I’ve been so blessed to have so many great people in my life.   I’ve kept the same circle of friends for many, many years, some whom I have known for almost 16 years!  That is why it might have come as a surprise to some when Mark & I decided to only have a best man and maid of honor in our wedding party. If we were to have a “big” wedding party, I would have had my 3 sisters whom I’m very close to, 6 of my girlfriends whom I’ve known since middle school through college, and of course my cousin Katrina who will be my maid of honor.  We chose to keep it small though as far as the “wedding party” goes. That still won’t take away from the fact that all these ladies are very important to me.  Although I know they won’t be standing next me physically on my wedding day, they’ve stood by me for so long and so I will honor them.  Since you’re allowed to do whatever you want on your wedding day, I’ve named these girls my “Friends of Honor.”  And so just like many girls had a “special” way of asking their friends to be their bridesmaids, I chose to do something similar. I’m still working on something for my sisters and cousin but here is peek at what I did for my girlfriends….

I custom made a greeting card through Snapfish. I choose the 12 photo template and inserted pictures of me and my ladies throughout the years.  I ordered 7, one for me to keep and so I could also use it as practice.

Once I received the cards in the mail, I created a word document and adjusted the page size to fit the size of the card.  I created a monogram (since I didn’t have the professional monograms just yet) and on each card wrote a personal note to each girl. I’m glad I ordered an extra card because you can see from the picture, it came in handy since I made a few errors using my home printer.  Since the card is glossy, I allowed the ink to dry on each card for 2 days under a desk lap. With my practice card I found that even after allowing them to dry for a few days, the ink would smear a little if touched.

So each girl loved their card and glad fully excepted the position as what they’ve termed themselves, my “unofficial” bridesmaids. I’ll eventually frame my card to remember all the support they’ve given me over the years, the planning process, and on my wedding day. They are the BEST!