Asking Your Bridesmaids: How to Buy More Crap at the Craft Store

It's kind of a thing now to find fun and creative ways to ask your lady friends to be bridesmaids in your wedding. How did I ask my lady friends to be my bridesmaids? I called them on the phone. Lame, I know. But then I started to see all sorts of unique cards and crafts on the topic and my creativity wheels started turning.

You've probably seen how other Bees have asked their ladies in the past. For instance, Mrs. Bracelet, Mrs. Unicorn, Mrs. Turkey and Miss Lyre created adorable homemade cards. Mrs. Mink used elegant spools from Etsy seller Esther Shafer. Miss Gray Wolf made some super cute Christmas ornaments. Mrs. Elk even staged a fake proposal (complete with rings!) for her bridesmaids.  Not one to turn down an opportunity to spend money at the craft store, I set off to create something that would be fun to make while staying true to the general theme of our wedding. But what?  

My bridesmaids live all across the country. Two live in LA, one in Colorado, one in New York City, one in Baltimore, and one nearby (thankfully!) in Atlanta. I'm sure everyone has seen Bethany's lovely bridesmaid boxes, but unfortunately bulky wooden boxes just aren't practical for mailing across the country. I wanted to make something a little smaller and lighter. So I came up with these: 

The bridesmaids boxes. (personal photo)

The base is a simple papier-mâché box which I painted and then detailed with a gold paint pen. I used Mod Podge to attach small paper doilies to the inside of the boxes and I painted the inside lid with the initial of each one of my bridesmaids. I then coated the boxes with clear glossy spray. I topped each one with a Marie Antoinette-inspired scrapbook sticker. Finally, I cut out slips of paper which read, "Will you be my bridesmaid" which I carefully folded up inside each box. 

In retrospect I wish I had used more muted colors on these boxes and not the vibrant pink and blue I actually went with. I think I wanted to go with the over-the-top Marie Antoinette look which we won't be using at our wedding. Oh well. 

The bridesmaids booklets. (personal photo)

I loved the information cards that Bethany included with her "Will you be my maid?" boxes, so I used them as inspiration for the information booklets I included for my ladies. I made six (one for each bridesmaid) and each one is unique! I was going for a Marie Antoinette feel but I think they turned out a little more Victorian. Hey, it works for me! 

The construction of each booklet is quite simple. They are comprised of four different pages of postcard-sized card stock and a piece of patterned card stock for the cover. The pages are hinged together with tiny metal brads and the bottom of each sheet was given a lace effect using one of Martha Stewart's punches. I might have even included some gold embossing action. Yeah, I went a little overboard with all of my craft supplies, but it was a good time. The last page of the booklet is a color palette. I took paint chip cards from the home improvement store and sliced them into thin pieces which I then glued onto white card stock. Obviously the cover of each booklet eventually bore the name of each bridesmaid and the finishing touch: a tiny cameo scrap book decoration. 

I have to be honest: this was actually a lot of work. But I really enjoy crafting as it keeps me from stressing out about my job too much, which I have a strong tendency to do. Plus, in the digital age it feels good to make something concrete and tangible. 

Did you do anything special to ask your ladies to be your bridesmaids?