Pre-Wedding Care Package

This weekend I will be flying over to England to watch my dear friend Rachel make the promise of a lifetime to the love of her life. Weddings are incredibly special and to be asked to be a part of someone’s day is always lovely since it means such a great deal to the people involved. Rachel and I lived together along with two other girls throughout the four years of university in Edinburgh. These years were formative for me when I look back on them because I had so much to learn on my own and they watched me fail quite a lot. Failing at making it to any morning lecture, failing to be sober for more than a few days, failing at making any meal that didn’t involve spuds. Honestly it’s still a mystery how I managed to get through those years! It’s so great to still have these friendships now that we’re a little older and not much wiser. Unfortunately we’re scattered across the UK and Ireland which means when these lovely weddings do take place, it’s not always kind on the pockets. I’ve written a blog post before on how to afford the difficult wedding season at an age where it seems your entire Facebook clan are getting hitched (see that post here) and unfortunately I had to make the decision not to attend Rach’s hen party because I couldn’t afford it and the wedding together. The guilt when you have to let someone down is awful but a fair few of us have to make these tough choices. As a way of letting her know that I was thinking of her in the lead up to her special day, I decided to make a little care package for her. I’ve witnessed the stress some brides feel in the days before so I thought a wee parcel filled with some light-hearted gifts might make her smile. This gift box was focused on thoughtfulness rather than a big budget and I wanted to include things that I could relate to her wedding. After some brainstorming, I came up with these treats…

• Cosy socks – for the unlikely chance that she may get cold feet

• Mini bottle of Prosecco – to calm the nerves over breakfast

• Pretty tissues – to help dry her eyes and keep her make-up in tact

• Homemade Lavender Pillow Spray – to make sure she gets a good night sleep

• Homemade Lip Balm – to keep those peckers altar-ready (find out how to make your own here)

• Homemade Lavender Soap – just because they’re pretty and they smell nice (and again, learn how to make them here)

I really loved putting this together and it’s made me think that it would be a great idea for a different time of year that I’m not quite ready to talk about yet (it rhymes with Shishmas). Crafting your own little presents involves so much more thought than just buying a 2 for 1 out of the shop down the street and I reckon it makes the gift giving that wee bit more special. Good luck to Rachel & Heather on their wedding day!!