4 Ways to pop the question: Will you be my bridesmaid?

Congratulations on your recent engagement! Amongst all your wedding planning, deciding how many bridesmaids to have and who to ask is a must sooner rather than later. With a wedding party together, you can delegate some of your planning responsibilities. 

According to Loverly, the average American bride has around 3-5 bridesmaids in their bridal party, but whether you want 1 or 20, we love Brides recommendations on deciding how many. 

We love cultivating everything that will make your wedding day special, including how to ask your bridesmaids to be a part of your bridal party. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Present a gift with your bridesmaid’s name on it

Giving your bridesmaids something personalized helps them to know they’re loved, is something sentimental and quality that they’ll want to keep forever, and generally is something high quality that they’ll want to use on a regular basis outside of your wedding day. 

• Personalized jewelry — a bracelet or necklace in your bridesmaid’s preferred metal is a classic bridal party invitation. Bonus points if it’s something they can wear on your wedding day. If your bridesmaids have different tastes in jewelry, Gem Studio in Salt Lake City is a great alternative where each bridesmaid can make their own ring for your wedding.
• A fluffy or silk robe — matching robes for your bridal party is a fun way for everyone to coordinate while you’re getting hair and makeup done on your wedding day. With your bridesmaid’s name or initials on the front or back, they’ll never question which robe is theirs and it’s something they can use beyond your wedding.
• An elegant luggage tag — especially if you are traveling to Salt Lake City or elsewhere for your wedding, giving a personalized tag to your bridesmaid is both practical and cute. Consider using your wedding colors and a map of your wedding location with a note on the back.
• Travel-sized perfume bottle — gift your bridesmaid their favorite perfume or a personalized scent of your own. Invite them to wear it on your wedding day as part of the bridal party! 
• A bag — everyone needs a new bag every once in a while and your bridesmaid is no exception! Treat her to a cute leather or canvas tote with her name it for another personalized way of asking her to be in your bridal party.

If you’re still not sure what to do for your bridesmaid that’s personal, Etsy is a great resource with thousands of creators and many different personalized options. 

2. Give your bridesmaid a gift basket

This option is perfect for those bridesmaids you might not be able to ask to join your bridal party in person. Companies like  Olive and Cocoa in Salt Lake City will send gourmet snack packages straight to your bridesmaid’s door with a personalized note asking them to join your wedding party. Or you can create your own package with cultivated items for each specific bridesmaid. Here are some things you can include in your bridesmaid basket or package.

• Something sweet — refer to our next gift option for more ideas!
• A plant — air plants and succulents do well in packaging and are easier plants to take care of.
• Sunglasses — Amazon has so many fun and matching designs including these heart-shaped ones, perfect for your bridal party.
• A postcard from your wedding location — instead of including a normal note, use a postcard from Salt Lake City or wherever you’re planning to get married and pop the question on the back with the time and wedding venue address.
• Volcano Candle from Anthropologie — we can’t rave enough about this scent.
• A travel jewelry case — this is a more practical gift to include in your bridesmaid basket, but your bridal party will thank you. Bonus points if it’s personalized with their name on it!
• Flat-bottomed shoes — gift your bridesmaid something comfy to dance in at your wedding!
• A color swatch of your bridesmaid dress color — make your bridesmaid’s lives a little easier with a fabric swatch of the color you want your bridesmaid to wear. If you can’t find a fabric color you like, snagging a paint chip sample from home deport is a great alternative to guaranteeing 
• Their favorite chapstick or lip gloss
• A framed picture of you and your bridesmaid — make this even more personalized by including a memory between you two and writing down your invitation to join your bridal party.
• Haircare kit — if you’re getting married in Salt Lake City, it can be a little dry. Treat your bridesmaid to some moisturizing hair care products that will keep them feeling silky smooth. 
• A gift card to your favorite place — if you’re looking for something simple, this is the way to go. Including a lengthy note with a gift card to your bridesmaid’s favorite beauty bar, restaurant or clothing boutique is a personalized option of popping the question.

3. Say it with sweets 

Personally, we love macaroons, chocolate chip cookies, or really anything chocolate. Stop by your favorite local sweet shop and invite your bridesmaid to your wedding party in person.

An alternative is asking your bridesmaid to go out and get something sweet with you, then invite her to join your bridal party at the end of the get-together. Here are a few of our favorite sweet shops near Salt Lake City.

• Dali Crepes, Salt Lake City
• Pie Fight, Salt Lake City
• Spilled Milk, Salt Lake City
• Aloha Snow Creamies, Spanish Fork
• RubySnap, Salt Lake City
• Crumbl, locations all over Utah
• Cravings Alisha’s Cupcakes, Pleasant Grove
• Meet Fresh, Salt Lake City
• Sweet Rolled Tacos, Salt Lake City

At Kate Elizabeth Events, we also happen to love baking. Trying your hand at a Courtney Rich cake or a new cookie recipe you’ve been wanting to try. Making something for your bridesmaid adds a personalized touch to an invitation to your bridal party.

4. Have a girls night with all your soon-to-be bridesmaids

Chances are, not all your bridesmaids will know each other super well. Since each bridesmaid will be part of your wedding party support system, you’ll want to make sure they feel comfortable with each other and that they feel your love. Having a girls’ night with your soon-to-be bridesmaids is a great way to accomplish this. Here are some ideas that will bring your bridal party together.

• Have a movie night — pop some popcorn, put together a charcuterie board, and play some cheesy chick flicks. While you’re watching something wedding-related, you can do facemasks and some wedding planning.
• Take a weekend trip to Salt Lake City — even if you are not in Utah, Visit Salt Lake has many different ideas for how to make the most of your weekend. Wherever you go, renting an Airbnb somewhere new and having a girls’ night out on the town can be a fun and unifying way to bring your bridesmaids together. 
• Treat them to a spa day — plan a fun day at your favorite spa or beauty bar and treat your bridesmaids to a manicure or facial. You might not be able to do this if you have over 10 bridesmaids, but this would work well with a few.
• Host a game night — tell all your bridesmaids to bring their favorite board game and play the night away!
• Sign up for a group fitness class — whether it’s self-defense, dance, or yoga, booking a class for your bridesmaids is a great way to unify everyone in your bridal party by trying something new together.
• Host a tea party — have everyone bring their favorite tea time snack and their favorite mug or teacup, make different kinds of tea, juice, or lemonade available to your bridesmaids and party away.

At the end of your girls’ night, hand out a small gift to each of your guests and ask them to join your bridal party. For more girls’ night ideas for your bridesmaids, visit Live Bold and Bloom.

However you decide to ask your soon-to-be bridesmaids to join your bridal party, it’s important for your bridesmaids to feel loved and appreciated. The best bridesmaids will return the favor and support you on your wedding day!