2010 Bridal Planner

Photography by Melisa Smock of Photography by Melisa.

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FEATURED STORY

Stand by me

Story by Eliza Ganzo, Staff Writer

He popped the question and you said yes. Now all that’s needed are your best friends and the perfect wedding dress.

Asking your closest friends and family to do the honor of standing with you on your wedding is a cause for celebration and can be done in many different ways.

“As soon as you find out you’re getting married, deciding on your bridesmaids is one of the first things you do,” said Sarah Hobart, owner of Hobart Printing in Benton.

Pretty on paper
Giving formal invitations can make a bridesmaid-to-be feel extra special.

From cute to clever to campy, the wording can be tailored to a bride’s relationship with her best gal pals.

One example is, “Will you make my wedding day more special and complete by being one of my bridesmaids and walking the aisle with me?”

Other suggestions: “Will you be my bridesmaid and share my wedding day? Please say you’ll be my bridesmaid and make my dreams come true. I promise not to make you wear an ugly dress, a hideous hat, or matching ugly shoes!” Or, “A friend is like a treasure with which one will not part. Our friendship means so much to me, I can’t imagine my wedding day without you standing next to me. Will you be my bridesmaid?”

“It’s OK to be cute, silly and personal with your girlfriends,” Hobart said.

Sentimental notes
Another way to add a personal touch to an invitation is to include a photo of you and your friend.

“It can be an old photo of you playing together or a new one of you together,” said Carol O’Cain with the imprinting department at The Crown Shop in Little Rock. “It shows that they have been part of your life and now you want them to be part of your wedding.”

Instead of a printed invitation, O’Cain suggests a handwritten note placed in a decorative box.
Another paper good that would help a bridesmaid stay up to date is to send a cute dress-fitting reminder.

Get gifted
Other creative ways to pop the question to your girlfriends include sending a bridal-themed cookie; giving a bag filled with bridesmaid goodies; having a bridesmaid T-shirt printed and sending it to them with a note, or creating a memory book that timelines your friendship with photos, written accounts of fun times and memories and writing the question on the last page.