How I asked...
My Girls, & Man of Honor! (All 9 of them)
First things first, I love how personal my bridesmaids’ proposal boxes turned out, but…
they took so…so much longer and weren’t as cost effective as I expected.
However, if you want to try the DIY. Here are the steps I took to get these beauties created and shipped away.
Step #1: Find the right box:
I went hunting for “pretty” boxes from Etsy to Target and at last landed at my fabulous boxes from Michaels.
And a lot of them are on clearance now!! I knew I wanted STURDY ship-able boxes, that would flip open to reveal the goodies inside (to add to the drama - cuz thats me). Just search “Tab Box by Ashland” and all of these boxes that flip open will populate.
Step #2: Pick up stuffing to pad the goods…
Or blue metallic shred in my case $3.99 $1.49. I probably used 7 bags of these for all 9 boxes.
Or bubble wrap $4.99. I already had some of this stored in my apartment to just place on top of the shred mix as a finishing touch.
Step #3: Find all the fun goodies to FILL THE BOX
I chose these cute and instagram-worthy bottles of rosé in a half bottle size (375 ml) because everything is better when its mini. $8.99/ bottle and for all of your New Yorkers, I found these at Warehouse Wines & Spirits.
I happened to see these Sand + Fog candles at Nordstromrack, and I thought all the scents were so good. Although the mimosa candle I used is no long available, here are some great alternatives ($12.97- $16.97) :
Lastly, I picked up two cubes of Rosé Roses for my Man Of Honor & Maid Of Honor ($8.50).
Step #4: Pop the question!
I made this template (front) in pages so feel free to use it:
And this (the back template) and printed it onto white card stock paper ($5.99) :
Step #5: SHIP it away!
So I have to admit this was my least favorite part. I had to prep the boxes by ensuring nothing was going to move around with lots of shredded mix, and bubble wrap. Then I double wrapped the boxes with butcher paper ($5.49). USPS is strict on alcohol, so that was a swing and a miss. I made sure to keep it “no alcohol” from then on out. I then headed to FedEx, and I HAD to ship out my boxes in “their boxes” so that would have been a whole ‘nother $13-$20 on top of the shipping expenses. Last but not least UPS was my success story! Not only were they super helpful, but it was quick and easy. It was a bit brutal realizing shipping to the west coast for me was going to be $18 each 😭 but I came this far to let shipping costs stop me.
So to Sum it Up:
Bridesmaid Boxes (7x $4.50) = $31.50
MOH + MOH Boxes (2x $8) = $16.00
Metallic Shred (7x $1.49) = $10.43
Half Bottles of Rosé (9x $8.99) = $80.91
Sand + Fog Candles (9x $16.97) = $152.73
Rosé Roses 🌹(2x $8.50) = $17.00
White Card Stock Paper = $5.99
Butcher Paper = $5.49
Shipping (7x $18) + (2x $13) = $152
I decided to take a checked bag ($30 on Jet Blue) back home with me to Los Angeles with 5 of these boxes to see their reactions in person and save $60 and it was priceless!
GRAND TOTAL = $472.05 (approx. 52.45/ person)
I would say that if your girls are local, this is a fun way to go! And don’t forget to download the Michael’s app. It always has coupons including this 40% off one item coupon. But after taking a look at Etsy “ready to send” boxes (which they will ship directly for you), I think it would be easiest and most cost-effective to take that route.
Another Etsy Contender
Hope this helps, Marvelous Miss Marriage,
