Bridesmaid Survival Kits

Woo Hoo - though my list is still huge, I can officially cross another project off of my wedding to do list!

As a thanks to my loyal bridesmaids for their participation and support in planning my big day, I wanted to do a bit more than a "traditional" gift, so I decided to make Bridesmaid Survival Kits.

My first big step: compiling a list of "ingredients" and making a trip to the store. I chose to include the following: lotion, hairspray, hair ties, bobbie pins, safety pins, mirror/compact brushdeodorant, sunblock, dental floss, mints, nail file, aspirin, chapstick, band-aides, hand wipes, stain remover, chocolates, disposable camera, and a mini calendar.

Next, I searched for a container to place everything in. After trying a couple of different options, I elected to order personalized cosmetic bags that I found online for a reasonable price. It took 2 long weeks, but yesterday my bags finally arrived in the mail.

With my bags in hand, I was finally able to gather my supplies and assemble my gifts:

Once everything was packed inside the cosmetic bags, I created gift tags to complete the look.

On each tag, I included the following poem:

This Bridesmaid Survival Kit was made to say

I’m thrilled that you’re a part of my wedding day!

A calendar to track all of our plans

Lotion to manage stress and dry hands

Hairspray and pins to keep you hair in place

A mirror to check out your beautiful face

Wet Ones to keep your hands nice and clean

Chocolates if you need a boost of caffeine

Shout to prevent pesky dress stains

Aleve to tackle all aches and pains

Safety pins if needed to alter your dress

Listerine to keep your breath minty fresh

Chapstick and floss to care for your smile

If a nail should break I’ve included a file

Band-Aids to help care for sore feet

Degree to stay dry despite the heat

Coppertone to help protect from the sun

A camera to capture all of our fun

I hope this kit helps and brings you some glee -

It’s just a little thanks from the bride-to be!

I found several variations of this poem online, but none completely worked for my supplies, so I combined a selection of elements from some of the existing poems with some lines I came up with myself.

Overall, I'm pleased with the way they turned out, thrilled to complete a project, and excited to present them to my girls!

Bride on A Mission

So, this is definitely a break from my usual planning updates and craft projects, but I've given myself a goal and thought I would share in hopes of gaining some support for my crazy scheme...

As a proud supporter of my Alma Mater, and an avid fan of my Oklahoma State Cowboys, I've decided that I would perhaps be the happiest Bride-to-Be on the planet if I can somehow convince the OSU Athletic Department to allow me to take some of my bridal portraits inside Boone Pickens Stadium, and the unquestionable happiest Bride if I could go one step further and actually make it onto the football field.

I've sent some precursory emails to various departments at OSU in hopes of getting in touch with someone who can help me out. In addition, our wedding photographer has also been in contact with the University regarding clearances to photograph on the grounds. Ideally, between the two of us, we'll be successful. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Bridesmaid Dresses!

Well, after a full day of shopping with my sister, we've selected and ordered our Bridesmaid Dresses! In our 8 hours together, I swear we (and by we I really mean my sister) tried on more potential dresses than I did when selecting my wedding dress, but at least we can say our search was thorough, and we are happy with the selection:

The picture isn't great quality (thank you David's Bridal for being difficult with photo sharing) but the dress is lovely and looks great on Carrie. We're planning to have it shortened to tea length since the wedding will be held in Oklahoma in June, and they will be teal (or Oasis, as David's has dubbed the color).

I'm excited to see how they look when they come in but, unfortunately, we have to wait 12 weeks. At least this is one more thing I can check off of my planning checklist!