Wedding Party

beach totes for bridesmaids

Hey All,
  making beach totes for my BMs,MOH,and FG.  I have a tote with initials stiched on them, a necklace made with beach glass, and a nice beach towel.  Thinking about wine glasses (except for FG) or flip flops... but I am not sure what else to put in them.  They are medium sized bags and I need a few more ideas.  Also, need a comparable idea for groomsmen.. was thinking hiking bags or gym bags?

any suggestions are appreciated, thanks!

Re: beach totes for bridesmaids

  • The groomsmen gifts are your FI's responsibility.  Presumably he knows what his friends would like.  They don't have to get the same thing as each other, and they certainly don't have to get the same thing as, or even something comparable to, the bridesmaids.

    I would try to get them something personal.  They don't all have to get the same thing, and everything you have for them now is honestly pretty generic, especially if they aren't into beachy stuff.  
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    Sometimes I feel like people think that brides are delicate little flower princesses who get all dressed up and pretty for one special moment of their dreams, when really they're just normal people who just happen to be getting married. Things shouldn't have to be sugar-coated for grown-ass women. -mstar284
  • I also did tote bags for my BMs - I got bags from designers or in patterns that they'd like, and the things inside were personal. MOH got a cookbook and an apron, BM got a biography book and sticker bookplates (MLS student), and some more personal small things, and a Visa gift card for each of them.

    Don't worry about following a specific theme ... get them things that you know each of them will like. Personal, individual stuff will mean more to them than identical gifts that follow a theme.
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  • edited April 2010
    Try to personalize the gift to each girl getting it (your FI worries about the GMs gifts since they're his friends) and I don't mean by monongramming them - I mean by thinking about each persons likes and taste and style.

    I'm putting my girls' gifts in tote bags and what's going inside is tailroed to each girl. One friend who is not a BM but has acted as my wedding planner (she does event planning as a career just not wedding planning specifically)  is getting a cookbook from a bakery we have visited in NYC together (we love their cupcakes) and some artsy stationery. 

    The others are getting frames for a 5x7 photo of their choosing; flip flops (they all wear them and like them), a little individualized gift - travel coffee mug; room reed diffuser; gourmet coffee, etc that reflects their style & personalities. Each girl is also getting 2 gift cards to her 2 favorite stores (I asked each person for her 2 favorite places to shop). Oh, and they're all getting a different bracelt that reflects - again - their personal styles. It is not a bracelet I expect them to wear in my wedding.
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  • Ditto PPs - get them something a bit more personal (unless they all love the beach and wine, in which case great).

    As far as the wine glasses go, would you get them a set of 4 or 6 wineglasses, or are you talking about one individual wine glass, possibly with some kind of decoration? I ask because I have for example one wine glass from a wine tasting with the vineyard's name etched on it, and while we'll use it casually, we don't use it for entertaining. So I would steer away from any kind of novelty glass or pair of glasses in favor of something they can really use.
  • where did you ordered your monogramed totes from? I'm considering doing the same thing... and again, where did you get your towels? I love that idea.. I thinking about including the flip flops that I plan for the girls to wear in my beach wedding into my totes as well as a heart shaped wine cork with a note that says "thanks so much for playing an important role in my Happily Every After"...... then if I find lil nick nacks that match each bridesmaids personality I may include those too...

    P.S I've been getting a lot of grief from fellow posters....  I know my wedding isn't for awhile but I  know planning a wedding is a hug financial obligation and want to take my time and enjoy it and try to do everything right.. and not be hit with huge bills 2 months before the wedding...Smile
  • I think people either tend to use mostly non-matching decorative/winery wine glasses or only matching ones.  If they tend to have matching sets though, I'd steer away from it.

    But if your friends are wine lovers and the non-matching decorative type, Lolita wine glasses or something similar could work.  Maybe get a bottle of wine you know they'd enjoy to go along with it.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_beach-totes-bridesmaids?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:b03d719b-cfec-4392-92f9-bb2ef1e7f4f5Post:d80a4368-3718-4ff7-aa88-a6cecc98967e">Re: beach totes for bridesmaids</a>:
    [QUOTE]P.S I've been getting a lot of grief from fellow posters....  I know my wedding isn't for awhile but I  know planning a wedding is a hug financial obligation and want to take my time and enjoy it and try to do everything right.. and not be hit with huge bills 2 months before the wedding...
    Posted by Aimeeami[/QUOTE]

    <div>What are you talking about? No one was harsh to you. We were throwing ideas out to you. A lot of the times, bms get  monogrammed totes and we've heard a lot of brides wanting to give them out....and like I said, How many personalized totes can one girls have?! </div><div>
    </div><div>And the other girls are right, Aimee. Your wedding is not for a while. While it's nice to think about gifts, don't settle on anything yet. You may change your mind, have to change your gift budget, or like someone else's ideas on this board and want to "steal."</div>
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  • Hey,  good thinking on getting started early.  I started a year ago planning and even buying gifts for people, so don't let anyone give you greif, because I actually got really good deals buying Lacosse Beach Towels from Macy's in October.  They are sooo nice and luxurious and the cost was about 50% of what they normally are... Same thing on the totes, I got them on an after xmas sale from L. L. Bean and they are very sturdy bags with thick canvasing and very nice sticking on the embroidery.  You can have the accents of the totes made into a lot of different colors.  Hope this helps.  Starting thinking after holiday and out of season sales and you'll find great bargains for everything on your wedding needs.
  • I got tote bags from lands end, but I didn't bother monogramming them... if you buy more than 3, you get three dollars off each one.  I bought the medium blue ones for my 3 bridesmaids and the smallest one in pink for my flower girl.   I'm gonna fill it with random stuff... a frame that says sisters (cause they're all sisters/sisters-in-law), a starbucks card, old navy flip flops, some dark chocolate, a mini bottle of champagne, and I think a charm bracelet from a cute shop in the beach town where we're getting married (not required attire for the wedding, I just think they're pretty).  Stuff like that.  I'm also paying for their hair and makeup and possibly their wedding jewelry, but that's not really a gift, since it's for the wedding.  

  • I saw that there are Martha Stewart towels on sale right now at Macy's.  The towels are wonderul.  I have one of them for myself that I got as a gift when I went to see her show.  They are soft and a great size.  I think they are 20 dollars right now instead of 50.  Different colors and styles available.  Check it out. 

    Any other places people got totes?

    Any ideas on what to stuff with in regards to "wedding day emergency kit".  Or is this a dumb idea?  This would go along with other gifts of course.
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