I was one of the bridesmaids and my boyfriend was one of the groomsmen in our friends wedding ceremony. We were both really honored that they thought enough of us to include us in their special day. I remember when she started planning their wedding and reception, I thought she was gonna call it quits and just elope.  She was going a little crazy trying to get it all together.  There was just so much for her to take care of and even though she had help from her mom and sister, she still had a lot of decisions to make. I offered to do whatever she needed me to do, and the first thing she asked for is taking care of the invitations and making sure they all got mailed on time.  I was glad to help out, she’s been a good friend for a long time and I could tell she was getting more and more nervous about this every day.  Not really nervous about getting married, but more worried about everything getting done right. Like any bride, she wanted everything to be perfect. 

   She got to the point that she would call me every day or two and ask my advice on accessories, table settings, and more. She even wanted to know what I thought would be appropriate bridesmaid gifts for all of us. That was a little awkward.  I just told her to use her best judgement and I’m sure she can choose the perfect little gifts. But I did advise her not to be extravagant, I know how costly weddings and receptions can be.

   She showed me the beautiful cake and cake topper she had chosen and they were exquisite. The wedding cake topper was a romantic heart topper with the bride and groom in the center and flowers all around it. Her champagne flutes were gorgeous crystal and had bride and groom printed on them, she also picked out adorable little place card holders that she was able to use as wedding favors for all of her guests. So far, she was doing a fantastic job planning this affair. Her fiance took care of all the guy stuff. Gifts for the groomsmen, best man, the ring boy and both of their dads. She found lovely gifts for the mothers of the bride and groom, the flower girl and her maid of honor. But she was still worried about the bridesmaids gifts. I told her to just pick out something that she would buy for herself.  Something that she would like to receive as a gift and I’m sure it will be just fine.  So that’s what she did.

   At the reception everyone was laughing and dancing and having a fantastic time. All of the guests complimented her on how lovely she looked and what a super job she did on planning the wedding and reception. Everything was great, from the centerpieces to the wedding favors. I knew she could pull this off, especially with her mom and sister helping her out. As far as the gifts for the bridesmaids, they were spectacular. You could tell these weren’t cheap bridesmaid gifts, at least that’s what I thought at the time.  She later confided in me that she bought almost everything for her ceremony and reception wholesale.  She said they have everything you need for the perfect wedding and reception and it didn’t cost her anywhere close to what she thought it would.  But there’s just one more thing I want to know; where did she buy my bridesmaid gift, because I’d like to get a couple more for my living room.

   I’ve got fittings for me and my bridesmaids, and my flower girl to take care of. Then I’m going to check out wedding cakes at some of the bakeries on my list, not to mention caterers.  My day is already full. All he has is the fittings and buying gifts. He should be able to handle that.

   There sure is a lot to planning a wedding.  Sometimes I think we’d be better off eloping, but I really want a big wedding with all of our family and friends. I guess I will probably end up helping him, after I take care of my flower girl, our Moms and the bridesmaid gifts. If I don’t they’ll probably end up with fast food gift certificates or something in that order. Besides, I’ve been checking out a lot of wedding items and accessories online and I’ve come across some pretty amazing gifts and favors. So maybe, I can at least give him some suggestions.

   I know I’ve found the décor I want to go with for the ceremony and I was thinking about possibly a reception at the beach.  I think a beach party reception would really be fantastic. We could have tiki torches everywhere, because I plan on this reception lasting a while. There are so many neat accessories to make a beach reception a really super event. There are even beach themed place card holders and wedding favors. Just all kinds of decorations to help pull this off. Not only that, there is also a selection of beach themed bridesmaid gift ideas too, that I think my girls might really like. So, it’s settled, the beach it is.

   When I told him my idea, he actually liked it.  He thought a reception by the water was a great idea. Our wedding will still be held in the church at 1:00 and the reception won’t start until about 3:00, so everyone will have time to go home and change into their comfortable beachwear. This is going to be so fantastic.

   Now I’ve got to send out the invitations, pick out the beach décor I want to use, check the rental on the reception tables, and I guess help him pick out gifts for the guys too. It shouldn’t be hard with all the choices I’ve found to choose from. There are some nice mugs or shot glasses the guys would probably like.  Maybe I’ll suggest that to him. I still have no clue as to what to get for the Dads and Moms, so I guess I’ll put that off until later, and give us a little time to think about it. That’s our parents, so those gifts have to be very special.

   So tonight we’re going to sit together and go over all the possibilities for groomsmen, best man, ring boy, flower girl, maid of honor, and the bridesmaids gift, and we’re not giving up until we have them all. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long, long, evening.