I knew when it came time to ask (bribe?) my bridesmaids to be in my wedding party, I needed to do something creative. Ideally, I think the best way to ask is to do so in person (perhaps host a nice lunch for everyone), but unfortunately, with my bridesmaids spread out across the country, I realized that there was a good chance that I may not even see some of them until the weekend of the actual wedding.
I initially thought I would send a “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” card in the mail, but while searching online for card ideas, I came across a company which made cookies for the occasion. The cookies, in the shape of dresses and available in a range of colors, had the bridesmaid question on the cookie itself. However, at a cost of $10 per cookie, plus $3.50 in shipping for each location for each bridesmaid, it seemed like a lot to pay for one measly little cookie. And thus, the motto of our wedding was born — “I can do that myself for cheaper!”
For a grand total of $12.95, I was able to order four wedding-related cookie cutters (cake, heart, diamond ring, and dress) from The Cookie Cutter Shop and went to work with a vanilla cookie recipe and a raw-egg free royal icing recipe. To ensure that they would keep the date of the wedding free (we had already booked the venue for the wedding at this point – remember, we did this before he actually proposed), I iced the date onto the hearts.
Included with an assortment of cookies, I sent a homemade card. I scoured the internet for the most over-the-top dress I could find, and photoshopped my bridesmaids into the dress. I stamped and embossed cards and wrote a little poem for each of my friends asking them to serve in my bridal party, and promised I wouldn’t make them wear an ugly dress… and when they opened the card, they found the picture of themselves photoshopped into the dress.
Needless to say, the cards were quite the hit. To send the package, I wrapped the cookies (stored in the freezer until they were ready to be mailed) in saran wrap and a layer of bubble wrap, and then carefully layered them inside a disposable Ziploc box. I then placed the cookie box and the card inside a large padded envelope and sent them via Priority Mail off across the country.
As two of my very best friends happen to be male, we asked them to serve in our wedding in the capacity of ushers. For them, I repeated the same process, but as a joke, photoshopped them into a bridesmaid dresses (explaining that since strapless wasn’t quite their style, how about instead of a bridesmaid, they wear a tuxedo and be an usher instead). My friends absolutely loved the cards, showed them to everyone, and still have them on display in their homes, almost two years later.
