Let me start by saying, I didn’t know how indecisive I could be until I started planning a wedding. I know some girls have Pinterest boards full of their dream wedding and fully thrive in the process of planning a wedding. For me, I was overwhelmed. I knew planning a wedding would be a lot, but I didn’t realize how many details were involved in wedding planning. I have so much respect for wedding planners!
Charley and I tied the knot on March 7, 2020 at our family’s favorite hotel that we’ve been visiting since we were little, The Fairmont Banff Springs. It was the best weekend of my life, and mainly because we were surrounded by all of our friends and family in a place that has so many special memories over the years! (Follow #FlowersForCharley on Instagram for more photos from the weekend)
It’s funny, because the biggest decisions were really easy, whereas the smaller details I never considered were so hard to choose! For my wedding gown, I went to one store, tried on three dresses, bought the third, and left Neimans. For my rehearsal dinner dress, same story at Ese Azenabor. Trying to decide on bridesmaid gifts? Complete indecision.
One of my favorite parts of wedding planning was shopping for bridesmaid gifts. I know the amount of time I spent trying to find the perfect gifts was not exactly necessary, BUT my friends mean the world to me. To have 10 of my very best friends fly all the way to Canada to celebrate with me, travel to New Orleans for my bachelorette, and host an amazing bridal luncheon in Dallas – I wanted to find something special to show them how much it meant to me that they were by my side.
(My best friend Tori was in her last trimester and couldn’t make it, but she was there in spirit and now has a beautiful baby boy! Love you, Tor!)
Since I’m from Alabama, went to boarding school in Virginia, and moved to Dallas for college (a while ago), my best friends live all over the country, and I don’t get to see (some of them) all of the time. Not only was it incredible to have my best friends at the wedding, it was AMAZING having all of them together at the same place at the same time! I can’t explain how special this was and how much it meant to me, which is why I spent so much time choosing bridesmaid gifts. I just wish the weekend hadn’t flown by, so I had more time with them!
What I Gave My Bridesmaids:
1 – Monogrammed Victoria’s Secret Pajamas
Since Banff is so snowy and cozy, I knew I wanted to order pajama sets for the girls. Initially I ordered 12 pairs of these wintery flannel pajamas for all my bridesmaids, my mom, Charley’s mom, and our best family friend, Cindy, who threw my amazing bridesmaid brunch – the sweetest! (If I had an aunt, this would be her!) However they weren’t as soft as I had hoped when they arrived, so I sent them back and reordered these super soft pink Modal pajamas from Victoria’s Secret. Loved them! My mom took all of them to a local monogram shop and had all the girls’ initials monogrammed on each pair. My mom did this for Blair’s wedding in Seaside and Janie’s wedding in Rosemary Beach as well, and I still wear mine from their weddings!
Pro-tip: moms know best. The entire week in Canada, she offered to help me steam all the girls pajamas, but I insisted I could get it done quickly. I completely underestimated how much time this would take. Needless to say I was up for hours after the post toast party Friday night steaming pajamas – and didn’t get through half of them. So my mom, stepdad, and bff Libby helped take on the load the morning of the wedding – forever grateful! Lesson learned, always listen to mom and get all of the prep work done BEFORE the wedding weekend commences! Time flies.
2 – Pratiksha Rose Quartz & Diamond Necklace
Aside from giving my friends something to wear while we got ready, I wanted to give them something sentimental to show how much they mean to me! As you know, Pratiksha is my favorite Dallas jeweler, so it was a no brainer to start here. I went to their showroom countless times to view their collection, explore custom pieces, etc. She has so many gorgeous pieces, so between that + the ability to create something custom – I was SO indecisive! (thanks Tisha for being a rockstar and so patient with me over those months of shopping!)
I posted about my diamond initial necklace here, and I haven’t taken it off since I got it, so I decided to give my bridesmaids a dainty diamond necklace that hopefully they would love just as much as I love mine. Initially I considered giving everyone a diamond initial necklace until I saw my best friend wearing one at the bach! #twinning, so that’s what led me to the East West rose quartz and diamond necklace. I was so torn between blue sapphire and rose quartz, but I decided on the rose since it looked so feminine and would match anything.
When I gave the girls the necklaces, I wasn’t expecting them to wear them during the wedding – but they all did, and I was so excited! It looked gorgeous on all of them!
Read more about Pratiksha and why this is my favorite place to shop for fine jewelry here.
3 – Patricia Green Furry Slippers
To go along with cozy pajamas, I got each of the girls a pair of furry slippers. I picked them out before deciding on a color for the pajamas, which is why we monogrammed the pajamas in black so they would coordinate! (Note: if you plan a destination wedding, prepare to bring an extra carry-on suitcase just for the slippers!)
4 – Earrings
Earrings were a bit of an afterthought during planning, but I picked up 10 pairs of earrings a week before the wedding so they didn’t have to worry about packing any!
5 – Wedding Day Prep Kit
The last thing I gave all of my bridesmaids and our moms was a wedding day prep kit. I ordered 12 matching cosmetic pouches and filled them with things they might need that day such as lip balm, face masks, ponytail holders, listerine strips, on-the-go toothbrushes, advil, and other types of basics. Honestly I’m not sure if these were used, but it was fun to bulk order from Amazon for weeks ;)
While wedding planning was quite a journey, I can’t imagine having tied the knot without my bridesmaids by my side! Being surrounded by my closest friends and family as Charley and I said “I do” meant more to me than I could have ever imagined!
I can’t wait to share more of our wedding posts with you all! Follow #FlowersForCharley on Instagram to see photos from the weekend!