12 Creative Bridesmaid Invitation Ideas

Your girls are important to you, and so is your wedding. You need girls by your side who you love and trust to help you plan. Weddings aren't all work though -- let them know just how fun your wedding day will be by asking them to join your bridal party in a creative way.

1. Scavenger hunt

Source: Scavenger Hunt

For the girls who love puzzles. There are a couple of ways you can do this one. For a memory-based hunt, leave clues in your favorite or significant places to lead her around your city. At the end, meet her with a gift basket (or one of these great tote bags!) and ask her to be your bridesmaid. This one will take a lot of planning, so it might be best to save it for your Maid of Honor. Or, make the scavenger hunt wedding themed and have a list of specific items rather than clues, and have the girls team up to complete it together.

2. Be my “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”

Source: Something Blue

For the more sentimental type, write a sweet letter to your girls, like this one:

Tradition says there are 4 things a bride needs on her wedding day: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I’m not sure about all that, but I do know:

our friendship is old,

our dresses will be new,

I may borrow your shoes,

and I’m blue without you!

Be my bridesmaid?

3. Custom shoes

Source: Sandals, Gold Shoe

While the converse-and-wedding-dress shoe trend may be fading, writing a note on the bottom of the bride or groom’s shoes isn’t. Extend this to your bridesmaids by giving them a pair of shoes you know they’ll love. These can be flats, tennis shoes, or stilettos. If you have enough planned for your wedding, you can give all the girls matching shoes they can wear to the wedding and/or reception. Write a note on the bottom asking them to be your ‘maids!

4. Send her flowers

Source: Floral Arrangement

Who says you can’t send your friend flowers? Most girls love getting flowers. Send her a gorgeous arrangement; just don’t forget to sign the card!

5. Ask with food

Source: Bridesmaid Cookies

You can’t go wrong with food. There are also tons of options for asking someone to be your bridesmaid that involve food. Take her out to dinner. Order delivery and binge-watch all the romantic comedies on Netflix. Decorate fudge or cookies together (ask her to be your bridesmaid in icing – who could say no to that?!) Maybe she loves a strange food combo, like Michael from Princess Diaries loves skittles on pizza. Instead of “Sorry”, write “Bridesmaid?”

6. Coffee

Source: Bridesmaid Mug, Polka Dot Personalized Mug

Arrange to meet up with her for coffee, but arrive early and order for her. Have the barista write “will you be my bridesmaid?” on her cup. You may need to be a little crafty with this one if she doesn’t notice right away. You could ask “Oh, did I grab your cup on accident? What’s the name?” For the eco-friendly coffee lover, or just for a more permanent gift, get a personalized coffee mug and have the barista use that for her coffee.

7. Personalized (wine) bottle label

Source: Personalized Wine Bottle Label

Get a bottle of her favorite wine, champagne, or other drink an put a personalized label on it. You can order a bottle with the label or make your own.

Want to do more than a bottle of wine? Check out these personalized wine-themed gifts!

8. Video invitation

Source: Video Invitation

For your long distance girls: you can still make the invitation more personal and exciting than a phone call or text. There are tons of cute videos going around the internet where someone makes signs instead of talking to share a story, reveal a pregnancy, or any other reason! You have complete control over this one, so make it as sappy or funny as you want. Maybe your invitation will go viral!

9. Are you having a destination wedding?

Source: Passport Cover

Give her a passport cover with a note inside! Bonus points if the note is on paper that looks like a passport page and is stamped with wherever you’re going (even if it doesn’t require a passport to get there).

10. Use your dog

Source: Dog Invitation

Do your girls love dogs? Or maybe your fiancé proposed to you by putting a ring on a puppy’s collar. A dog is probably the most adorable way to ask anyone anything. So why not your bridesmaids? Hang a sign around your dog’s neck, or just let him lay there and look cute with a sign next to him, if he doesn’t like things around his neck. Can he fetch a newspaper? Have him deliver a rolled up note to your girl.

11. Custom nail polish label

Source: Personalized Nail Polish, Maid Up Kit

Put together your own make-up kit (hint: use your wedding colors!) with nail polish and remover, a nail trimming set, eye liner and shadow, lip liner and lip stick, mascara, blush, foundation, highlighter or any combination of these! If possible, create a custom label for the containers.

12. Scratch off card

Source: Scratch Off Card

You’ve won the lottery with your fiancé, so let your girls share some of your luck with a super cute scratch-off invitation.

There are hundreds of ways to ask someone you care about to be your bridesmaid. The hard part is choosing which way to ask! What’s your favorite?

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

Product Spotlight: Personalized Gray Crosshatch Convertible Garment Bag

It can be difficult to buy gifts for people you care about. You need something personal, and it should be something they’ll love, but it will be even more special if it’s something they will use, too. This convertible garment bag is an incredible gift – for your husband-to-be, his groomsmen, or even just as a birthday gift. It is perfect for everyone, from gym-goers to travelers, whether they’re taking a family weekend getaway or visiting another country for work.

This polyester and faux leather duffel bag opens up and expands into a garment bag with hanging capabilities. It even has separate compartments on the inside for shoes. The two strap options let you carry the bag over your shoulder or in your hands. The bag offers two outer pockets on either end, and one wider pocket on the front as well.

The beautiful gray material with black accents is stylish without being too flashy, and the bold monogram stands out enough to ensure you’ll never get it mixed up with someone else’s on a baggage carousel in an airport. As an added bonus, this bag is also an airline approved carry on bag, so your traveling just got a whole lot easier if you prefer not waiting around a baggage carousel at all.

If you’re having a destination wedding (or even if you just have to travel a few hours away), these bags are the best gifts for your groomsmen and family members. Fill the bag with travel necessities, fun surprises, their favorite treats, and a thank you note and give them to the recipients when they arrive at the hotel.

• Snacks
• Drinks
• Bottle opener
• Hat and gloves (winter wedding)
• Sandals and sunglasses (summer wedding)
• Advil
• Cuff links or pocket square or other matching accessory for the wedding day
• A travel toiletries bag
• Flask or coffee mug

The groom would love one too – just be sure to include honeymoon-specific items in his bag, too.
The wedding party will always travel in style and be sure to get tons of compliments on their personalized bags.

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

The Ultimate Wedding Guest Surprise

If you want a relaxed, down-to-earth wedding without the pressures that typically come with wedding planning, this might be just what you are looking for. Throw a surprise wedding! Some couples choose to invite only their closest family and friends, but you don't have to sacrifice quantity if you don’t want to. You can invite 400 people and still not stress over flowers and bridal party drama and seating charts. Sure, it'll be a little more difficult with that many people, but with the right circumstances and enough planning, anything is possible.

Source: Surprise Wedding Sign

The Logistics
 
That's right. Don't tell anyone, but don't sneak off to the courthouse either. And I'm not talking "celebrity surprise wedding" where they jet off somewhere totally remote, get married, and don't tell anyone until after. Invite everyone to a bonfire or a dinner party, a costume party on Halloween, a Christmas dinner, a New Year's Eve bash, a yacht party, or even just to hang out and have a "quiet night in." Maybe you two just bought a house and you want to have a house-warming party to celebrate. You could also pretend it's an engagement party and have the wedding ceremony instead. If you're really, really good at pretending, have the groom send out the invites and pretend he's throwing a party so he can propose to you; guests will be amazed to find out he proposed months earlier! Halfway through the event, change into your dress and tux, make a toast and reveal you actually invited them to a wedding!

Source: Surprise Wedding Announcement, Surprised Guest

The Perks
 
You'll have to let a few people in on the secret, of course. Your officiant, obviously. If you want to have a bridal party, you can ask them in advance (and ask them to help plan!) if you trust them to keep it a secret, or you pull them aside the night of and ask them on the spot. If you give them short notice, make sure to tell them they don't need to give a speech or a toast so they don't feel like they have to scramble to prepare.

A surprise wedding may take some extra effort on your part because you don't have as many people who know about it to help, but at the same time, you avoid the stress and drama involved in planning a traditional wedding, so it pays off. In particular, because no one else knows, you don't have to worry about pleasing anyone else. Your mother-in-law won't stick her nose in, your best friend from college who you haven't spoken to in years so you didn't invite her/him won't have a chance to be offended, and you won't have to find a bridesmaid dress that flatters everyone. You can plan at your own pace as well, and your engagement can be as short or as long as you want it to be, without anyone else's input. It can truly be your wedding filled with details you are passionate about, and none that you are pressured to include.

Besides relieving some of the pressure on the bride and groom, you're also relieving some of the pressure on the guests. Particularly, the pressure to bring a gift. For a plethora of reasons, many couples find it awkward to ask for gifts, even though it is common practice for weddings. If your guests don't know it's a wedding, they won't feel forced to find a perfect gift. Or, maybe you already have everything you need – so there goes the stress in trying to register for gifts you may or may not use! Your bridal party won't feel pressured to be perfect or worry about toasts.

Without all that stress and pressure, everyone is left to have an incredible time. Not to mention, a happy surprise adds an almost child-like feeling of delight to the evening.

Source: Secret Moment

The Challenges
 
The biggest downside to a surprise wedding is some loved ones might not be able to make it. We tend to make bigger sacrifices or exceptions for weddings than we would for a dinner party. There are ways around this, though. If only a couple people can't make it, you could let them in on the secret and let them know you'd really love for them to be there, but you understand if they can't make arrangements. If it's more than a few and you don't want to risk word getting out (even unintentionally), you can just reiterate how important the party is to you and how much you'd appreciate it if they could make it.

One other downside to be aware of is some individuals might be offended by being left out of the planning. If you know someone like this and you're worried about even a partially negative reaction, luckily you can fix it easily. If this person is someone you would have asked to be a part of your traditional wedding, you should consider inviting them to help. Even if you just give them a small task or let them in on the secret a little early, it could go a long way towards protecting your feelings. Or, if you're really set on keeping the wedding a complete secret, write them a sincere letter explaining your decision to keep everyone out of the wedding, and let them know how much you care about them and that you're looking forward to all the new memories the two of you will make. If the person would have been in the bridal party in a traditional wedding, you can throw a secret bachelorette/bachelor party (it's your choice to tell them whether it's just another night out or what it's actually for), or you could wait until after your honeymoon and have a post-wedding bachelorette/bachelor party.

Special Twists

Maybe you're thinking there are other downsides – what about cake and having a photographer and a guestbook?! Don't worry: you can have all of those too. If you want a cake that really looks like a wedding cake, just keep it hidden until after the ceremony. You can have a photographer there too, but it's better if it's someone you know, who wouldn't stand out. You could even set up hidden cameras in the area you're going to reveal the big surprise. This way, you can record everyone's reactions to your news as well as the ceremony without giving anything away. One cute idea is to set out a few Polaroid cameras or even a photo booth. Encourage guests to take pictures all night, and later on, ask them to write a note on the back of the pictures so you can use those as your guestbook or put them in a scrapbook.

What do you think? Will you plan a surprise wedding or do you prefer the traditions that go along with a, well, traditional wedding? Tell us why!

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

Lush Pink and Gold Romantic Real Wedding

If you're looking for an afternoon pick me up, you've found it with this ethereal, lush wedding courtesy of Clint Bargen Photography. Get ready for a whole lot of pretty, and a super sweet bride and groom!

High school friends Richel (Shay) and Michael struck up a decade-long romance after coincidentally bumping into one another while visiting family for the holidays. On the foundation of years of friendship, they built a love that carried them into a joyous - and stunning - wedding day in the company of family and friends. 

VENUE

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After tying the knot at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Vancouver, BC, the newlyweds and their guests promptly moved over to Riverway Golf Course for the reception. 

ATTIRE

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Shay wowed in a beautiful lace-covered white dress with full-length lace sleeves, while the bridesmaids sparkled in sequin-top blush pink dresses. Mike looked sharp in a crisp blue suit, and his groomsmen sported gray suits with matching navy ties. 

DECOR

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The feel of the day was soft and ethereal, with lush greenery and golden accents balanced by wooden decorations and the existing beams throughout the reception space. Classic florals in white and green featured small leaf eucalyptus and spray roses in mercury glass vases were featured on each round table, and long strands of greenery lined the center of the large family style table in the center of the room. 

Fun, playful touches were scattered throughout the reception to capture the couple's love of video games. Spray painted army men and video game controllers acted as compliments to succulent favors and table numbers. A few army men even made it onto the cake. 

WORDS FROM THE BRIDE AND GROOM

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For all the subdued grace of the wedding day, the couple themselves were charged with energy and clearly enjoyed every minute of their wedding day. 

“It was Richel's outgoing personality that drew me to her,” Mike said. “She was so energetic, friendly and humorous. From the first day we talked until now, we always find ways to make each other laugh.” 

Shay added, “Michael is and always will be my partner in crime. We scheme together, make goals together, laugh together, cry together- we do everything together. I couldn't be more blessed to have someone who also pushes me to be my own person and supports my independence. Mike inspires me in every way and he's one of the main reasons why I always aim to be the best version of me.”

Photographer: Clint Bargen Photography

Location: Riverway Golf Course

Event Planner: D'Love Affair Weddings & Events

Floral Designer: Kaye Fleur

Cake Designer: The Sweet Alley

Design and Decor: Past Pieces

Equipment Rental: A&B Party Time Rentals

Dress Store: The Bridal Gallery

Makeup Artist: Rita Tang Makeup & Hair

DJ: DJ MISS M