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Message in a Bottle: Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

It’s time for Part 2 of my D.I.Y. Wedding Series!  To start at Part 1, Planning a Wedding Before There Was Pinterest, click here.

Creative idea for "proposing" to your bridesmaids...especially if you're having a beachy wedding.  A Message in a Bottle!  Via The Thinking Closet

One of the first decisions Mark and I made after getting engaged on February 14, 2009, was who we were going to ask to stand up for us as bridesmaids and groomsmen.  Mark asked 7 guys…and I asked…wait for it…10 lovely ladies!  You heard that right: 10.

Now, before you call me crazy, let me just say that God has blessed with some really rich friendships with some incredible women over the years.  These are the kind of women with whom you can be your most wackadoodle self (especially on the dance floor), as well as safe enough with to unleash your ugly cry.  And these incredible women include my sister Lisbeth and SIL Jodi.

So, I either had to go with just family or include the whole bushel and a peck.  So, 10 it was!  We were practically a soccer team.  But boy-o-boy did we have fun together that weekend.  I mean, what else can you expect when you gather together some of the most amazing people on the planet.  It’s an instant party.  I mean, look at these faces:

The Bridal Party to Rule Them All!
Photo Credit: Emily Johnston

I have so much love for the people in this collage, it makes me well up with tears just to take it all in.  Okay, Lauren…keep it together.  We have a DIY wedding post to share!

Right!  So, these people deserved a really special invitation to join our wedding party–something worthy of their awesomeness.  Since we knew we wanted to get hitched on the Jersey shore, we went with the beach theme and sent them each a message in a bottle where we popped the question, “Will you be my bridesmaid?” or “Will you be my groomsman?”  A message in a bottle…like this:

A Message in a Bottle: Creative idea for asking your bridesmaids and groomsmen to stand up for you.

Mark wrote his own personal note for his guys, and here was the message I wrote for my gals:

The Message in a Bottle!  Will you be my bridesmaid?

(Sidenote: here’s that video I reference at the end of the note.  Some bridesmaid history for ya.)

Now, back to the logistics of the “message in a bottle.”  The initial plan was to slap some stamps on a plastic bottle with sand, shells, seaglass, and a secret note…and drop it in the mail.  I’m not sure on the legality of such things in 2013, but back in 2009, when this shin-dig was going down, it was A-okay.  At least, this blogger said so.  You could actually mail a plastic bottle to someone across the country…and it would get there!

However, upon reflection, my Mom and I decided that the prospect of these bottles busting open when tumbling through the machines at the P.O. wasn’t worth the risk.  We liked our postal workers too much for that.  So, although it was a little less romantic, we decided to play it safe and ended up putting the bottles in small boxes prior to mailing.

To mail or not to mail?  That is the question!

Another problem that needed solving was the question of whether or not people would instinctively know to dig through the sand in search of their message…or would they just think, “Hmmm.  Lauren and Mark just sent me a random bottle of sand, shells, and seaglass.  Go figure.”

So, to make things crystal clear, I rolled up each message like a tiny scroll and tied it with a long piece of twine.  Then, I took one end of the twine and hot glued it to the inside of the bottle cap prior to burying the message in the sand.  That way, when someone opened their bottle, they could follow the string to their secret message!  Or tug it until the message surfaced.  It added a new level of intrigue!

Here are some photos of the bottles in process as I put them together on our dining room in my parents’ home in New York.  (Please remember, these were pre-blogging days where the thought of waiting until daytime to take photos in natural light didn’t even cross my mind.  Sigh.)

Prepping the message in the bottle....

Loading up the message in a bottles!

Message in a Bottle: Will You Be My Bridesmaid?  Our DIY Wedding Series at The Thinking Closet

The best part was waiting in anxious anticipation for the bottles to reach their final destination during those 3-5 business days…and then the enthusiastic responses started pouring in.  Whad’ya know, they all said yes!  We had a wedding party assembled!  Now, we just needed a venue.  Hmmmmm….

Click here for the next post in this series, 7 Tips for Finding a Wedding Venue.

Your Turn:

So, what do you think?  Was I out of my mind to have 10 bridesmaids?  Would have been brave and just put the message-in-a-bottles through the mail as they were?  Have you ever been asked to be a bridesmaid or groomsman in a creative way…or did you have a special way of “proposing” to your wedding party?  I’d love to hear your stories in the comments section.  Let’s chat it up, friends!

{Linking up here.}

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41 Comments

  1. Eeek!! I agree with Becky, it’s kind of surreal to see your name and face here at the thinkingcloset. I was, and still am, SO HONORED to have stood by your side on your wedding day. Thanks for asking me. It was so fun being a part of that group of stellar women, too. Man, you know how to pick ‘dem friends don’t you? Or rather, they know a good friend when they see one. 🙂 And, I think that’s awesome you took pics of the bottles (which were so lovely)…it’s like you KNEW one day you’d be blogging about it!

    1. Every time I look up at the canvas on our living room wall of our wedding party, I just feel so blessed for the incredible men and women and FAMILY God has brought into both of our lives. Having you as my maid of honor was MY honor, Lisbeth. Thanks for the many things you did through the wedding planning process to help keep me sane.

      Ha ha. And maybe I did have a sense that one day, I would have a crafty blog and want to share such photos. It is rather odd that I took so many! (Though I was going through my “document everything” stage. Tee hee.)

  2. I always thought that was such a clever way to invite your friends to be your bridesmaids, esp. for a beach-theme wedding!
    I don’t think I realized how many photos you took, at the time, of the process. Fun to be reminded of those hectic but fun and exciting days of preparation!

  3. These are darling! I never thought of “proposing” to my bridesmaids–what a fun idea! {I don’t know if they had that back in the dark ages of 2006 when I got married, lol.} I always tell my dad that he is lucky that Pinterest didn’t exist when I was planning my wedding or he might have been out a lot more dough. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing this cute idea! Have a wonderful week!

    ~Abby =)

    1. Ha ha. It’s true! I’m sure that pre-Pinterest weddings like ours were a bit more budget-savvy! It would have been easy to DIY everything to the nines (which isn’t always cheap) if we had been pinning wedding ideas all day (and night) long. Phew!

  4. This is way too adorable for words. What a creative idea, and I cannot believe you thought to take that many pictures even before having a blog!!! Good for you! These would be super cute for kids themes parties too, so I am sure you have given a lot of people a lot of ideas now!

    1. I know, kinda crazy, right? Well, you see, I’ve always been a bit photo happy. My friends said that if it hadn’t been for me, none of our college years would have been documented. I’ve simmered down a bit on taking photos of get-togethers, but that’s only because I get to snap photos of DIY projects all day long! Ha ha. (You know how it goes.) Though I needed a lesson in taking photos in natural light back in the day!

    1. Aw, thanks, friend. It has been a lot of fun revisiting our wedding through this series and looking back through old pictures…similar to how I felt when working on your scrapbook! (And I still have the creative “proposal” you sent me when inviting me to be your bridesmaid! Such a treasure.)

  5. those pictures are so sweet and so is the idea- it seems really exciting to wait for the 3-5 business days and then have them each call individually as well! This is a really fun idea! how thoughtful! also, I am not a good judge on bridesmaids count- I got hitched in front of the judge with 20 others downtown- so it was a big occasion- just not a real wedding! I will have to have my husband make it up to me one day!

    1. It was really fun, Kelly! Some called, some emailed, and some even sent snail mail. It was really delightful to hear their unique responses. And I love that you just got hitched at the courthouse! Oh yes, I’m sure a big anniversary party one day will allow you to enjoy any of the wedding traditions you feel you missed out on, while freeing yourself of the stress that it is your “one big day.” That actually sounds like a great plan to me!

  6. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you, Lauren. So witty, so creative. I love how much thought you put into asking each attendant. Again, I wouldn’t expect anything less.

    Shockingly, our ‘tropical’ wedding in Las Vegas included no bridesmaids. And, I walked myself down the isle.

    1. Thanks, Christine! Ha ha. And I’m also not surprised that you were without bridesmaids at your wedding. Though from what it sounded like, you were still very much surrounded by people who loved and supported you! (So much so that they were willing to travel to Vegas last minute for your wedding. I love that part of the story.)

  7. What a sweet idea! I love the message-in-a-bottle “proposal”. How awesome would that have been to receive just the bottle in the mail?!?! (But I get why you didn’t – it could have been a disaster!)

    1. I feel like most of the really awesome things in life were ALMOST disasters. So, maybe I should have just been brave and tried it. Hey, what am I waiting for? I should totally give it a whirl now! “Honey, I think we need to plan a trip to the beach. And bring those empty water bottles!” 🙂

  8. Love it! Knowing you and your creative spirit, I’m sure your friends would expect no less than a touching, funny, and unique way to be invited to participate in your special day. You definitely did not disappoint!

    I don’t think you’re crazy to have had 10 bridesmaids. I also love that you went with an uneven number of female and male attendants instead of “cutting” friends or forcing random strangers to don a tux so you have an even number.

    1. Oh, yes. There were several wedding “customs” or traditions that we bent or completely ignored just because we thought they were silly…or not “us.” We were totally of the mentality, “It’s our party and we’ll have an odd numbered wedding party if we want to!” And I’m just cracking up imagining us pulling passersby from the boardwalk into our venue the morning of our wedding, shoving them in a bathroom stall, and throwing a tux over top. “Quick! Change out of your swim-trunks and into this.” It’s turning into quite a funny SNL sketch in my mind…. 🙂

  9. What a DARLING idea! This idea could be incorporated into so many parties and get-togethers! Thanks for the cute idea!

    1. Thanks, Teri. And you’re right about it being transferable to other party ideas! Could be a fun way to invite someone to a pirate party, now that I think of it….

    1. Thanks, Kelly! I know, it seemed like the only fitting way to ask our wedding party to be our honored ‘maids and ‘men. Can’t wait to get into all the other beachy themed things we did…eek!

    1. Ha ha. It’s crazy how we somehow managed before Pinterest. But we did! 😉 And thanks for sweet comment, Jessica! I’m glad you likey!

  10. Lauren,
    This was such an awesome idea! The note made me tear up lol. I just had both of my sons get married within 3 weeks of each other a few months ago so we had a large group of people at all times for 6 months! It was crazy but fun!
    Have a great day
    Sandra
    The Adored Home

    1. Aw! Those tears just show what an open heart you have, Sandra. Wow, you’ve definitely had wedding-brain for quite a while! I’m sure you could do quite a wedding series yourself! Then again, you might need a little break from it. (Yes, I imagine it would have been crazy for those 6 months…but oh so fun and memorable.)

    1. Thanks, Midsommarflicka! I know, revisiting this project again has me wondering if I could use them for a party invitation of some kind. And maybe I’ll be brave enough to send them through the mail AS IS the second time around. Hmmmm….

        1. Midsommarflicka, you’re brilliant! A test run! Why didn’t I think of that? And I think you should totally ask your post office and see if they’d be game. You’ll have to let me know what you discover!

  11. What a surprise to see my face and name here today! I’m loving this series–can’t wait for the wedding crafts!

  12. I love this idea!!! My fiancee and I got engaged on Christmas Eve of 2012 and I just asked my bridesmaids about 2 weeks ago. I put together gift bags for them. Each was personalized for them (color coded too of course!!) I included little stuff that may come in handy like a pocket calendar, a sewing kit, a reusable water cup and a personalized tee shirt with their title. I never even thought of a message in a bottle! Definitely going on to the list for when my girls get married! Thanks again for your brilliant ideas!

    1. Congrats on your engagement, Nicole! And I love what you did for your bridesmaids. How very practical! (I love that you personalized them, too. I’m sure your gals LOVED those gift bags.) Thanks so much for taking the time to share that!

  13. Oh my gosh, that is too cute! I got married 4 years ago (recently celebrated my 4 year anniversary) and it was waaay before Pinterest and when all this cute DIY stuff was going on. I didn’t even think to ask my bridesmaids in a cute way! Oh the perils of getting married 4 years ago!

    But I do think it’s amazing what you did and I was asked recently with a personalized gourmet cookie. It was super cute. And I plan on forcing my sister to ask her bridesmaids in a cute way. . . once she gets a boyfriend/fiancee!

    1. Yay! Another buddy who got married in 2009! It seems there are a lot of us out there (must have been a good year…ha ha). I know, I plan to live vicariously through family and friends when they get engaged now…so I can make up for what I missed out on where Pinterest is concerned!

    1. Oh my gosh. I feel like I was only batting in T-ball; apparently, to play in the major leagues, you need 80 bridesmaids! My favorite part of that article is the subtitle: “That’s a Whole Lot of Taffeta.” Bah ha ha ha. Johanna, I love that you found this and shared it. Made my morning. 😉

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