Asking Our Wedding Party

One of my favorite parts of the whole wedding process was how I asked my girls to be my bridesmaids/maid of honor.

I created shadow boxes for each of my eight bridesmaids which included a poem, a picture of her and I together, and embellishments.  The best part was personally delivering them and seeing each of their faces light up! I couldn't wait to have them all made and given out. 

Here are a few of the ones I made (I wish I had taken better pictures; sorry).

I used three different poems for the gift depending on who it was for (sister-to-be, my own sister, maid of honor, or friend).

Here are the poems:

For Sister-to-be

The day that I marry, our families will blend,
you'll be my sister and also my friend.

It's so very special to know you will be,
a part of this day, a bridesmaid for me.

It's just the beginning, of our brand new life,
as your brother and I, become man and wife.

And nothing would give me more joy & pride,
than to have you standing right there by my side.

Will you be my Bridesmaid?

For Friend

The day, the dress
The bride, the groom
The joy, the tears
Will all come so soon

Professing true love
To my husband-to-be
With family and friends
All watching me

I hope the sun will be
Shining down,
Keep your fingers crossed
That I'll fit in my gown

But there's just one more thing
That there needs to be,
And that's to have you
Standing with me!

Will you be my bridesmaid?

For Maid of Honor

I wish that I could tell you, exactly what it means,
to have a special friend, who has shared in all my dreams.

Now on the day I marry, you will be the one to stand
as my maid of honor, near me close at hand.

Of memories we've shared, this day just would not be,
the one that I had dreamed of, without you next to me.

And though our lives keep changing, I will still look forward to,
all the many things we'll share, as only dear friends do.Thank You for Everything.

The girls were so surprised and loved them. I was so excited to begin wedding planning after I saw how the girls reacted to this gift! Unfortunately I can't say I wrote these wonderful, fun poems. I found them back in 2010 on this site. 

Stephen, on the other hand, is a typical guy and preferred to just asked his friends straight up to be in the wedding. I felt like it was his decision how he wanted to do so, so I let him decide.

Next I will talk about people feeling left out and also my story of losing one of my bridesmaids and her friendship. It is fun for me to reflect on all the memories and the highs and lows of our wedding planning experience. 

To read our engagement story go  here.