A growing trend for brides-to-be is the bridesmaids proposal – popping the big question, “will you be my bridesmaid?” While asking the question is nothing new, it is popular now to ask with a small gift of some sort or a punny trinket to thank them for their friendship and support throughout the wedding planning process.
If you’re not sure how you want to ask your girlfriends (who may or may not see it coming), this guide offers cute bridesmaid proposal ideas for every type of bride and her helpers.
A bridesmaid proposal is the moment when you ask your best friends to be your bridesmaids. We all know about the big proposal, when the groom asks his future bride to marry him with an engagement ring, but bridesmaid proposals can be a fun event as well!
When you’re planning your wedding, your bridesmaids will be by your side every step of the way to find the perfect dress, help decide on decorations, and make the planning process fun!
Some of your best friends may be anticipating a spot in your wedding party, but for others it may be an exciting surprise! Whether your bridesmaids are surprised or not, a bridesmaid proposal is a fun way to tell them they’re in the wedding and show your appreciation for their help moving forward.
Are Bridesmaid Proposals Necessary?
If you have a bridal party, you’ll have to ask your bridesmaids to be a part of it somehow! Elaborate or expensive bridesmaid proposals are not necessary, however.
You can ask your friends, “Will you be my bridesmaid?” as simply as asking the question in person or over the phone, or you can opt for a bridesmaid proposal box of gifts, surprise proposal event, or anything in between! How much time, money, and effort you put towards asking your bridesmaids is up to you – it can be simple and casual, or you can make it an excuse for gifts or time spent together.
It’s also common to give a separate or special gift for the maid of honorfor her important role in the wedding.
Bridesmaid Proposal Gifts
A popular way to pop the question to your bridesmaids is to give them a gift to thank them in advance for helping you deal with wedding stress and perform bridesmaid duties. This bridesmaid gift can be small, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. You know your bridesmaids best, so go with your gut or try out these favorite bridesmaid proposal gifts.
Sweet Treats for A Bridesmaid Proposal
Give your bridesmaids a sweet treat when you ask. Bakeries or candy shops can customize cupcakes, cookies, chocolates, or another confection by writing the question in icing, or you could create a customized box with your bridesmaids’ names and your proposal. If you’re skilled in the kitchen, you could even create these treats on your own to save money. This is a sweet and simple bridesmaid gift and a great proposal gift idea!
Pop the Question with Jewelry
You don’t have to spend too much, but a cute necklace or bracelet is a nice token of gratitude for your bridesmaids. If it fits the style of their dresses for the wedding, they could all wear their matching jewelry on the wedding day.
One popular option in this category is a small knot necklace – a pun on the bride and groom tying the knot. You could also package the jewelry in a cute box or velvet bag with the question written on it, however you may want to phrase it. Another great idea for a proposal gift is customized jewelry with their name or initial. Check out these knot and initial options on Amazon for an easy bridesmaid gift!
Wine For Your Bridesmaids
Your bridesmaids are probably the girls you sip wine with anyway, so why not give them a bottle as a gift when you ask them to help you down the aisle. You can create cute customized labels to put on the bottle, possibly with their name, the date of your wedding if it’s set, or the question itself. This option is a nice gesture for your bridesmaids, and you can celebrate by popping one of the bottles open.
Bridesmaid Proposal Candles
A candle is a useful bridesmaid gift that is also easily customizable. Custom order your favorite scent, and create a jar or label to commemorate your bridesmaid proposal. The same information as the wine label applies here – names, dates, and however you want to ask the question, be it funny, punny, or heartfelt.
Here is a cute and affordable proposal gift candle available on Amazon!
Bridesmaid Boxes and Beauty Kits
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Create a cute gift box or basket for your bridesmaids to help them look their best and stay relaxed while they help you plan and prepare for your wedding. A bridesmaid proposal box is one of the best gifts, and you can include various small gifts from our list!
You could include beauty items like sheet face masks, bath bombs, artisanal soaps, lip balm, or whatever you think they’ll most enjoy. You can take this idea and apply it as you wish – a gift box of small presents can work for non-beauty items as well. Candles, cookies, wine, and wine glasses are more great options, or a self care theme so that your bridesmaids are prepped for the wedding day. Here are three of our favorite pre-made boxes from Etsy!
Tie the Knot Hair Ties
This is a simple but popular option, playing on the “tie the knot” puns yet again. A pack of the popular no-crease hair ties is useful (because who doesn’t lose hair ties all the time anyway) and stylish. This option is also cheap while still showing your bridesmaids that you appreciate their support. These also make a great addition to any bridesmaid box.
Pick colors that go along with your color scheme or their bridesmaids dresses if you have that figured out, and don’t forget to include the joke about helping you tie the knot somehow. There are tons of cute options on Amazon, so you can find an affordable proposal gift in any color to match your wedding style.
Personalized Bridesmaid Champagne Glasses
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Custom order or craft champagne glasses for yourself and your bridesmaids as a fun gift for your proposal gift. These will be useful in the future, whether you’re sipping champagne together or solo. Fast-forward to your wedding day, when you can all get ready together pre-wedding, sipping bubbly in your matching, personalized glasses. The same idea works for wine glasses, coffee mugs, tea cups, beer pints, or shot glasses.
Order your custom champagne glasses on Amazon to put together your bridesmaid proposal box today!
Bridesmaid Robes
Another common bridesmaid gift is robes – these are usually matching, often customized robes that everyone can wear while getting ready on the big day! Typically, you don’t put your dresses on until the last minute, so robes are useful while you’re getting your hair and makeup done before the wedding.
Get silky matching robes so that you and your bride tribe can get ready together in style! Here are a few of our favorites from Amazon:
DIY Bridesmaids Proposal Boxes
If you want to go for the bridesmaid box idea, you don’t have to break the bank or pay for some expensive service. These bridesmaid boxes are easy to create at home, and they can look great!
What Do I Fill My Bridesmaids Box With?
Fill your bridesmaid proposal gift box with anything you think your bridesmaids will enjoy! You can use the ideas we listed above, like cookies, candies, candles, and more. Here are some ideas for what you can put in a bridesmaid box:
- Candy
- Cookies
- Candles
- Hair ties, scrunchies
- Wine glasses
- Champagne flutes
- Coffee mugs
- Tea cups
- Water bottles
- Bath bombs
- Bath salts
- Spa products
- Nail polish
- Mini champagne bottles
- Jewelry
- Succulents
- Koozies
- Puzzles
- Confetti poppers
- Cosmetic bags
- T-shirts
- Robes
- Pajama sets
- Luggage tags
- Fuzzy socks
- Flowers
This is just the tip of the iceberg! Any small gift that you think your bridesmaids will enjoy will make a lovely addition to any bridesmaid box. You can make custom boxes specific to each bridesmaid, or give them all the same gifts.
How To Make a Bridesmaid Box
Once you know what you want to put in your bridesmaids boxes, you’ll need a box and some other supplies to put it all together! Make sure you have boxes, filling like tissue paper or shredded paper, ribbon to tie it up, and labels to ensure you know whose box is whose!
Here are some cute bridal box options available on Amazon:
Once you have your boxes assembled, drop them off at your bridesmaid’s houses or have them delivered. Just makes sure that anything fragile is protected and well wrapped if you ship them!
Interactive Bridesmaids Proposals
Rather than just a gift, some brides choose to ask their besties to be bridesmaids with an activity. You can ask them all together at a spa day, or play games to reveal the big question.
Bridesmaid Balloon reveal
This is a cheap and fun option – fill balloons with a note asking for your friend to be your bridesmaid and add confetti for extra flair. You can then give them their balloons and a pin or needle to pop it and literally pop the question. This option costs next to nothing and creates an endearing memory for everyone involved. Try to capture the moment with a picture or video to share and possibly frame for a later gift!
Bridal Party Spa Day
Propose to your bridesmaids while also inviting them to a spa day. You can choose to spend more or less on this gift depending on what services you want, from a full spa day to a simple massage for everyone. The spa day will be a much needed day of relaxation during hectic wedding planning or right before the big day, and it gives you a chance to spend time and bond with your girlfriends.
Puzzle Reveal Bridesmaid Proposal
For another interactive bridesmaid proposal, create a puzzle that asks the question for you. You can make individual puzzles or invite them all over at once to complete a single puzzle together and ask them all at once. Depending on how much you want to make them work, you could create a simple puzzle or even challenge them with 1000 piece puzzles as a fun joke. This gives them a fun task and makes for an interesting proposal, and the puzzle can be saved and framed.
Girls Night Out
For a simple but fun bridesmaid proposal, invite the girls for a night out! Try to schedule it so that your entire bridal party can be there – that way you can ask them all at once and celebrate all together. If your bridesmaids don’t know one another very well, this is also a chance for them to bond before the wedding day.
Invite the girls out for dinner, happy hour, or late night drinks and ask them to be your bridesmaids once you’re all together having a good time! This makes for a great proposal because you can celebrate all together in that moment – and start planning for future events like the bachelorette party!
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