Have you ever served a friend by helping with their wedding? It is both a delight and a lot of work! If you’ve ever had this privilege, you probably know the blessing of being acknowledged for your labor. While we may joyfully and willingly consider our effort at a friend’s wedding a labor of love and expect no recompense, it is always nice to be appreciated for the work we’ve done. I’ve been blessed many times by surprise gift baskets or cards tucked into thank-you notes for my wedding coordinating work.

Providing these tokens of appreciation is a kindness I encourage several time in All Things Are Ready. Even when you are blessed with a community of friends and family who are falling all over each other to help with your wedding, expressing your gratitude by way of a small gift is an important way to honor those who will work so hard to pull off your Dream Wedding. Keep in mind that most wedding chores filled by generous friends are things you would otherwise have to pay for by the hour for professional services. Show your helpers you recognize the cost and effort they have saved you by blessing them with a thoughtful gift.

Here are a few suggestions for your wedding helpers’ gifts.

• Create a gift basket with either individualized treats fitting to the person receiving this gift or general locally available gifts. I was blessed to receive one such basket that included local wine, an Entertainment book, coffee shop gift cards, and more. It was such fun to remember the wedding as I used these treats over the next several months.
• Gift card to a local bookstore, restaurant, coffee shop or gift shop.
• Spa gift cards so your hard working friend can relax after your wedding!
• Pretty aprons with the pockets filled with cute kitchen tools for those who help serve or cater your wedding.
• Amazon gift cards are great general treats for those serving at the wedding, such as musicians or choir members, whom you may not know personally well enough to buy an individualized gifts.
• Bottle of wine
• Movie tickets or iTunes gift-cards are great for young people.
• If you have those who have done larger jobs for the wedding (catering, photography, the wedding cake, etc.), but resist cash payment for their services, a gift-certificate for some kind of relaxing retreat is nice way to pay them in a way they can’t refuse. Here in Oregon, I would consider an night’s stay at the beach or a McMenamins Lodge. Wherever you are, there is probably a nice B&B or local favorite day-trip you could consider.

Do you have any additional creative ideas? Please share them in the comment section below!

A very good friend of our family got engaged last weekend so I was thrilled that the first printing of All Things Are Ready has arrived in the warehouse and is available to order! I got my first finished copies on Sunday and am so pleased with the result. The binder is both practical and beautiful, it comes with a handy expandable file pocket in the back for holding all those receipts, notes and clippings, and has sturdy, useful tabbed dividers to place in each chapter so you can quickly get to the list you’re looking for. How fun to be able to present Miss Sara with her first engagement gift and share this with her!

If you know someone recently engaged, or would just like to read more about this next season of parenting, be sure to head over to the Doorposts blog this week to enter their free giveaway of one copy of All Things Are Ready!