2024 Holiday Gift Guide For Her (Your BFF Who is Getting Married!)

Nicola and Albert Wedding – Bride Bridesmaids Bouquet – Stephanie Naru Photography

When it comes to shopping for the best friend who is in the midst of planning her wedding, the best holiday gifts for the bride-to-be are thoughtful, personal, and fun. Each woman is unique – the key is to focus on what you think she’ll appreciate during this exciting, but also very hectic period leading up to the big event. If making decisions about a venue, dress, and catering have her feeling stressed out, a journal may be just what she needs. Perhaps she and her partner just bought their first house and could use stylish decor to make it feel more like a ‘home.’ If you’re looking for an arts & culture lover, a scarf inspired by an Impressionist painting is a must-have accessory for the season. And she’s sure to find her signature wedding day scent by sampling the luxury fragrances in a perfume sampler set. Read on for more ideas from our 2024 holiday gift guide for her – aka your BFF who is getting married!
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Katie and Bryan Wedding - Bride and Groom Kissing Bouquet - New York Botanical Garden - Sarah Churchill Photography

Weddings

Katie & Bryan: A Tropical-Boho Affair at New York Botanical Garden

by Kate Murphy

Katie and Bryan Wedding – Bride and Groom Kissing Bouquet – New York Botanical Garden – Sarah Churchill Photography

Katie and Bryan met through an app in early 2021 during COVID when going on a ‘first date’ was proceeded with caution. After a sushi dinner, Kate invited Bryan over so they could continue talking. “At 6 am, after two bottles of cabernet sauvignon and 12 hours of nonstop conversation, we basically had to pry ourselves away from each other,” the bride remembers. The connection was immediate for the two Tauruses whose birthdays are two days apart. “Bryan and I are the same in so many ways,” she adds.” We are weird and silly, but also strong-willed and driven.”
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Courtney and Sander Wedding - Bride and Groom Portrait - Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Golden Hour Studios

Weddings

Courtney and Sander: Late Spring Romance at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

by Kate Murphy

Courtney and Sander Wedding – Bride and Groom Portrait – Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Golden Hour Studios

When Courtney met Sander in 2021 during a COVID peak in NYC, dating for everyone was anything but casual. This was especially true in their case – Courtney, a doctor, was vaccinated early and taking extra precautions. “We were kicked out of bars at 10 PM due to the curfew and spent more time hanging out and chatting on street corners during those first few weeks,” she recalls. In these conversations, the couple would find themselves agreeing on most any topic that came up, eventually learning that they shared very similar views of the world. “We both had intense feelings early on,” she confides.
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Alexandra and Robert Wedding - Reception Atmosphere Tablescape Low Centerpiece - New York Botanical Garden - A Day of Bliss

Planning & Inspiration

Bright Ideas For Using Colorful Taper Candles From Real BB Wedding Receptions

by Kate Murphy

Alexandra and Robert Wedding – Reception Atmosphere Tablescape Low Centerpiece – New York Botanical Garden – A Day of Bliss

If you want your wedding reception to have an air of enchanted romance, decorate the tables with lush floral arrangements under candlelight. If you want the room to be an extraordinary scene to remember, make sure the light is coming from colorful tapered candles. Ask anyone in the midst of planning for their big day and they’ll say it didn’t take long to come across a vibrant, flickering display in a wedding editorial or on Instagram and Pinterest. While beautiful, often these ultra-saturated tablescapes are designed on a set for a magazine or to catch your attention while scrolling, leaving the question, “Would that actually work for my wedding?”
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Shelby and Max Wedding - High Centerpiece with Candles - Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Emma Cleary Photography

Planning & Inspiration

Modern Candelabra Centerpiece Ideas To Elevate Your Wedding Reception

by Kate Murphy

Shelby and Max Wedding – High Centerpiece with Candles – Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Emma Cleary Photography

The candelabra has been lighting up tablescapes for centuries. Purely functional at the beginning, they transformed into ornate, gilded displays trimmed with flowers and fruit covering tables at lavish dinners and special events. Elegantly spectacular, it’s no wonder that couples today are still choosing to incorporate the candelabra centerpiece into their wedding reception decor.

Cari and AnShih Wedding – High Candelabra Centerpiece – Lotte New York Palace NYC – by Kelly Kollar Photography

What’s so attractive about the candelabra is the Old-World allure that it brings to wedding decor. It’s a distinctive aesthetic however and may not work if you lean toward a chicer and simpler look. The question then is can you still have the same sky-high luminosity at dinner, but without the baroque excess and frills? Looking back on our favorite wedding decor trends for 2024, we are happy to say that it’s absolutely possible. Read on for modern candelabra centerpieces ideas guaranteed to elevate your big day celebration.
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Julia and Nick Wedding - Chuppah - Metropolitan Club - Todd France Photography

Weddings

Julia & Nick: A Timeless Affair at the Metropolitan Club

by Kate Murphy

Julia and Nick Wedding – Chuppah – Metropolitan Club – Todd France Photography

Julia and Nick met in 2016 during what they now refer to as ‘The Summer of Love.’ “I was getting ready for my senior year at the University of Michigan. I had an internship at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C. and found a sublet to stay at with some girls from George Washington University,” Julia remembers. The night after she moved in, her new roommate invited her to a house party across the street. New to the city and up for meeting people, she gladly accepted. “I walked in and quickly realized I was an outsider. Everyone knew each other and went to GWU,” Julia says. She would also learn that the house they were at was nicknamed ‘The Barn’ and among its residents was Nick, a soon-to-be senior interning at a lobbying firm. Nick was immediately drawn to Julia – they ended up talking the whole night and said ‘goodbye’ by exchanging numbers.
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Planning & Inspiration