Will you be my Bridesmaid?

So, there's something you should know about me...I'm "that" girl. You know, "that" girl who is psycho with a glue gun and actually uses coupons to craft stores and may or may not have spent a week hand painting gifts for my little sister in my sorority. Definitely "that" girl tendencies. Therefore, it has always been obvious to me that I was going to be "that" bride.

More than anything, I love handmade gifts and don't think anything says "you're really important to me" than spending the time to make something with your creativity and your own hands. So, when it came to asking my favorite ladies to be part of my day, I knew I wanted to ask them in a special way.

I've loved the recipe boxes from Rifle Paper Co. for a long time now and wanted to treat my bridesmaids to a similar keepsake. I bought unfinished boxes from Michaels and used nails, chain, and other torture devices to beat the boxes up a bit. I then used a Minwax stain in Dark Walnut to accomplish the dark hue. I spent the next 18 years hand painting the outside of the boxes with Rifle-like florals and used a paint pen to script the girls' names.

On the inside, I came up with little cards asking each girl to be part of my day. I wanted a nod to our wedding location and since we're getting married in Georgia, I opted to use spanish moss as the box filler. All of the girls received little bottles of champagne in honor of Will and I getting engaged at Schramsberg and just generally because champagne makes the world go round. This sweet bridesmaid received a reed diffuser because she lives in Italy and I was worried of a mid-flight champagne combustion.

I also included a card with our wedding date and location, a little lookbook of my bridesmaid dress code of conduct (I told you I was "that" bride...), and finally a who's who of bridesmaids so everyone has a brief meet and greet for those that don't know each other.

My favorite thing from this entire process has been asking each sweet friend to be part of my very special day. I have incredibly emotional and hilarious memories from each girl, including one hysterically crying and convulsing and another asking if a butterfly was going to fly out of the box when she opened it. To be honest, I was kind of upset that I didn't think of the butterfly idea earlier, but, c'est la vie.

In the end, I'm so excited I was able to give a gift to my friends who are giving me the great gift of their support and love during this time in my life. More than anything, I'm glad I went through this little process and realized from start to finish these boxes took me a month. My DIY ambitions have been readjusted and my glue gun is taking a break.