How to Make DIY Bridesmaid Proposal Boxes

I have finally asked all my besties to be my bridesmaids (yay!) so now that the surprise is over, I can finally share what I did to “propose” to my girls.

There are many creative ways to ask your friends to be your bridesmaids, and I was stumped at first about how I wanted to do it. Ultimately, I knew I wanted to craft something personalized for each of my friends and to assemble a little box of sweet treats with some celebratory favorites for them to enjoy. The final result: DIY bridesmaid proposal boxes! I made keepsake boxes personalized for each woman with a ring pop (a sweet nod to the proposal), pale-pink Essie nail polish (for a little pampering), a mini bottle of champagne (to celebrate, of course!), and a handwritten note (to let them know how much they mean to me).

There are online sites that sell pre-assembled boxes or services that make customized boxes for you, but they can be outrageously expensive. Plus, I think it’s more personal when the bride herself takes the time to make something special for her friends. I wanted to show my friends that I care about them and understand they’re doing me a great honor by agreeing to be my bridesmaids.

How to Make DIY Bridesmaid Proposal Boxes

Supplies to Decorate the Box

A plain unfinished wooden box with latch (Tip: Make sure it’s large enough to fit your items, especially if you’re including bottles of champagne. I got mine for $5.49 each at Michael’s.)
Gold spray paint (I used Short Cuts in Gold Leaf)
Colored paint for the inside of the box (I used Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint in Sea Glass from Michael’s)
Paper crinkle filler (I used Michael’s paper crinkle in a mix of both white and Kraft-paper brown)
Small paintbrush or foam brush
Shaped chalkboard decals (I used chalkboard tags from Michael’s)
Glittered letter appliques
Gold Sharpie or metallic ink marker
Gift tags
Twine or ribbon
Gorilla glue

Ideas for the Treats Inside

Now the fun part: What to put inside in your bridesmaid proposal box? Think about your favorite things and also favorites of your friends. What reflects your personality and gives a glimpse as to your wedding plans, while also giving your friends something they’ll enjoy? For me that was champagne, Essie nail polish, a ring pop, and a note.

Mini bottle of champagne or a favorite liquor: I love sparkling wine, and champagne just screams “party!” to me, so I knew it was a must for my bridesmaids box. Plus mini champagne bottles are so cute and festive. Visually, they worked perfectly with my box design.
A bottle of nail polish: I obsessively paint my nails and collect Essie nail polish, so a bottle of Essie was both a nod to what I love and also something fun I knew my friends would use and enjoy. I selected a light pale pink, because one of my wedding colors is blush pink, plus it’s a neutral everyday shade my girls can actually use.
Ring pop: To top it off, I added a ring pop as a cute nod to a wedding ring.
Handwritten note: Most importantly, I also included a personal note card to each of my friends.

DIY Bridesmaids Boxes Step by Step

Here is how I made my gold-and-mint bridesmaid boxes. It was super easy, so no special crafting skills required!

1. Spray paint the outside of your boxes with gold leaf spray paint. Make sure the box is closed and the latch is down while spraying. Use quick, thin coats all over. Open the latch before you allow to dry.

2. Once the outside is dry, open up the box and begin painting the interior. I used acrylic craft paint in a minty blue-green (the shade is Sea Glass from Martha Stewart). I used a small foam brush to paint, which I found useful because I was able to push it easily into the edges of the interior. I painted the entire inside of the boxes. Allow to dry.

3. Glue a letter decal to the top of the box. Add a letter to the lid of each box to personalize it for your friend. You could use any letter decal or a monogram sticker. I used Gorilla glue to adhere a thick gold glitter letter to the top of each box.

4. Write “Will you be my bridesmaid?” on your chalkboard decal with gold metallic ink. You can use a gold Sharpie pen or a metallic-gold ink marker for this part. Then use Gorilla glue to adhere the decal to the inside of the box lid.

5. Fill the inside of the box with paper crinkle and your goodies. I alternated using white crinkle and brown Kraft-paper crinkle in my girls’ boxes. Then I topped it with the bottle of champagne, nail polish, a ring pop, and a handwritten note.

6. Add the finishing touches. To make my boxes look like little presents, I wrapped them up with twine and added a gift tag with their name written in gold ink. It added a little extra suspense when I gave them their box and they had to untie it to find out what was inside.

That’s it! These are super easy to put together and fun to give. I was able to give it to five of my six friends in person, and it was a special moment for me. One of my bridesmaids lives in Arizona, so I unfortunately had to mail hers, but she loved it nonetheless! A side note: I flew with these and mailed one, so even with the bottle of champagne, they are safe for travel.

First wedding craft done, many more to go!

Posted By: Ali Salter · In: Wedding Planning