Some brides fear the dreaded moment when one of their bridesmaids has elected to drop out of the wedding. As awkward as it may seem, unfortunately, dropping out of a bridal party is more prevalent than one may imagine. What happens when a bridesmaid denounces her crown and the bride has already purchased a bridesmaids gift?
Deciding on following through with giving a fallen bridesmaid her gift after dropping out of the wedding totally depends on how long she fulfilled her duties and why she stepped down. As an optional rule of thumb, you may consider the following suggestions as protocol to use when giving a bridesmaids gift to a former bridesmaid.
A Note of Thanks
If the fallen bridesmaid served her duties for less than half of the duration of the wedding planning phase, then you should only feel obligated to send her a personal note of thanks for the work that she has done up until the point that she stepped down. If the bridesmaid dropped out before any of her duties were performed then you may consider a more informal thank you note for her consideration of being in your wedding. This is not necessary, but it’s just a way of being polite especially during uncontrollable circumstances that have prevented her from remaining as a bridesmaid in your wedding.
A Small Token of Appreciation
If your former bridesmaid remained in your bridal party for more than half of your engagement, but could not follow through until the end, then she deserves some credit for the time that she supported you. You may consider giving her a smaller bridesmaid gift than the remaining bridesmaids. Whether she has stepped down due to an argument between to the two of you or if is because of a family emergency, she is still entitled to receive a gift for the time that she did serve as your bridesmaid.
A Personalized Gift
If you purchased a bridesmaid gift that was personalized for each of your girlfriends, then you have very few options. In the case of a fallen bridesmaid that has also fallen out with the bride, you may consider giving the bridesmaid the gift despite of any angry feelings or you can contact the store to see if you may exchange it for another product or a store credit. For a bridesmaid that is still in good standing with the bride, but who has not served at least half of her duties as a bridesmaid, you should give her the gift anyway. After all, what good is keeping the gift going to do for you?
Sometimes life brings about unexpected circumstances. If you find yourself in a compromising situation with your bridesmaids, try to remain calm and remember that a fallen bridesmaid should not affect your wedding day.
