.). I never go to the beach without one!

Finally, each of the bridesmaids received a tank top that I crafted for them. I sewed some fluffy organza flowers and attached them to pins. Each tank had two flowers on the strap; because the flowers were attached with pins, the maids can attach them to other items, keep them on the tank, or remove them completely...whatever their heart desires (see...practical Katie...)!

I carefully placed all of the items in the beach bag, and I presented them to the bridesmaids on the first day of our bachelorette festivities. They were able to use the items throughout the course of our wedding weekend festivities to tote their beach items (a few even made their way to our venue as tote bags to carry their "dancing shoes," touch up makeup, and other items)!

Are you a practical gift giver when it comes to your bridal party? What did you gift them/are you planning on gifting them?

Bridesmaid shoes: my shoe boyfriend steps in!

Last time we checked in on my bridesmaid shoe hunt, I was back to the drawing board after eliminating the dyeable shoe option.

So, what did I do? I visited shoe websites daily, waiting and hoping that one of them would release a new style that would be perfect. Sadly, one was not forthcoming. However, I started to lean towards a nude/beige colored shoe, as I noticed quite the selection available online!

"Yes! This could work!" I said to myself...and promptly put together a new inspiration collage to test my newfound shoe lovelies.

Dresses: J Crew

Shoes (L to R): Nina - Elijah, Nina - Galvey, Nina- Kora, Jones New York Plumsky Peep Toe

And then, Mommy Buttons and I went to Nordstrom. I should have known that the perfect shoe would be waiting there for me.

Hello gorgeous!

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These Enzo Angiolini pumps were sitting on the display with a golden haze surrounding them. I'm quite sure that angels started singing in the background.

I promptly grabbed it and marched around the floor to find my shoe boyfriend, Victor. I know you probably just wrinkled your brow when you heard the term...but I'm being serious here people! Before I could locate him, I was intercepted by another sales person. He asked me if I needed help, and I let him know that I was waiting for Victor. He offered to search for the shoe in a size for me while I waited, but as soon as I said "7 1/2," he responded with "oh, we definitely won't have your size in that shoe."

Oh Mr. Shoe Salesman...you are so naiive.

Now, let me explain why Victor is known as my shoe boyfriend, and why it pays to have one! For a few years now, I have been a loyal shoe shopper at Nordstrom. I wouldn't say I buy in volume, but when I do purchase a pair of shoes I want quality. It only took me a few trips to Nordy's to realize that it was smart to become loyal to a salesperson. Time and again, I would go to Nordstrom, and Victor would assist me with my shoe shopping. He quickly learned which styles I liked and disliked, the brands I was partial to, and the like. He even puts the shoes on my feet for me and fastens any buckles...I'm spoiled. Soooo, when I handed him the pump that the previous salesperson assured me I wouldn't find, I was confident that I'd hear a different story.

Annnnd guess what? I was right. Victor checked the store inventory, as well as the inventory across the country, and BINGO - we were rolling! Although they were rather hard to come by, we were able to locate a pair in each of my bridesmaids' sizes! And, we were able to have them shipped directly to their homes...FREE of charge (because my shoe boyfriend only gives me the best...)!

So, without further ado...beautiful heels were on their way to the Button bridesmaids, and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief!

What aspect of your planning were you absolutely relieved to complete?

Bridesmaid shoes: the hunt

It is official: I get hung up over the most ridiculous things when it comes to wedding planning.

I think it is perfectly understandable when a bride-to-be frets over the bridesmaid dress selection process. There are so many options, so many colors, so many styles...it can be a daunting task! Well, if you recall, I made that particular decision rather quickly. Remember these?

J Crew

It was easy peasy to select these dresses...and I quickly moved on to planning other aspects of the day. I wasn't concerned with jewelry, as I tend to like subdued things (aka I'll probably just have them all wear pearls in whatever way, shape, and form that they want).

Oh but wait...what about their feet?

SCREEEEEEEEECH. The bridesmaid attire train (which had previously been speeding down the tracks) halted to an abrupt stop.

Initial impressions from some people; "have them wear gold or silver shoes."

That would be the easy and simple route, wouldn't it? I will admit, I pondered this for a short time, but to be really 100% honest, I was not feeling it. I don't even own a pair of gold shoes (or silver) myself...I guess they really aren't my thing?

I emailed the bridesmaids and asked them to send me photos of any and all shoes that they owned that would match the dress. My thoughts were as follows: if everyone has something that will work, and they will somewhat coordinate, then that would be awesome!

Well, that was wishful thinking on my part, because it didn't work. Only 2 of the 4 actually owned shoes that would look appropriate with the dress. Darn it! Well, at least I tried, right?

Resigned, I started to hunt more vigorously online and in stores for something that made my heart skip a beat. The first question I tackled: what color shoes do I want? Originally, I was set on green...but upon further inspection, I realized that locating the appropriate color of green shoes in stores was almost asking the impossible. Oh, I could find some amazing green shoes...don't get me wrong...but they usually carried a price tag of over $100, or were so hard to track down that I wasn't unsure if we would be able to find a pair for each of the bridesmaids!

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Sigh...I wish...

My next venture was to investigate dyeable shoes. I visited both Payless and David's Bridal to test out a few pairs and view their color selections. I was happy to find that both stores carried a beautiful grassy green hue. BUT, when I tried on the different styles, I was underwhelmed by the cuteness factor, and actually a little bit in pain.

All images from David's Bridal

There were a few shoes that I thought had promise, but when I walked around in a few of them, my typically tough feet were feeling a bit sore...darn it all! As much as I was hoping that they would work, the dyeable shoes were nixed.

Ok, so what in the world was I going to do?!?! As the days whizzed by, I was really unsure if I would ever find the perfect shoe(s) for my bridesmaids...

Did you select shoes for your bridesmaids, or did they go on a hunt themselves?

Inspiration Board #2: Bridesmaid Inspiration

Some accessory ideas for the 'maids...which ones do you like?

Bridesmaids dresses are from J Crew.

Flower earrings, Hair Pin Set, Chandelier earrings, Bird earrings, Turquoise bead necklace, Leaf earrings, Fabric flower necklace

My Beautiful Bridesmaids...

Maid of Honor: My bestest buddy - Liz!  She's my twin in blonde form, and I love her so!  We met in college through a mutual friend (and now bridesmaid) Kali.  We all went out to dinner together one night, and Kali assured me that Liz and I would be best friends by the end of the night.  She was exactly right...and we've been attached ever since (we've even been married on Facebook for a few years...I shed a tear when we had to remove the status after I got engaged...it was a sad day!).  I don't think I can recall memories of college without Liz being a part of them.  Ask her sometime about my winter visit to DC and my accident at the metro station...its a classic story...

Bridesmaid: College friend, Kali.  We met our freshman year of college, where we lived on the same dorm floor and were both part of the honors program (nerd alert...I know!).  We both joined AOII as well...so we were constantly at meetings and events together!!!  Since college, we've been lucky enough to schedule some fun times together in the ATL where she was at grad school; from meeting our favorite bartender Jimmy to using 3 different wine bottle openers to break open a bottle of 2 buck chuck, and addicting Liz and I to the amazingness of pomegranates, we always manage to have an exciting time together!

Bridesmaid: Sorority little sister Ariel!  My beloved little sister in AOII...we first met during my sophomore year of college; we had a winter term class together.  For those of you who know what I am talking about, I was busy "shopping" for littles out of potential new pledges...and I set my sights on this one!  She is a red-haired clone of myself, we always just "get" each other!  She was just accepted into medical school for the fall...I'm pretty sure that she's going to save the world someday.

Bridesmaid: College friend and roommate Lara!  Lara and I have been friends since our freshman year of college when we pledged AOII together.  We lived together in the sorority house during our sophomore year, and again in an off campus apartment during our senior year!  We've had so many adventures together...traveling to Asheville for Fall Break, teaching her how to pump her own gas (she's from Jersey), to jumping in the huge fountain after graduation...such wonderful memories!