SO the list had been made, the bridesmaid selections were permanent and I was finally sleeping again. Until I realized that I needed to ASK these people to be in my actual wedding. Little did I realize, that the perfect proposal to the special women in my life was also a tricky matter… Will they say I do, too? I’ve been in weddings before, and I know that it’s a time commitment, it’s an act of patience, and it’s basically sacrificing any and all sneaky funds you might have saved for the over-priced dress you’ve been drooling over in the window at Anthropologie. Basically, I was, and still am, very aware that being a bridesmaid is going to cost you beaucoup bucks. I’m also aware that no matter how many times I repeat in my head that I WILL BE A CHILL BRIDE, I’m going to have my fair share of moments. What can I give to these women that signifies that I appreciate them and want them to be a part of my day, yet isn’t overly corny or going to end up in their junk drawer?
By this time, beach season was in full swing and I had my annual first beach week sunburn. I’m of Irish heritage and when I tell you I turn into a lobster, I’m not playing. I was packing up my beach 
bag to head to my own slice of paradise at Roy Carpenter’s Beach, when I couldn’t find my sunscreen. This was an actual emergency people! I do not really like sunscreen and I cannot just simply borrow someone else’s because I am PICKY. It needs to smell good, it cannot be sticky, it cannot turn my skin a strange variety of orange, and I do not want glitter. Above all else, it cannot be a spray because I will 100% miss half my leg and end up half lobster-legged, which is the only thing worse than full-blown lobster. I made a mental note to myself that I need to stock up on sunscreen. Then I could not find my towel, someone had commandeered my alcoholic drink for their own walk to the beach, and I was getting hangry. The tension was mounting! “EVERYONE NEEDS THEIR OWN STUFF!” I thought, and probably even yelled out loud! And this, folks, is how you turn lemons into lemonade. Just as I was hitting peak hanger, I had a moment of clarity: I am getting these women beach bags and stocking them with everything they’d need for the beach, which are also the things I love in life. And now I will not need to share! This isn’t a 5 carat flawless diamond, but I think it’s pretty great!
Like a crazed women, I spent the next few days scouring Etsy. You will find when it comes your time that Etsy is full of prepackaged bridesmaid proposals. This probably would have been helpful to have researched before I spent 3 weeks trying to rack my brain, but alas, although biased, I do think my idea is more thoughtful, more economical, much more personal, useful AND on-theme. I found the perfect bags that would hold up to the challenge and ordered them with each bridesmaids monogram. I also ordered one for my future mother-in-law (because brownie points!) and my own mom (because she rocks!) and one for myself, because I needed one.
Once the bags arrived, I stuffed each bag with sunscreen, a framed photo of the bridesmaid and myself, a beach towel, a ring pop (because they deserve a snack AND a ring too) and all the ingredients to my special, most favorite cocktail: the self named, Chron-Tonic. I wrote a cute poem with instructions on how to make the cocktail and stuck it, along with a reusable cup, into each bag. The cherry on top was a nice note that I put on cute stationary. I really took the time with everyone’s notes, highlighting their best attributes and why they are so special to me and why I need them to be a part of this day. At the end, I asked them if they would be willing to say “I do, too” to being a bridesmaid, and then met up with each one individually to give them the bag and lovingly ask them in person. Much to my relief, all of them said yes!
