50 Bridesmaid Gift Ideas

Your bridesmaids deserve much more than the usual keychain or strand of faux pearls. Get creative and personal with these unique ideas.

Photo: Susan Stripling Photography

Entertain her

1. Tickets to a musical or dinner theater
2. Magazine subscriptions
3. Headphones in her favorite color
4. Specialty playing cards
5. The latest best-selling book
6. A gift certificate to a movie theater or music venue
7. An e-reader like a Kindle Fire or iPad
8. A movie-themed gift basket
9. Tickets to a sporting event
10. A set of movies themed around a favorite actor, director or film era
11. A bottle of wine and a new board game

Pamper her

12. Silk pajamas
13. A Moroccan-inspired robe
14. Personalized stationery
15. A gift certificate to a local boutique
16. A monogrammed set of bath towels
17. A designer clutch
18. A gift certificate to a luxury spa
19. A designer makeup bag
20. A beauty gift package
21. A hair and beauty makeover at a local salon
22. A boudoir photo session

Make her something

23. Personalized jewelry
24. A scented candle
25. All-natural soaps
26. Holistic beauty treatments such as bath salts and scented astringents
27. A hand-painted platter or vase, designed at a local ceramics studio and personalized with her favorite colors
28. A knitted scarf, throw or other woolen delight
29. A hand-bound photo album or scrapbook
30. Assorted jars of homemade jam and scones
31. A personalized poem, framed

Play off her passion

32. A gift certificate for an introductory ballroom, salsa or flamenco dance class
33. Workout gear
34. A flight bag, camera case or classy travel kit bearing her initials
35. An introductory pottery class
36. A gift certificate for a session with a personal trainer, Pilates instructor, reflexologist or nutritionist
37. A hot new cookbook or a first-edition classic by Julia Child, dessert bowls or a state-of-the-art pepper mill
38. Gardening tools, a flowering plant or a gift certificate to her local gardening center
39. Vintage ashtrays, lace bureau scarves or Depression-era glass
40. A subscription to a niche magazine (like skiing or photography) and a matching accessory, like a hat and scarf

Wine and dine her

41. A French press with a pound of gourmet coffee
42. Sushi-making supplies
43. A fabulous bottle of bubbly, a nice ice bucket or a wine club membership
44. A gift certificate to a favorite restaurant
45. Luxe table linens, napkin rings and place card holders
46. Decadent chocolates
47. Caviar, foie gras or a gift certificate to a nearby gourmet grocer
48. A deluxe picnic basket
49. A cute apron
50. A collection of your favorite recipes with a tea towel or colorful colander

-- Amy Elliott