Every bride has some form of bridal party, whether it’s made up of herself and the maid of honour or a whole group of 6 or more bridesmaids. As a token of appreciation for accompanying you fully during your wedding preparations and celebrations, a bridal party gift is one of the most logical ways through which you can award your chosen ones.

 After having stood by your side, helped you rummage through wedding magazines, come to terms with the dress you want to buy and finding the right decor for the wedding venue, now it’s your turn to show them just how much you appreciate their work by giving them a small token of appreciation. But what exactly can you give them that’s well within your budget and shows just how much you appreciate them in your life?

 Knowing just how difficult it can get, we are providing you with our top 5 gift ideas for your bridal party!

1. Embroidered Heirloom Handkerchiefs

 Your bridesmaids might shed a few happy tears for you during your wedding day. What better gift to give them than a sweet little handkerchief all embroidered with flowers? Moreover, such handkerchiefs are generally handmade and therefore easier to personalise and make them even more special.

2. Personalised Bath Robe

 Knowing that you have a full day of preparations on the wedding day, you want to make sure that your bridal party is feeling as comfortable as possible between hair and make up and all that glamour. Giving them a personalised waffle knit bathrobe to secure extra comfort during what can be a stressful day might just do the trick.

3. Scented Candles

 Let’s face it, scented candles are very much in vogue right now and people just love them. They come in all colours, shapes and sizes and most importantly scents. With the bridal party being made up of some of your best of friends and family members, you can easily identify what they love most and personalise the choice of candle scent in that way.

4. Spa Day

 Knowing how stressful wedding planning can become, organising a spa day with your bridal team might be one of the best gift ideas one could come up with. Whether a small session of just two hours of massages and mani pedis or a full day of luxury relaxation, your bridesmaids will most definitely love this one.

5. Bridesmaid Themed Accessories

 Just a little search online or rummaging through local accessory stores you can find loads of accessories which are bridal party themed and come with a message saying ‘thank you for being my bridesmaid!’

By Nicole Borg

It wouldn't be the first time a bride asks someone she trusts and loves to be her bridesmaid and something happens that causes the bride and her chosen bridesmaid to drift apart. This is why you need to make sure the people you're asking to be part of your bridal party are there to stay. But how could you know this for sure? What do you need to ask yourself?

First you need to make sure you know why you want these people in your bridal party. While some options are obvious, especially when involving your sister or sisters-in-law, others might seem forced. You might believe that because you've known someone for a long time, or because they chose you to be part of their bridal party, you owe it to them to include them in your own wedding preparations. At the end of the day, this is YOUR wedding day and so it is YOUR choice as to whom will get the chance to accompany you on your special day.

Moreover, when including your friends as part of the bridal party, you need to analyse their character and how able they are to handle stress and let go when an argument occurs. If you know someone is hot headed, has a tendency of bailing on you, or does not have the slightest of clues as to how to compromise, then you might want to opt out of choosing them to be part of your bridal party. On top of this, if you can tell someone won't be in your life for the long haul, then do you really want them to be in all the preparations, photos and videos of your special day? But then again, many times it is hard to predict the future.

Another thing you need to make sure of is this: do you think all the members of the bridal party can get along together? If you know two or more of the members don't agree on anything and just love to pick at each other, then it might be an option to opt out of having both of them in the group. Additionally, do take note on the groom's wishes and make sure the members of the bridal party get along with him well enough.

Finally, make sure that the people you choose will be willing to contribute to the planning and can help you out when you get stuck. If you know someone won't manage to be a helping hand, you might want to look elsewhere.

By Nicole Borg

So after showcasing to your bridal party the barricade of dresses you have tried on from every bridal shop in Malta, you are finally down to two dress. Whilst in the beginning you were terrified that you wouldn’t be able to find ‘the one’ dress which was made for you, you actually ended up finding two! Wow! So how do you choose which one to take? After giving your bridal party as well as mum (do yourself a favour and allow your mum to voice her opinion) it is now up to you to choose.

As much as you should value the opinion of your loved ones, don’t forget that at the end of the day, you’re the one who has to wear the dress. Whilst you still should give everyone’s opinion a listen, do not allow yourself to submit to peer pressure. Go to the bridal boutique(s) and try both dresses on by yourself, one last time. Following, give yourself the chance to make your own decision.

If it’s still proving to be difficult take a few photos of yourself in both dresses and put them next to each other. In which dress do you see the biggest smile on your face? Also try not to forget your style. Avoid choosing a dress because it looks good on someone else, but make sure it’s going to show everyone the lovely person you truly are.

Whilst it is your choice of a dream dress, don’t forget your significant other. Thinking about which one he’s love to see you wearing on your wedding day could help you make a choice more easily. If you believe that it will make his jaw drop or his eyes well up with happy tears, then that is the one. Besides, by now you know his preferences inside out!

Finally make sure to give some thought to the full image of your wedding. With your set theme, and decorations as well as choice of food, which style fits best? A ballgown would most certainly not be a great match for a beach wedding! Moreover imaging what accessories you always wanted, do they go with the dresses? Will it match with the bridal party’s dresses?

Best of luck - may you choose the dress of your dreams!

By Nicole Borg