Let’s admit it: We’ve all swooned over those sweet “Will You Be My Bridesmaid” kerchiefs. You know the ones I mean: vintage printed hankies with a little message scrawled in the center. But almost $30 a pop, the price can add up pretty fast, especially if you have a lot of bridesmaids. So imagine my surprise and joy when I stumbled on this “Will You Be My Bridesmaid” stamp from Southern Fried Paper! You can DIY as many hankies as you like for the price of one from some other retailers! The stamp is available in a classic cursive and floral motif. Just purchase hankies at the nearest flea market or make your own with a few yards of fabric and some iron-on hemming tape.
I’m super excited to bring you a roundup of bridesmaid gifts from Lydali, a line of global handmade goods that connects you with artistans in developing countries around the globe. Oh, and it just so happens to be cofounded by my freshmen-year roommate, Ali Price! I’m so happy to see Ali’s business taking off and super impressed with the gorgeous collection she and her business partner (and fellow Wake Forest grad) Lydia Harter have curated. Here are a few of my favorite items, which would all be beautiful (and socially conscious) gifts for brides to give their maids. Ali was also nice enough to share a little about how her business got started, her tips for others hoping to do the same, and even a few special memories from her own wedding. Check out her interview below!
These banana bark and fabric bangles are absolutely stunning and highly stackable. Each bangle is handmade in Tanzania, where women peel the bark from the trees, treat it, then turn it into bangles with the help of colorful locally produced fabrics. $35 for a set of three
These soft cotton clutches handmade in Guatemala make perfect makeup bags or pouches for bridesmaid emergency kits. I particularly love the coral diamond print and the two-tone tassels. $24
I couldn’t resist adding a second set of clutches because they made me think about needlepoint in a new way. I’ve always associated this craft with bygone eras, but seeing it here in modern colors and striking florals (gotta love the pomegranate flower!) made me swoon. The bags come straight to you from a folk art fair in Uzbekistan. $25
I’ve always been a sucker for a leather-bound book and this one is no exception. These 40-page honey-colored journals are made by women in Northern India and the proceeds go to funding literacy in the region. $15
UB: So tell me about starting Lydali! How did you get the idea?
Ali: I was in Bali last year and I started talking to one of my friends who lived in Bali and was working with artisans there. She was employing talented people to make really beautiful jewelry and accessories, but she was having trouble finding a market for their products outside of friends and family. I had experience working with artisans in Kenya, and I knew that my friend’s issue was common—small groups of artisans were making really unique products with great stories behind them, but no one knew about it. I puzzled over that problem for the rest of my time in Indonesia, and then when I was on the 16-hour flight back to San Francisco, I came up with the idea for a store that housed a well-curated collection of artisan-made products from all over the world. Back in San Francisco, I talked to my buyer friend Lydia Harter about it, and she immediately signed on. A few months later, we launched Lydali.
UB: Can you tell me about how you track down these amazing artisans?
Ali: We have a couple of different ways of connecting with artisans, but most of the connections happen through friends and friends of friends. One of my favorite connections came from having my family friend, Jay, and his wife, Diana, who had just moved to the Bay Area over for brunch. They had been living in Haiti for the past few years, and Diana had been working with women who were amputees as a result of the 2010 earthquake. She helped to train the women to sew and make bags and hair accessories, and I loved the story and the products. A few weeks after the brunch, we had their products up on Lydali! (Here they are, if you want to see.)
UB: Do you have any advice for young women trying to set up an online business?
Ali: I was a little bit intimidated by the prospect of setting up an online business. Don’t be afraid to go for it, and once you start taking steps to make it happen, things start feeling easier. I reached out to anyone and everyone who was doing something even vaguely related and had conversations with them. So many great learnings came out of talking to others who had started businesses themselves or worked in similar fields. We also were really lucky to have lots of talented friends who wanted to help, so we had friends styling our products, taking photos, writing copy for our website, and helping us find more artisans to work with. Think about the talent you have around you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
UB: Since this is a bridesmaid blog, I have to throw in a wedding question! Can you share a special memory from your own wedding?
Ali: So, I mentioned that I worked with artisan women in Kenya when I was in college. Well, for my wedding, they sent me this hilariously awful pink plastic ring box that played music for our rings to be carried in for the ceremony. It clashed completely with my style and the style of the wedding, but it was such a sweet thing for them to think to send. We didn’t use it for the actual wedding, but we did bring it out beforehand for pictures so that I could thank the women for the thoughtful gift. (I attached the only picture of it I could find, which doesn’t really capture the true ugliness of this thing!)
Over Labor Day weekend while catching up with friends in D.C., we went shopping on 14th Street and I stumbled upon these adorable emergency kits for bridesmaids at Pulp. (I also saw like a million hilarious and/or gorgeous greeting cards. If you live in the area, stop by!)
The “minimergency” kits ($16) include fixes for absolutely everything that might go wrong short of “runaway bride” syndrome. You’ll find your obvious essentials—hairspray, clear nail polish, nail polish remover, emery board, breath freshener, dental floss, deodorant towelette, facial tissue, blotting tissues, bobby pins, pain relievers, a tampon, and antacids.
Borderline emergency essentials include extra earring backs to replace lost ones, sewing kit for rips or drooping hems, double-sided tape for boob-related issues (surprisingly frequent), stain remover for lunchtime accidents, and adhesive bandages for uncomfortable shoes and minor injuries (hair styling can be deadly).
And for the height of emergencies, there are extra wedding bands. Hey, just in case!
Worried about the groomsmen as well? Check out their matching kits.
The Wedding Chicks is a great bridal resource, but it also has a shop with some fairly adorable tees and tanks that would be perfect to wear while getting ready the day of the wedding or at a bachelorette party. I’ve compiled some of my favorite styles below and you can check out their totes, hankies and more here. The orders are custom and each tank set is available in a “bride,” “bridesmaid,” and “maid/matron of honor” option with different colors to choose from. Some can also be customized with names and dates. The tanks go for $24 apiece.
During the long hours of bridal prep, it’s nice to have a few surprises for the bride, especially those that present good photo ops. Enter Two Broads Design, purveyors of very affordable custom hangers.
Personalize name, hanger color, wire color and ribbon color to create a pretty keepsake for the day for under $20.
Or, for the bride, snag personalized hangers for your bridesmaids! After all, they’re the ones who are going to have trouble keeping track of whose dress is whose!
Last weekend I traveled to Florida for Marisa’s wedding in St. Augustine. I cannot wait to see the professional photographs and share a few with you, but in the meantime here are a couple of my snaps from the day and some highlights from the bridesmaid front.
The happily married couple in our wedding trolley!
Marisa had a rainbow vision for her bridesmaids, a wash of jewel-toned dupioni. We didn’t see the dresses all together until the day of the wedding and we were all blown away with how pretty they looked together. She picked just the right shades! We each chose a style from a selection of three. You can find my ivy V-neck with cap sleeves here, Alyssa’s strapless number here, and Maria’s violet scoopneck here, all by Alfred Sung.
Instead of bouquets, Marisa made us these clutches with retro brooches chosen to match our dresses. They definitely came in handy since we could slip in tissues, lip gloss and even our cameras! I was able to take more pictures before and after the ceremony because of them, although all of my photos conspicuously stop when I reach the reception, probably because I was busy “partying my face off” as Marisa would say. Oh, and stressing about my speech.
Marisa and I before the ceremony! The bridesmaids seriously earned our keep with her gorgeous dress. It was ridiculously heavy and required at least two helping hands to get her in and out of the trolley (or one groomsman lifting her up like a doll. This was much more effective.). All the bridesmaids had something to manage to get her around—her train, her veil, her spectacular oversize bouquet, her towel for dabbing off in the summer heat. Like I always say, being a bridesmaid is hard work!
Probably our favorite activity at the reception was this amazing photobooth, stocked with props. I was really impressed with the photo quality and the imaginative facial expressions. The results can be seen below and the Florida-based company Marisa used is Phobooth.
My darling boyfriend and I. He’s gotten quite good at attending weddings with me. The arrow was supposed to point at him…in the heat of the moment I made a fatal error.
Fellow Maid of Honor Alyssa joins the picture. This is post-speeches, hence our relaxed demeanor.
A gathering of excellent people.
Many more wedding details to come, including Maid of Honor speech tips and Marisa’s amazing bridesmaid survival kits.
The first time I was asked to be a bridesmaid, I cried. I didn’t expect to, but I just felt this wave of emotion roll over me and I started tearing up. It didn’t take much—just a phone conversation and a heartfelt request—but asking someone to be your bridesmaid or maid of honor is a special moment, so choose a personal way to do it. Make a special phone call to each of your ladies or meet with them in person if distance doesn’t stand in the way. There are also lots of beautiful invitation cards or small gifts that can serve as a keepsake for the moment. I think it’s best to ask verbally so you two can share a special moment. Then you can follow up with a card or gift to commemorate the occasion if you wish. Here are some “will you be my bridesmaid?” items I love.
If you’d rather not play the sentimental card, this one from Naughty Betty is hilarious.
Want to go a step further than a card? How about a bottle of wine or champagne with a custom label from Michele Purner Designs? (I almost prefer the groomsmen option. Mustaches!)
