Outside of my Maid of Honor and Caleb’s Best Man, we aren’t having a bridal party. We decided to get married mountainside in Breckenridge, Colorado with a few friends and family so it didn’t make sense for us to have a full blown bridal party. However, I wanted to include some of my best friends in the festivities. I seriously spent weeks trying to find something that said “hey, I love you, you’re my best friend, join in if you want!” There was seriously nothing. I found one article about asking your ladies to be your “non-bridesmaids”, but how off putting does that sound? It basically read that you they do all bridesmaid stuff without the title. Uhm, no.

I couldn’t find anything online about how to honor your best friends without having a bridal party. With zero help from Pinterest, I was back at the drawing board. The only thing that came to my mind was addressing each person and just telling them how much I love them. I wanted to give each person something memorable to that they could have it between now and the wedding. Something tangible that would still be here even after the vows. I wanted each “thing” I did to be as unique as the lady I was giving it to. I originally thought about giving each girl matching mountain rings, but I thought that was too basic. Instead, I tossed out the matching ring idea and set out to find unique turquoise rings from Etsy. I searched for rings that I felt matched each friend’s style and personality. Each ring beautiful, each ring is different, and each ring important – just like my circle.

After waiting two months for the last ring to arrive from BFE, I sat down and wrote each girl a letter about what they bring to my life, why I love them, and an invitation to join in an any wedding stuff – no expensive dress, no obligatory bridal shower, no gifts, and no expectations. I didn’t want any one to feel that just because we weren’t having a bridal party meant that they weren’t invited to tag along, but I also didn’t want anyone to feel obligated. I wanted each letter to be an open invitation.

I printed out each letter on 5×7″ card stock and cut two slits on the sides to wrap satin ribbon through. I used the ribbon the tie the ring in place and just like that I had my idea. Check out the below photos for what I came up with! If you’re not having a bridal party, but aren’t sure how to honor your ladies, this is the perfect way to say “hey, I love you, you’re my best friend, join in if you want!” Whatever you do – don’t ask someone to be your non-bridesmaid!

Did you do anything similar for your best friends? What unique ideas did you incorporate into your small, intimate wedding?